Throughout my thirty-year professional life, I have had the opportunity to observe the similarities in approach and behavior of countless patients from every country in the world during their aesthetic surgery treatments.

When evaluating the typical characteristics shared by people interested in aesthetic surgery, it was observed that these individuals were generally outgoing, open to the world, socially active, fond of building relationships, emotional, sensitive, self-critical, and perfectionist.

To the patient who expects me to say, "this part or that part of you needs to be corrected," I reply, "when you go to an internal medicine specialist, do you ask 'what medicine will you prescribe for me?' or 'let's find out where it hurts?' I tell them, 'it's very difficult for me to help you if I don't know what's bothering you.'" My patient is initially surprised, but usually understands me very quickly thereafter.

The proportion of people in society interested in aesthetic surgery is around 5%. Therefore, one usually encounters criticism from the remaining 95%. Those who understand them best are those who share the same feelings and have embarked on the same path. They often have to hide their aesthetic surgeries because they do not want to constantly answer the "why-for what reason" questions that others will ask.

Through years of experience, I have learned that the only criterion for whether a surgery is successful or not is unfortunately a subjective one. This is "liking," meaning whether the patient is happy with the outcome of that surgery. No matter how surgically correct and successful I perform an operation, if my patient is not satisfied with the result of the surgery, I feel unsuccessful, not legally, but conscientiously. Because I could not understand that the patient cannot analyze the result with realistic emotions and that their psychodynamics may prevent this... It is not always possible for us to understand for what realistic reason each patient wants to undergo surgery. Because I know that people actually express their true desires or the underlying reasons for their desires, voluntarily or involuntarily, through their behaviors, their manner of expression, and their body language. Some of my patients even instinctively send the message "don't operate on me, doctor" with their behavior as they enter my room for consultation. When I sense this and tell them that I do not recommend surgical treatment methods and that they should mentally distance themselves from the idea of surgery as a result, they leave my office very satisfied.

When I later evaluate the pre-operative behavior and emotional world of patients who are unhappy after aesthetic surgery, I have seen that the patient also has a share in the emergence of the unsatisfactory result. This situation is usually closely related to the patient's mental state during the decision-making phase of the surgery. Sometimes such patients can also be overlooked... After all, no surgeon is a trained psychologist.

This is why, for me, the importance of the "first face-to-face meeting" with the patient is much more prominent than the stage of performing the surgery.

Understanding the patient and taking the time for them... Making the patient feel that from that moment on, they are the most important person... In the first meeting, as a surgeon who has dedicated thirty years to this science, my priorities are; more than the physical defects I see in the patient and can correct, it is why the patient came to me and what they are dissatisfied with.

Does he really want to change any part of his body, to what extent is this desire, and what emotions cause this desire? When I start the conversation with the question "what can I do for you?", the first answer is usually explanations regarding their complaints, and this is normal in psychology. The most difficult and critical moment for me is when a patient asks, "you are an aesthetician, look at me and tell me what needs to be done."