Two months ago, Phoebe Davis had breast augmentation surgery with Dr. Hector Salazar. She’s back and she loves her results so much that she’s taking over the podcast to interview her favorite doctor.
Phoebe hits Dr. Salazar with the tough questions to help others avoid common mistakes when getting breast augmentation, or any cosmetic surgery. She shares the best and worst things to do if you’re considering getting breast implants.
Find out what made Dr. Salazar and Phoebe’s doctor-patient relationship so great and hear their advice on how you can find a doctor to give you results you love.
Please request your free consultation online or call La Jolla Cosmetic, San Diego, at (858) 452-1981 for more
- Follow Phoebe on Instagram @flexingphoebs
- Follow Dr. Salazar on Instagram @hectorsalazarnmd
Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You’re listening to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast.
Monique Ramsey (00:14):
Hello and welcome to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast. I’m your hostess, Monique Ramsey. Phoebe Davis is a patient who starred in a reality show called Cosmic Love on Amazon Prime. If you missed Phoebe’s earlier episode on the La Jolla Cosmetic podcast, go back and check it out. It’s called Patient Phoebe, Cosmic Love Star Shares Her Breast Augmentation Story. That episode was so great that we had to let her take over our podcast for a special two-part series with her surgeon, Dr. Hector Salazar and his nurse Carmen. Welcome to you Phoebe.
Phoebe Davis (00:50):
Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to be here with Dr. Salazar. It has been two months since my breast augmentation and the reason I’ve taken over the podcast to talk with Dr. Salazar is to share some of the most important things I learned from my surgery and also just find out how we can help others who are thinking about getting breast implants. So the first thing that I wanna talk to you about is just to go over like mistakes to avoid if you’re considering getting a breast augmentation. And I think one of the first things that is important to do if you’re considering this type of surgery is to really tune out what other people have to say specifically on social media. So basically the point is, the first thing is how important it is to not believe strangers on social media over your surgeon. Cuz obviously you know what you’re talking about. And random people online definitely don’t have an idea of what they’re talking about. So my first question for you, Dr. Salazar, which by the way, I’m so happy we’re doing this. This is so fun.
Dr. Salazar (02:03):
Thank you. No, thank you so much Phoebe. And thank you so much for inviting me, Monique as well. Thank you so much for inviting me again, and I was so excited when I heard that actually there’s gonna be a takeover and I said like, “Oh, what is, who’s taking over? Phoebe. Fantastic”.
Phoebe Davis (02:16):
It’s me baby.
Dr. Salazar (02:17):
Thank you so much. I’m so, so excited, so excited about this. So I’m ready to be, uh, hit with some of the, some of the tough questions. Go ahead.
Phoebe Davis (02:25):
Okay. So the first question I have is, why is it a bad idea to choose your own implant size and style based on what you read online or wanting something that your friend got?
Dr. Salazar (02:40):
That’s a fantastic question. The most important thing is to, for a patient to realize what is her goal, what’s the look that she wants to obtain. Once she has that, once she can close her eyes and see that specific result. Cause I bet you that all patients can close their eyes and see exactly how they wanna look after surgery. Once they have decided it’s important for them to come and obtain a consultation, it’s okay. And it’s natural that if you’re gonna go and get a consultation, you have plenty of friends. Some of those friends are gonna have certain opinions. Some of those friends are actually probably gonna have implants. But you have to remember this, and this is something very important. Everybody is different. Every single patient has a different body. Every single patient has different amount of breast tissue that you have that you’re bringing into consultation. Maybe your friend, even though you’re the same height, but she has a little bit more breast tissue or maybe she has a different shape of a breast. But the most important thing is to come with very open-minded to undergo that consultation and to listen to the advice that your doctor is gonna give you.
Phoebe Davis (03:50):
Yeah, and that actually leads perfectly into my next question, which is how should somebody go about sizing? Because I know for my experience during our one of two consultations, right, I got a little bit hung up. I don’t know necessarily if hung up is the right word, but, I was nervous about,
Dr. Salazar (04:11):
Fixated?
Phoebe Davis (04:11):
Yeah. About like the number of of ccs itself and going up like in the number scared me, but it’s because I’m taller. So like, like you said, it makes more sense that I would want to have something that’s gonna fit my natural build of my body. So that leads me to the sizing question.
Dr. Salazar (04:32):
So we have several instruments, Phoebe, and you actually experience that number one, and it’s silly, but it’s important. It sounds silly, but silly questions. Sometimes we ask questions about like a mountain with two tunnels and things that you can only walk through one of those tunnels and kind of put you to start or make you talk to, make you say key words such as like, I want natural or I want an augmented look. There’s no right or wrong. Another instrument is to look at pictures and like if you have some pictures that you want to show me, it could be either some, some friends or pictures of patients or pictures online, or it’s also another important instrument. Another step is take a good physical exam, very detailed measurements, and that’s what we do. And you, you underwent through that. So everything now is start to come and getting clearer and clearer.
(05:24):
Then on top of that, then we have sizers. So we basically, our implants start simulating this ultimate size that you’ll have. And then we have a t-shirt, we have a special bra, and our, uh, allows us to put those sizes in and those sizers in. And then for you to look, look in the mirror, take we take some pictures for you, you’ll look at the pictures. Then we also have Vectra, and I think that’s one of the ultimate devices, tools for you to make that final decision in which it’s a picture of your body. We simulate the implants, the program computerized, help us doing that. And then you can start seeing and looking from different angles from the top, from the bottom. By the time we are done with that first consultation, now we’ve narrowed it down from five different type of profiles of the implants from 40 different sizes. Now we are narrowing it down to two or three different sizes, and that’s a great accomplishment. Then even after that, then you can go home, think about things, analyze things, and if you want to come back and have another visit, it’s our pleasure. And then we talk over it again.
Phoebe Davis (06:34):
Yeah, I mean, you answered what my next question was, which is how do you show patients before they have surgery what they might look like after. And that vector technology was so helpful for me, especially because I was deciding between going bigger, smaller, and finding that natural sweet spot. And that’s like the coolest technology I’ve ever seen or even heard of that you guys have and you use to help patients make that decision.
Dr. Salazar (07:01):
Oh, absolutely. That, um, the last thing you want our patients want is to be surprised they’re there to obtain a result that as I we were saying, we all agree that they close their eyes and they know how they want to look. The only thing, it’s important to put it into words and mainly to put it into sizes. So you hear this horror stories of patients that, oh, I woke up after my original breast documentation and the doctor said that, congratulations, you got 800 ccs. And it’s like, how could that happen? I mean, that would be honestly, you ask, uh, an architect, let’s build a house, and then they build, they come up with a building and you’re like, no, no, no, we were talking about a house. This is right. So it has to be no surprises. As many things, as many tools as you can get. And then everybody’s in the same channel. You go to the operating room, you deliver exactly the operation the patient was looking for. Boom, patient is happy. And our way to judge when a result is a good result is when we see this smile of a patient, the patient says, I like it. I like what I’m seeing.
Phoebe Davis (08:01):
Yes, a hundred percent. How do you think we should go about looking for a good surgeon?
Dr. Salazar (08:09):
If you’re gonna undergo a breast augmentation, it’s important to start by number one, looking for a plastic surgeon, not a breast surgeon, not a cosmetic surgeon, not a general surgeon. And god forbid, because there are cases oral maxillofacial surgeons doing breast augmentation. So it has to be a plastic surgeon, a plastic surgeon that has been board certified. So that means that his training and his level of safety has been recognized by his peers and by our body that certifies, which is the American Board of Plastic Surgery, not the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. The serious board and the board that is only recognized by the Federation of Boards of Medical School in the United States is the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Three things, I think number one, results, look at the pictures, look some of the results, of course. And also when you’re looking at those results, don’t think that all of the patients that you’re looking through, they’re gonna be you.
(09:18):
Because as we were saying, everybody brings different breasts, everybody brings a different tissue, tissue quality, tissue characteristics. So not every person that you’re seeing is not a, that it’s gonna represent your result, but at least for you to start seeing if you like the work of that person. Second element reviews, now it’s all about, right. And you go to a restaurant, you go to a tour, you go to a and you’re looking for those reviews. So it’s important that you see what are the reviews for that doctor. And so you already started with some good qualifications of the doctor board certified plastic surgeon with good work that you can see with good reviews and also some referrals. Right. I had a friend that had it done.
(10:03):
I’ve heard about him. Oh, um, I went to a dinner and turns out that I already had a consultation with Dr. Salazar and a couple of persons at the table. They were already talking that, uh, I was gonna go and see someone that he already operate on. And so I think that’s a good instrument. But the most important thing is safety first. Get the real deal plastic surgeon.
Phoebe Davis (10:24):
Yeah.
Dr. Salazar (10:25):
After that, you go and you meet him or her, and then you develop a relationship. Right? Once you have knocked down all those different stages and all those different hurdles that the, the doctor doesn’t even know that the doctor’s already jumping to become your, your surgeon. Now you start your interaction that he spent a good amount of time with me. Do I feel that I can trust him? I mean, if everything goes well, fantastic. If there’s a little problem is if there’s a little bumpy road, am I gonna feel fine with him and with him taking care of me? Do I get that feeling that we can work together? And that’s it.
Phoebe Davis (10:59):
Yeah. Wow. That’s such good advice.
Dr. Salazar (11:01):
Oh, thank you.
Phoebe Davis (11:02):
Yeah. So, okay. Changing gears a little bit. Okay. So back to the whole social media thing. So after we shared that one video that we posted talking about, I think it was like the videos of our first consultations, and it was a little clip of my interview when I was on the podcast. I got some like, you know, fairly spicy comments from people on there. Most people were like, wow, you look great. Like so proud of you. Thank you for being authentic and open about your journey. And then of course there were a couple trolls as always with social media and and I have gotten, you know, a few people who have messaged me saying like, wow, you, you ruined your body. You were so natural and beautiful before. And, and I just like laugh it off. Cause I’m like, first of all, you have no idea who I am, . Right, right. And I didn’t do it for you sweetie . Correct. Correct. So in that process, it just, it made it so clear that I wasn’t doing this for anyone other than for myself. So can you tell when a patient is maybe approaching surgery and, and undertaking this journey for someone other than themselves? And if you can like spot that and how do you handle that?
Dr. Salazar (12:16):
Wow. Yeah. Spicy question as you’re saying,
Phoebe Davis (12:19):
.
Dr. Salazar (12:19):
Yeah, that’s a good one. So I agree with everything that you’ve said before, right? I mean, everything we do in life, people tend to judge it and people tend to have their own opinion about, about that. So it’s a practically impossible to keep. And I, I know that you, um, have a good number of, of followers in social media, so you’re always gonna get a good combination of the general public out there following you. And there’s gonna be, as you were saying, some people that are gonna be trolling and some people that, that you can never make them happy. That’s really important. The most important thing is nobody else is gonna undergo the breast augmentation, but you not even, right? Not even your parents, not even your sisters and brothers and your kids and your husband or your, you are the most important person throughout that journey.
(13:06):
That being said, I think it’s also important that the people that are around you and your very, very close inner circle, they’re connected and they support what you’re doing. But the most important thing is that you want to have it done for you, for yourself. When we find that patients have unrealistic expectations or they think their, I don’t know, like let’s say their success in their career fully depends on the presence or absence of implants or the presence or absence of this. Like, um, I don’t know, liposuction or change on their chin or then that’s, that would be the wrong reason. When you, when we feel that patients, I mean, imagine as you’re saying, a patient walks in and, and then whoever is with her, he or she are telling her what implants she needs to have and what she needs to do, or what surgery she needs to undergo.
(14:00):
And I mean, that, that’s a clear red flag as you’re saying. Yeah. That, that that patient shouldn’t undergo that surgery. We’re all adults. We all have to give our consent and educated consent. If we detect that something like that is happening, definitely I wanna see two or three times that patient before we commit to any surgery mm-hmm. , and as you experience it, we spend a good amount of time together. It’s not a like a 10 minute, the doctor walks in and then comes in like a maestro and throws some fairy dust and then leaves the room and and No, no. We, we become, we, we develop a nice relationship in, in our consultation room. They get to know us, we get to know them, and then you can start seeing those signs or those signals of, hmm, careful here because probably she doesn’t even want the surgery, or she’s not looking the surgery for the right reason. It’s our mission to actually clarify that for the patient or explain to her exactly what the surgery is about and what is she looking for, and then try to have a very good outcome. And if, if she’s not a candidate for surgery or if, uh, then we shouldn’t operate.
Phoebe Davis (15:07):
Mm-hmm. , have you ever turned a patient away from like feeling like, okay, maybe this isn’t a good fit type of thing?
Dr. Salazar (15:17):
The answer to that is yes, but the, our main goal we’re doctors. There’s a saying, primum non nocere, right? First, do no harm. So first of all, we’re doctors, then we’re surgeons, then we’re plastic surgeons and we’re human beings. So our main goal is not to, let’s try to operate on every single person in the county of San Diego and and beyond its limits. Reality is to, if someone has or has detected a certain body part that they want to improve and the expectation is realistic and that’s why it’s important to spend time together , and we can provide that. Let’s do it. If not, I’ll rather stay as a, like, develop that doctor patient relationship. But probably for me, it’s better to give you advice and say, no, we cannot broaden your shoulders, we for, you know, like something like, or, or people like, oh no, I’m sorry, we cannot make you taller. So Right. Long answer to say yes, we have told people like, well, I I what you’re asking for, at least in my hands, we, we can’t deliver it or we don’t think that, uh, your body characteristics can actually lead you in that direction. And we always encourage to get a second, a third or fourth opinion and we would never, ever, ever be offended. The more informed our patients are, the better it is.
Phoebe Davis (16:33):
Yeah. Yeah. Totally. That’s part of the reason why I think we developed such a great relationship working together because, I could tell immediately that it was like, you, your best interest is in the patient and like, providing those results. And I could just sense that from the very beginning you had mentioned about like surrounding yourself with a community of people who are gonna support you and support that you’re making this decision for yourself, not because of them or, you know, career, whatever it might be. And I brought my sister with me to my second consultation, remember? Because Yes. Because I didn’t wanna go through the process alone. I was scared, . But I do think this like, like this journey of getting a breast augmentation, it’s a big choice and it can be super scary to go through alone. And I think that can be a mistake to just like not have that support system around you. Do you think people know ahead of time that they can bring a friend or a family member along with them to the consultation?
Dr. Salazar (17:37):
So we, we always, when you, uh, touch base with our coordinators that of course if you will have someone that want you wanna bring, if you wanna bring a friend, if you wanna bring your sister, if you wanna bring your mother, if whoever you want to bring, I think it’s really important. And if you ask me, if you say, in the ideal world, doc, uh, when is the right time for me to bring that person right off the bat, right from the first visit, it’s really important to bring that person with you. So let’s say that you wanna undergo breast documentation and then that significant person does not want you to have a, a breast augmentation. Should you still bring that person? Well, I would say that first it’s something that, that you have to work with that person. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend or a family or, or a partner or something to try to, for them to be at least in the same boat that it, you might benefit from that surgery.
(18:27):
And if they want to be better informed, it’s a great environment for them to, to learn more about it. If they can write down some questions as well that maybe you’re not gonna be able to think about or you haven’t thought, then it’s also important to bring them. And, and believe me, I mean, we like our patients to be informed. We would never be offended by any question. We like to hear those questions because that’s our opportunity not only to educate our patient, but also to educate the general public. So yeah, get them involved. Bring them in and right off the bat, first visit, I mean, you wanna bring two friends? Let’s do it.
Phoebe Davis (19:03):
. Yeah, it worked out great for me cuz my sister lives out of town and she happened to be in town when I had my second consultation and that, that just like solidified everything cuz she’s also a nurse for a plastic surgery center in Scottsdale.
Dr. Salazar (19:18):
Let me ask you a question that I, I never asked you after that visit and you girls left, what were her impressions?
Phoebe Davis (19:25):
Yeah, no, she was like, “Dr. Salazar’s legit. Like, I think, I think you should definitely move forward”. Like, I, I think you’re really good at like how it’s gonna end up and her biggest con not concern, but it was just like, just being in mind. Like, it’s gonna change how you see your body post-surgery and like, we both know I’m in fitness and, and taking that time off to recover was a huge sacrifice for me, but totally worth it, so.
Dr. Salazar (19:53):
Fantastic. Good to hear.
Phoebe Davis (19:55):
So what does it tell you as a surgeon, if somebody wants to have a second consultation, what kind of message does that say?
Dr. Salazar (20:06):
Honestly, I’m, I’m happy when I hear she’s coming back again, that means that we’re gonna talk more, that there’s gonna be more information. So the only thing is of course, before I walk into the room, I thoroughly read my previous note and then we’re, it’s fantastic because we’re not starting from scratch now. We’re starting from a good level of knowledge, both the patient and the doctor. We know what they want, they know what we can deliver. And now it’s only about fine tuning. And sometimes they, what about if you add a little bit of this or what if I, what do we talk about this other body part? I would say the great majority of patients don’t have that second visit, but the ones that have it, it’s a fantastic experience also could be to share a second opinion. Oh, I went here and they told me this, this and that. Why are you taking a different approach or why wouldn’t you recommend that? It’s fabulous because it gives you the opportunity to even clarify more. It’s great. I mean, I love second consults.
Phoebe Davis (21:05):
Mm-hmm. . So obviously I never experienced this with you, but as someone going into a consultation and like if they feel pressured by their surgeon, what should they do in that situation?
Dr. Salazar (21:21):
So I feel that number one, it’s about, and I tell patients when we are in the room, so you know, our nurse Carmen, the coordinators, you, your family member, and I make the point that you’re the most important person in the room. It, it sounds like trivial, but it is true. I mean, it’s not about me, it’s not about other people, it’s not about whatever surgery, whatever 20 surgeries I could perform in you. It, it’s, it’s about what you want and how we can reach that result in the quickest, safest way possible. So, if a patient feels pressured in during their visit in a plastic surgery, uh, practice, I would say what they should do is go and visit, set up another consultation with someone else and see what they have to say. And if they want to come and see us, that’ll be amazing. .
Phoebe Davis (22:16):
Yes. And they should come and see you. Absolutely.
Dr. Salazar (22:18):
Yes. That’s good.
Phoebe Davis (22:20):
. How do you help people who are nervous or worried about getting their, they, they, they come to the appointment, basically me, , How did you deal with me . Yeah.
Dr. Salazar (22:32):
You’re projecting, you’re projecting.
Phoebe Davis (22:33):
I know, I know, I know. But how do you deal with people who are nervous or worried about, about getting this done, but they’re obviously coming to you for a purpose. Like they want it to get done, but they’re scared.
Dr. Salazar (22:41):
Yeah. Once, once the patient is sitting in, in, in one of our exam rooms, for sure they want to have it done right. It’s whichever body part we’re talking about, it bothers them or they want to have an improvement so much that they’ve have already thought about it, done their research, uh, talked to friends, talked to the coordinators, set up appointment. They’ve filled out some forms. So, so that says a lot and, and there’s a lot of, there’s a big effort from the patient’s side, so, so they’re truly interested. Mm-hmm. , the most important thing is for them during that first consultation to get this feeling. We do this all the time. And that feeling, you don’t get it by me saying or telling you, Hey, we do this all the time. , you’re, you’re gonna, right? I mean you’re gonna get that flavor as you go through the consultation, as we go through pictures, as we go through diagrams.
(23:32):
So as your as your sister was saying, okay, this guy is legit, he knows what he’s talking about. At the same time that we are professional and then we take our, our job very, very seriously that they see the human in the doctors so that they can feel that they, me casa is su casa, right? I mean that you get to our office and then you feel, man, I’m, I’m at home. I mean this guys are making me feel so comfortable. Right? So not only he is capable, but he makes me feel comfortable. And in addition to that, and this, I do say it because sometimes patients, it’s hard to, for patients to understand the different certifications and all that because they’re very complex. So what I tell them, I talk to them about if they’re gonna have general anesthesia, that the anesthesiologist is a certified MD anesthesiologist, the real deal anesthesiologist that they would get at the hospital if they’re having a, I don’t know, like gallbladder surgery or some like big surgery like that, they’re gonna have that same level of care for their anesthesia.
(24:44):
The second thing as well for us to emphasize a lot is, and that immediately starts bringing the level of stress down. The fact that our operating room is quad a certified and one in the world, that means it’s basically the same level of certifications that the outpatient surgery centers for the largest hospitals in town have. So we have that same level of certification. So it starts by, he knows what he’s doing continues into, and he makes me feel comfortable into okay. And where I’m gonna have my surgery is not like a room in an office. And then by the end it’s like, okay, now my level of stress is down.
Phoebe Davis (25:27):
Yeah, a hundred percent. Do people ever do anything after their procedure to screw up their results? Like lifting too heavy.
Dr. Salazar (25:37):
, right?
Phoebe Davis (25:38):
So could it be me?
Dr. Salazar (25:39):
? Hmm. But you know what I mean, and you are a fantastic patient. You follow all good instructions and everything you’ve behaved so well. Communication’s important and very, very important. And I mean the postoperative period, even though people go like, oh my god, okay, the the toughest part is already done. We underwent surgery and I’m ready to go. Those two, three weeks after the procedure are key in every sense to not to get into any complication, not to run into a problem, not to, I mean, continue molding those results. Even things that we recommend. I mean something even down to the silliest point when we say, “Don’t shower tomorrow, but you can shower the following day.” That recommendation comes from pure science. It’s not that we just like came up with like a magical like, oh, 24 hours for showering. Every single thing that we tell them.
(26:29):
Every, like when I was saying for the next three weeks, we’re not gonna be lifting any, anything heavier than a gallon of milk. When all those recommendations are very important. And we infuse that culture in our patients. We share with them that it’s so important that it’s critical that they follow them up. You can run into problems, you can start bleeding, you can ruin in a way or temporary a result if you don’t follow those instructions. So we, we hold their hand and we tell them what to do at what point, how to start taking care of their scar, how to all that. We guide them through that process. So yeah, you, you, you can, patients can do it. You behave really well. And, and I would say in general, I would, all of our patients, we infuse that culture of like, it’s critical. So they, they follow our instructions quite well. Yeah.
Phoebe Davis (27:22):
Yeah. Cuz I experienced that too. I had a few friends who were like, wow, you’re still not at the gym yet? And I’m like, no.
Dr. Salazar (27:27):
And you feel bad.
Phoebe Davis (27:29):
.Yeah. And they’re like, well I was in, I was in the gym like two weeks after my surgery and I’m like, well, good for you, but I’m not going cuz my doctor said I can’t .
Dr. Salazar (27:38):
Right? No, you don’t want to hear the story of, uh, oh, I went grocery shopping. I was like two weeks out and, and then I started bleeding and you’re like, and why? Whoa. I was carrying like a little grill that I found and I wanted to buy it. And so, so yeah, you don’t, you don’t, I mean there’s all these different, different moments in which you just gotta be careful after surgery.
Phoebe Davis (27:57):
Yeah. Something that I really, really appreciated from both you and from Carmen during my post-op experience was just the follow up from you guys. Okay. Like Carmen would call and like leave me voicemails checking in on me, like, if you need anything, how’s recovery going? Like, are you taking your meds?
Dr. Salazar (28:17):
Right. Right.
Phoebe Davis (28:18):
It was like, that’s why I feel such a close relationship with both of you just because I felt like you guys were family through this whole process. And I feel like that’s what a patient should look for in their surgeon and the nurses that work with them because you want to just feel at home with these people. And, and I definitely, definitely did with my experience with you guys.
Dr. Salazar (28:40):
That’s so nice because I’ve heard of friends that day only saw the surgeon the day of surgery and they never saw the surgeon again or Oh no. To get a hold of the nurse. It was practically impossible. And we’re like, oh my God. There’s like, that’s not a, that doesn’t show a very close commitment to the patient. And as I was saying, it’s important to obtain a good result that you’re keep on watching your patient keep on, keep on making small corrections. If if there’s a need to advise in terms of activity, in terms of a cream, in terms of a little injection, in terms of all these different variables that, that the only thing that they’re gonna do is carry you to a, a very nice experience and a great result. If you don’t see the patient, you’re never gonna catch on anything.
Phoebe Davis (29:20):
Yeah. And I’ve always, always appreciated that about you guys, for sure.
Dr. Salazar (29:24):
Thank you.
Phoebe Davis (29:24):
Yeah. Okay, final question. Are there any questions that you want patients to think of and have come prepared when they come to their consultation?
Dr. Salazar (29:36):
I would say that it’s important for patients to, to ask or, and, and half your questions prepared, always create a list. The more you can talk with friends as you’re saying, and listen from their experiences, keep your mind open that not what happened to every single one of them or what their recommendations they got is what you’re gonna get. But it’s good to hear from them and uh, and, and write those questions down. What about this size? What about this shape of implant? What about this technique or this incision site for you when, when you can put in the implant in? And so have those questions written. The second thing is always, always ask questions about other options. What are the alternatives to what I’m getting done? And it’s also very important. The third one would be to always dig in a little bit more into the recovery part because I think that’s key and depending on what, what you do, but it’s also very important that you get a feeling so you can choose the right moment to have your surgery not two weeks before your wedding or, or stuff like that.
(30:43):
But thinking that, oh my god, yeah, my friend said that she, she recovered after one week. So my, I’m gonna go to my destination wedding the next, the next week. So that’s also important. And lastly, I would say never be afraid to ask your surgeon about his or hers qualifications. They’re training their background. Don’t feel bad because if they’re real plastic surgeons, they’re gonna be proud and happy to share that with you rather than if you ask me like, “Oh, Dr. Salazar are, are you, last question, are you a board certified plastic surgeon?” I’m gonna be very happy to tell you everything about it. And to tell you what does that imply? I would never be like, “Oh, you’re, uh, doubting about my capacities”. . Right. . Right. So, and but maybe someone who’s not, they’re gonna be defensive about it. It’s funny because one question that it’s key for patients that they’re not sure if their surgeon is the real deal.
(31:40):
The one and only question would be, for instance, we’re gonna do a breast augmentation, right? So you would ask the surgeon, “Dr. Salazar, you’re telling me we’re gonna do a breast augmentation. If I would ask you to do this breast augmentation that you’re gonna do in your surgery center, do you have privileges at a hospital to do this surgery? Meaning could you do my surgery at a hospital? Are you privileged by Scripps, by Sharp, by Kaiser, to get that surgery done at that hospital?” And that question differentiates a oral maxillofacial surgeon placing implants because that person would never, ever be privileged at a hospital where things are very much regulated to be able to put breast implants in. And believe it or not, that happens. So that question is, “Can you do my tummy tuck? Do you have privileges to do it at the hospital?”
(32:40):
If that doctor is a OB GYN doing tummy tucks, that doctor would never have privileges at a hospital to do a tummy tuck because that’s out of the area of his expertise. So I think if there’s one question to ask at the end of any consultation, say, “Doc, what you’re gonna do, the surgery that you’re planning, can you execute that surgery at a hospital if we would need to? Are you privileged at a hospital?” And then if you still have your doubts, if you ask me, can you gimme a letter stating that I would and I’ll be very happy to do it because I can. So I think that, I don’t know that, that’s like my little key question at the end, uh, during a consult and, uh, the real Docs, they would not have a problem. It will say like, “Oh, of course, yes, I do”.
Phoebe Davis (33:29):
Yeah. I would’ve, I mean, clearly I didn’t ask that question, but . But, but I feel like that’s so helpful for people on the hunt for the right surgeon to work with. And I think you can definitely sense when you ask a doctor a question about their credentials and when they, they react in a more defensive manner than like, yeah, of course. Like I’d love to share my experience with you and, and come from a place of like confidence so that you can feel confident about the person you’re working with. So yeah. Okay. Where can we follow you on Instagram, Dr. Salazar? Let the people know.
Dr. Salazar (34:07):
All right. I’m Hector Salazar, MD on Instagram, then also at the, uh, La Jolla Cosmetic account, which, um, we have follow us so you can get a little bit of the flavor of what we do, get a little bit of the vibe. And the best way to get to know us, of course, is during a consultation. I mean, podcasts are fantastic. You can also check our podcast that we’ve done in the past and you’ll see the environment that we work in. You’ll see what’s our philosophy, and then when you come in for a consultation, you’re gonna feel that you already know us, and then it’s gonna, it’s gonna create a, a great, great atmosphere.
Phoebe Davis (34:43):
Yeah. Well, Dr. Salazar, thank you so much for letting me do this podcast, take over and interview you today. It’s been such a pleasure as always. And I will see you in my post-op appointment in a few weeks, .
Dr. Salazar (34:57):
Yeah, right, exactly. We’re gonna, we’re gonna see each other in person soon. So, uh, no, thanks so much for the invitation. That takeover was fantastic and thank you so much for being such a great and, and nice patient behaving so well, and I’m, I’m really happy to hear that you are very excited about your results and we are celebrating together with you.
Phoebe Davis (35:15):
Yes, thank you so much.
Dr. Salazar (35:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Take a screenshot of this podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment, or mention the promo code podcast to receive $25 off any service or product of $50 or more at La Jolla Cosmetic. La Jolla cosmetic is located just off the I -5 San Diego Freeway in the XiMed Building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus. To learn more, go to ljcsc.com or follow the team on Instagram @ljcsc. The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast is a production of The Axis.
