One of the most important things we do as plastic surgeons or any surgeon for that matter…is to match the solution to the problem. Large operations for small problems run the risk of creating complications that exceed the scope of the original problem. Small operations for big problems simply will not work and are destined for failure and more surgery. Learning this judgment skill can only be done through experience…otherwise known as mistakes.
I have learned to carefully match the magnitude of the operation to the size of the problem. Small problems need small operations. Big problems require big operations. You cannot make a big problem better by a small operation…no matter how much the patient would prefer it. The allure and excitement of a big operation (to the plastic surgeon) is doomed to likely create a problem for the patient which is just as significant, if not more so, than the original problem.
Dr Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana