Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Kridel has done facial plastic surgery for 22 years, which represents a great deal of experience.

How many of these procedures have you done? How many did you do last year? This gives you a good indication of the doctor's day-to-day experience and familiarity with the surgical procedure you want. Dr. Kridel does many face lifts ( 50+ per year ), nose surgeries ( 100+ per year ), ear pinbacks, laser skin resurfacings, facial implants, lip augmentations, facial liposuctions, eyelid lifts ( 50+ per year ), chin implants, BOTOX® and collagen injections, and facial peels . Some doctors rarely do a nose surgery or face lift-it's just not one of their staple procedures-so this means they lack a broad base of experience in doing that operation.

3. Have you been on the invited faculty of a major course in your specialty on the subject of this procedure in the last two years? (In other words, if you're having nose surgery, you want to know if this doctor is so well thought of in his field that he's often asked to speak on nose surgery.)

There's a huge difference between going to a course and being the one who's giving the course and is considered an expert. Dr. Kridel teaches courses every year, and the course instructors are viewed by their peers as the cutting-edge leaders in the field. In fact, Dr. Kridel is so well respected that he oversees a fellowship program in his practice; over the years, he has trained 20 fellows. For one fellowship spot, he receives 23 to 30 applications from doctors who want to work alongside an acknowledged master of the specialty .

4. Have you written any scientific papers on the subject of this operation in the last five years?

Few doctors in the U.S. have penned as many scientific papers on facial plastic surgery as Dr. Kridel has. Every year he writes papers that provide updates and insight for his colleagues worldwide. It's important for doctors to stay up-to-date on the surgical procedures they do, with new advances being made every year. Dr. Kridel has written more than 60 articles in medical journals and has been a contributing author for medical textbooks.

5. Have you lectured on this subject at a major medical institution in the last two years?

Presenting lectures along with running a busy medical practice is a challenge that many doctors simply won't take on. Those who do, however, are viewed as some of the top facial plastic surgeons in the country, and their generosity in sharing their time and techniques makes them leaders in their field. From the start of his career, Dr. Kridel has lectured at courses and meetings, and today, he is so well known for this skill that he is one of plastic surgery's most sought-after speakers. This was part of what made him a logical choice for election to the presidency of the prestigious American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, whose 2,800 members do the lion's share of facial plastic surgery in the U.S. Dr. Kridel has given lectures and courses throughout the U.S., as well as in Italy, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Holland, and Japan . He has been a visiting professor at Dallas Southwestern, Columbia University, Stanford University, and University of Arkansas, to name just a few places he has shared his knowledge.

6. Do you have patients I could contact who have had you do this procedure on them?

This is one of the most important questions on this list. If a doctor isn't willing to give you names and phone numbers (or e-mail addresses) of satisfied patients who have expressed a willingness to share their success stories, something's definitely wrong. Because FPSA patients are extremely pleased with the work they had done, they are happy to talk about their experiences with Dr. Kridel. When you visit the office, ask to see Dr. Kridel's books of thank-you letters from pleased patients. This will give you a feel for the degree of satisfaction past patients have experienced.

Doctors know who's the best in various specialties, and in Houston, few doctors do facial plastic surgery on as many physicians and their families as Dr. Kridel does. The medical community recognizes him as one of the best in town, and doctors want him to do their kids' nose surgeries and their spouses' face lifts. This is an important endorsement because it shows that these doctors trust him. Many of his patients are doctor referrals. (On one recent morning, Dr. Kridel had either four doctors or their family members in the office for followup.)

You should look at lots of these. If the doctor doesn't have any to show you-or if you find the results unattractive-look for another doctor. Remember that the surgeon is obviously showing you some of his or her best work, and if you don't like those, what if your results fall into the average or below-average category? If you're having nose surgery, ask to see a number of before/after photos, and study them carefully. Also, ask to see long-term results-pictures taken six months to a year after surgery. You want to see how long the procedure lasts and what it's going to look like in the long run. A doctor who doesn't have photos of long-term results may not be carefully evaluating his work.

Dr. Kridel is very skillful at hiding incisions carefully. In fact, his work on incisions is so respected that an article on that subject was recently published in Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, in order to teach other doctors how to achieve excellent results like his. Proper placement of incisions is extremely important in face lift surgery because many surgeons make incisions haphazardly, leaving patients disappointed when the incisions are obvious to onlookers. Things you don't want to have happen with a face lift are: pixie ear, which means the earlobe has been pulled down into the face because the surgeon removed too much skin (no more wearing your hair up after that kind of surgery!); hair loss, which can occur when incisions are placed in a way that destroys hair tufts; scars that people can see (not unusual when the surgeon doesn't have the diligence to place the incisions very carefully so that incisions will be inconspicuous). Some doctors still use an outdated method of placing face-lift incisions because they haven't stayed up-to-date on the latest techniques. The mark of a good face lift? The surgeon hides your incisions so skillfully that the only person who can detect that you've even had a face lift is your hairdresser. Also extremely skilled at hiding incisions, Dr. Kridel does face lifts and places a great deal of emphasis on making each patient's satisfaction with the result a high priority.

Click here to download a copy of Dr. Kridel's recently published article with Adobe Acrobat:
Techniques for Creating Inconspicuous Facelift Scars.pdf (495KB)

10. Are you board-certified in facial plastic surgery? Cosmetic surgery? Otolaryngology? General plastic surgery? Dermatology? Ophthalmology?

11. Is your operating suite accredited?

You definitely want to make sure that your doctor is operating in an accredited facility. Be sure to ask about that and determine if proper safety and credentialing rules have been met. Dr. Kridel's suite is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), which tells you that AAAHC's independent team of health-care professionals has taken a close look at this facility and its operations and approved the way in which Dr. Kridel has met rigorous and nationally recognized standards for quality health-care services. Seeking such accreditation is voluntary, but Dr. Kridel considers it important in order to give patients an extra measure of confidence that they are receiving topnotch health care.

12. If the procedure is to be performed in your own operating suite, do you also have privileges to perform the same procedure in a hospital?

Many doctors who are on the faculties of medical schools are respected in their specialties. Dr. Kridel holds faculty appointments at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and at Baylor College of Medicine . Although residents and fellows do observe Dr. Kridel in surgery (and fellows sometimes assist), these doctors never perform his surgery. He won't compromise results because his reputation rests on those. Dr. Kridel always does his own surgery.

Some doctors are noteworthy in that they go beyond what's required to extend themselves into their professional worlds and their communities. Dr. Kridel is that kind of doctor. He was chosen by his peers to be the national president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), a prestigious group of 2,800 physicians dedicated to facial plastic surgery. He served in that position from 2000 to 2001. Dr. Kridel previously served as AAFPRS vice-president of public affairs, treasurer, and a member of the executive committee and the board of directors. He is the facial plastic surgery delegate to the American Medical Association and is a Harris County delegate to the Texas Medical Association . He has chaired the ethics committee of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Kridel was chosen by his peers as one of the best facial plastic surgeons in Houston-a fact documented in the independently published book The Best Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, in which he was cited for his outstanding nose surgery. He is a noted expert in nasal reconstruction following accidents or unsuccessful surgeries performed elsewhere. He is conducting the largest ongoing study in the U.S. on the use of irradiated cartilage grafting in nasal reconstruction. He is also a recognized laser expert and has established the Cosmetic Laser Institute of Texas, which houses five state-of-the-art lasers. These are used to eradicate various problems, from unwanted hair to unwanted tattoos to wrinkles and birthmarks. Dr. Kridel also founded a charitable program called The Face Foundation, which provides surgical care at no fee to financially disadvantaged individuals who are survivors of domestic violence and need to receive restorative or reconstructive facial plastic surgery, especially in the case of battered women and children. This foundation also provides education and training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and helps organize workshops to educate other physicians and publishes articles to educate the public and fund research. Dr. Kridel is one of the directors of the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is a board examiner in facial plastic surgery for both the American Board of Otolaryngology and the ABFPRS. He also participates in community activities; he is on the Alley Theater advisory board, and he is active in community organizations and charities. In 2003, Inside Houston magazine again named him one of "Houston's Top Doctors." Also this year Dr. Kridel was Houston Chronicle's Ultimate Houston pick for "best doctor for nose surgery."

15. Do you consider yourself a perfectionist?

16. How often do you have to redo the work you've done on your own patients? Does this occur 5 percent of the time? 10 percent? 20? 30?

Most doctors have to redo a procedure now and then. But what's important to understand is that there are minor touchups and major revisions. Dr. Kridel does a very low percentage of minor touchups. What you want to watch for is the doctor who needs to do a number of revisions on his own patients. A percentage higher than 10 isn't good. Looking at this factor is extremely important, because when Dr. Kridel is asked to revise surgery done by another doctor, he often finds that a single nose may have five to ten surgical problems! Obviously, this kind of repair constitutes a major revision. This underscores the point that some doctors do procedures they aren't especially good at. The why behind this isn't clear, but a surgeon who does noses even though he can't do them well will routinely have noses that have to be redone because the patients are very unhappy with the results of their surgeries. You will only know if you're talking to one of these doctors if you ask about major revisions and how often the surgeon does them on his own patients.