Almost everyone who books a consultation at Southwest Plastic Surgery has already done hours of homework on before-and-after photos. Many bring one to the appointment. The team is glad they do.
Dr. Frank Agullo was asked on the This Is My Journey podcast what before-and-after culture hides. His answer is the same one patients hear in the exam room, and it starts with how to tell a good feed from a good-looking one.
The Daily Feed Beats Three Perfect Photos
Dr. Agullo: “I would stay away from anybody that has one or two or three amazing before and afters and that’s it. You want to see a surgeon that’s posting before and afters every day, and they’re all consistent, and they’re all getting good results.”
“They’re not going to all be home runs, because it depends how the patient comes in. You can’t get a home run out of everybody, but you can definitely get them to a better place as long as the expectations are set.”
Scroll past the pinned posts. The ordinary results are the honest ones.
The Wish Photo Has to Match You
“Some patients bring wish photos and you have to coach them. You have to tell them, this patient you’re showing me is 20 years old, you’re 40. Or this patient’s BMI is 20 and you’re still at 30. You look much better than you did before, but we can’t compare apples to oranges.”
Bring the photo. It tells Dr. Agullo what the patient likes, which is useful. It sets the target only if the person in it shares the patient’s age, BMI and starting point.
Four Things a Photo Cannot Show
“The before and after doesn’t tell the whole story. It doesn’t tell you about the patient’s psychology, if they’re happy or not. You don’t know that from a photo. Some patients get amazing results and they’re still not happy; they have these little things they want to perfect. It doesn’t tell you about the recovery, everything they had to go through, or any complications there could have been. And of course the cost the patient had to undergo, what it cost the family, just getting through the whole procedure. The before and after is a quick fast-forward through all of that.”
Psychology, recovery, complications, cost. The consultation covers all four. The photo covers none.
The Six-Month Settle
Weight-loss patients hear this one from Dr. Agullo before surgery, every time.
“Patients who have lost a lot of weight, we do these surgeries and we’re pulling as tight as we can, but the skin, because it’s lost that elastin, is going to give again. We lose some of the result over the first six months. Another realistic expectation is that a lot of times, six months later, we have to do a little nip and tuck to tighten things up and get them right.”
The after photo is the early after. The practice plans for the settle, and the body contouring after weight loss post covers the timing.
Why the Photos Still Matter
“Thankfully, with social media and the way we’ve been educating patients, less behind the curtain, patients are having a lot more realistic expectations.”
“But it is an important part of choosing a surgeon, because you want to see somebody that can consistently deliver good results.”
Consistency is what the feed proves. Whether the result is available to a particular patient is what the consultation decides. Before either one, the five-minute license and board check in the practice’s plastic surgery in Texas post comes first.
Dr. Agullo’s full commentary is on drworldwide.com. The rest of the podcast, on loose skin and surgery timing, is in the practice’s earlier write-up.
Why Dr. Agullo
Dr. Agullo is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, completed his plastic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years. He has shared his results publicly since 2014.
Schedule a Consultation
Bring the wish photo. Call Southwest Plastic Surgery at (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book at swplasticsurgery.com. #StayBeautiful
Find Dr. Agullo at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
