Diary of a New Patient: Rhinoplasty Consultation
Photo simulation of natural-looking rhinoplasty results.
Guest written by Ana, our MBA intern. Before the internship started, Ana scheduled a consultation without telling the team that she was the new intern. In this post, she writes about her SKY experience.
When I first called SKY, I had the pleasure to hear the sweet voice of Ashaya. The way she spoke to me made me want to hug her, even though I have never met her. I was feeling awkward before my call and she relaxed me, because since about 10 years ago I’ve wanted to have a rhinoplasty, but I never did it because 1) my father says that natural beauty is always better (the first time I dyed my hair he almost fainted!), 2) my lack of knowledge of the cost of a rhinoplasty 3) being afraid of a surgery OMG! This is huge! What if something went wrong!?
Ashaya was kind and lovely; she took the necessary information about me, nothing too long, and she explained the cancellation policy. I was definitely sure that I wanted to do it, so I said to myself: No way! I’m not going to cancel. I’ve been thinking about this too long, so at least I’ll give it a try.
When I arrived, I found Ashaya at the front desk with a big smile welcoming me - it was great! I had to do some paperwork that took me less than five minutes, and as soon as I finished, Emerald, Dr. Yoo’s Medical Assistant, came to greet me and directed me to one of the consultation rooms. I felt at home; the place was inviting, cozy, and very well decorated.
I am very healthy and have never had any kind of medical procedures before. I barely go to the doctor because I don’t have any health problems, so coming to see one makes me nervous, especially if it involves surgery. Emerald made me feel very comfortable and self-confident. She reviewed my medical conditions and some information about my family medical history. It was obvious that they take patient safety very seriously and that this was an important part of the process before seeing the actual surgeon.
Emerald then asked me what I was most interested in changing about my nose. I told her that I think my nose is OK, but when I smile it gets bigger and also when you see it from the front there is a deviation to one side.
After a short time, Dr. Yoo came inside the room and took a look at my nose, and he certainly knew before I talked to him that when I smile I didn’t like my nose. It was apparent that Emerald had relayed to him what had already been discussed and I appreciated not having to explain everything twice! The whole process was very efficient.
Dr. Yoo is not only a surgeon, but also seems to be up-to-date on the latest technology. He took some pictures of me in different poses, did some magic, and then showed me images of how my new nose would look if I decided to do the rhinoplasty surgery. What I really liked about him is that he is not the kind of surgeon who will recommend doing something extravagant. He said that my nose only needs minor changes in order to retain a very natural look.
He was very professional, but at the same time pleasant. You can see that he enjoys and loves what he does and wants to transmit comfort to every patient. He said that if I had doubts of any kind I could give him a call directly and talk a little bit more. He shows himself to be very open and available to the patient, which I appreciated because most doctors seem too busy to give you their time. You can really feel that Dr. Yoo believes that every patient deserves sincere attention.
I stayed with Emerald after Dr. Yoo left and she gave me a paper with the cost of the rhinoplasty procedure. When I saw it, I was surprised and I wondered why I didn’t come earlier for a rhinoplasty consultation. She also explained to me the financing options, which is very important to me since I am a student. After my consultation, I was pleased to realize that I can actually have the surgery in the future. I said thank you and that I would make a decision in the next few days. So, after thinking about it for ten years, my dream nose might come true sooner rather than later.