The Best Place to Learn
More is During a Consultation
This Web Site
There are hundreds of pages on Dr. Bermant's Internet introduction to his plastic and cosmetic surgery. The site was designed and built by him as an encyclopedic resource for patients from around the world to become comfortable with what he offered. The concept is one of relaxed education at a pace set by each patient. That is why he developed the internet resources so anyone can take their time to review issues about their condition, learn about options, and review many examples of the surgery before ever contacting Dr. Bermant.
The Internet is a nice place to start, but does not replace the learning experience in a doctor's office.
Your In Office Consultation
This site is just an introduction to the educational experience that all of Dr. Bermant's patients received. When they came to the office, the doctor met with them to further their knowledge of plastic surgery and discussed their specific needs.
The next step was one of gathering details about the patient's own problems. Dr. Bermant developed specific forms for each of the many problems he had a passion to pursue. Common concerns, issues, and detail sections stimulated each patient to document their issues and condition. Dr. Bermant then used this information to focus his questions to better understand the underlying factors of the problem. This process often took a great deal of time. During the consultation he explored a patient's personal expectations and the most effective solutions. The most important part of the consultation is the examination. The problem was examined and evaluated. Tissue has a dynamic component that just cannot be experienced by e-mail, or images. This is the value of the in person visit. Dr. Bermant discussed the benefits, risks, and alternate methods of care. Computer imaging was used in certain situations to better define realistic goals. Dr. Bermant answered all of each patient's questions. Communication is important, we wanted to know our patient's every need.
Some scheduled surgery at the end of their first consultations. Others took some time to think it over and schedule by telephone. Some chose to explore issues over several consultations.
Preliminary Remote Packages and Discussion
Some patients preferred to begin their exploration with a telephone call. Spending some time with the doctor has set many at ease before traveling to Richmond. For this preliminary consultation, we asked that our patients fill out our information forms, send us photographic details (see each surgery section for specific views), and then they discussed initial issues with a telephone consultation. Those who wished to continue their exploration then traveled to Richmond. In some cases after this initial discussion, surgery time would have been reserved. This preliminary evaluation did not replace the in office consultation. Any plans made can be only tentative until verified by the in person visit.
Problems after another doctor's surgery
Your first resource should be the original surgeon. Care issues after surgery are best answered by the operating surgeon. Dr. Bermant designed his after surgery care for each specific patient and type of surgery.
Dr. Bermant was often able to help with a second opinion. He was not able to give advice without enough information. The in office examination permitted an appropriate examination of the problem. At the time of an evaluation copies of:
- prior operative reports
- doctor's office notes
- laboratory results
- actual x-ray films (not just the reports)
- photographs before surgery
when available helped us better understand our patients' needs.
