Plastic surgeons are jumping on the bandwagon of “Daily Deal” websites like Groupon and Living Social, offering deep discounts on lasers, Botox and filler treatments. Doctors want to get new patients in the door and consumers are getting a great deal on a treatment. Sounds like a win-win, right?

Daily Deal websites are a great promotion tool for many products and services, but for plastic surgery they are just too risky.

The number one concern with these websites is the lack of proper screening for the patient.  You have limited time to purchase these deals and that leaves little time to research and no time to visit the doctor to see if you are a candidate.  With any plastic surgery treatment screening the patient is an extremely important part of the job. A doctor needs to see you face to face, discuss what are looking to treat and if your expectations are realistic. Everyday patients can be turned away from our office simply because they are not candidates for the treatment they are seeking. Or even more commonly patients come into our office thinking they need a Botox treatment and it turns out they really need a series of laser treatments. You never really know until you see the doctor.

Secondly, when a patient purchases a deal they may feel pressured to undergo the treatment no matter what because they already paid for it. (And returning the “deal” is not a quick or easy process). At the same time, one worries that a doctor may feel obliged to perform the treatment (whether or not the patient is a candidate) because they already purchased the services.

We get it – you want to save some money. Understandable. Here is a better way to save money. Become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our newsletter – we’ll keep you informed of the new developments in plastic surgery. You will also see promotions on non-surgical treatments offered from time to time as a special thanks to you, our patient. The essential difference is – you will not be required to pre-purchase a treatment for which you may not be a candidate for or not even need.  This way, you can rely on us to keep your best interests as our only consideration.

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