Patients present with a wide variety of aesthetic problems from the top of the head down to the lower leg. Within each aesthetic problem, there is a range of magnitude of the anatomic problem and the patient’s concern about it. While the problems may range from small to large, the degree of success in correction is not always directly related to the size of the problem. It is easy to assume that small aesthetic problems are easy to fix while large ones are more difficult. This is not always true. Depending upon the exact problem, the reverse may in fact be more true. Small aesthetic problems mean that the patient has a keen eye and sees the smallest detail. Getting a small aesthetic problem perfect can be difficult if not sometimes impossible. There is no margin of error or tolerance in many small aesthetic problems. A little correction that is not enough or too much will not result in significant improvement and a happy patient. This is important for patients to consider when trying to either change a small imperfection or revising a previous surgery. Larger aesthetic problems are associated with more tolerance because they often don’t have to be perfect for the patient to see significant improvement and to be happy.
‘The smaller the aesthetic problem, the less margin of error that exists in its correction’
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana