Risks & realistic expectations

The Importance of Realistic Expectations

Dr Danie Hoffmann3 min read

Because outcome satisfaction depends more on the gap between expectation and result than on the result itself.

Two patients can have technically identical operations and finish with very different levels of satisfaction — because one expected a small refinement and got a small refinement, and the other expected a dramatic change and got a small refinement.

This is why the consultation spends so much time on what you specifically want to change, why now, and what you understand the operation can and cannot do. Aligning expectations before surgery is not a formality; it is the single most reliable predictor of how you will feel about the outcome at six and twelve months.

It is entirely appropriate — and encouraged — to take the written surgical plan away, sit with it, and come back with more questions before booking.

Educational content only. Results vary between individuals and all surgery carries risk. Every plan begins with an unhurried consultation and an examination — never a quote over the phone.

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Reading is a start. The next step is an individual examination and a written surgical plan — never a quote over the phone.

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