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Healing Body & Mind

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Once you have had the procedure that you may have waited a long time for, it is then time to be patient and wait, again, for your body to heal. Unfortunately, a surgeon’s scalpel is not a magic wand and healing will occur at different rates for different people. You must allow yourself to heal and be aware that it is natural to be impatient for the results and a little depressed because you often look worse before you look better. Being aware that this can happen will help you combat these feelings and not let them get out of hand.

Healing Body & Mind

Sharing your experience with friends and family can help give you a support system during your recovery, but realize that they may unintentionally make you question your decision with concerns during your recovery. While you may think that you are looking pretty rough around the edges, we may tell you that you are healing beautifully. Trust us. We’ve been through this many more times than you and know what constitutes good recovery. We will share with you if there is a concern, so if we tell you that everything is healing normally, it is.

Your healing will depend on many things such as your general health, your willingness to follow instructions, and your mental attitude toward recovery.

While I can perform the surgery, I cannot “heal” you. It is up to you to be an active participant in your recovery process to help your body heal the best that it can. Following all of our instruction is very important, as is working with us to address any complications that may arise. Even surgeries that are done exactly right, can have complications during recovery. It has to do with the human factor. We are not machines and every person can react differently and heal differently even when the surgery is done exactly the same. Even good surgeons can have bad results.

It is important that you approach your surgery and especially your recovery with the mindset that we are a team, and you are an integral part of that team. We must trust each other to be working for a common goal, your successful results. As the surgeon, I enjoy my work and strive to achieve an ideal result during every surgery for every patient. I have exacting standards that all my staff must meet in order to be involved in your care. I am looking forward to working with you to achieve a great result and do not anticipate any post-operative problems.


In the unlikely event that you have a complication, I am committed to working with you to resolution. I need you to be just as committed to working with me under these circumstances. Being unwilling to work through a complication actually aggravates the complication and reduces the likelihood of achieving your desired result, ever.

In our litigous society, people can often consider going to an attorney before trying to solve the problem. The mental stress that results from the negative emotions created by initiating or considering litigation can rob you of your desired result because now you want a bad result in order to be proven right. Unfortunately, once litigation is threatened, our relationship changes, forever.

If you feel that you cannot make a commitment to working with me through your recovery come what may, then I will need to refer you to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons who will give you a list of other qualified surgeons in the area from which you can choose a different surgeon.

Sincerely,
Leonard M. Hochstein, M.D.