• Dr. Babak Azizzadeh is a double board-certified plastic surgeon who trained at Harvard.
• Azizzadeh suggested interviewing two to three plastic surgeons you like before choosing one.
• Come with a personal aesthetic goal in mind and to ask each surgeon for photos of current and past work, he said.

The decision to get a nose job, face lift, lip filler, or other cosmetic procedure can be both costly and time-intensive.

Putting in the work to properly vet plastic surgeons can make or break your end result, said Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, a Harvard-trained plastic surgeon, who is double board-certified, meaning he has passed two extensive exams. 

“You have to ask around, talk, and not just rely on social media or Yelp or one friend having surgery,” Azizzadeh told Insider.

In today’s social media landscape, pinpointing a plastic surgeon can be difficult, according to Azizzadeh. Photographs and online reviews are just part of what makes a skilled doctor, he said. The most important traits — a keen aesthetic eye and empathy for patients — aren’t discernible from an Instagram feed.

According to Azizzadeh, having a clear and personalized end goal, interviewing two to three plastic surgeons, and asking for years-old before-and-after photographs can help.

Have an end goal in mind, and make sure it isn’t purely trend-based

Azizzadeh is used to patients requesting procedures and injections based on celebrity trends.

But he said the best post-operation results come from patients who can explain their aesthetic end goal without a single Hollywood reference in mind.

An end goal could be a more youthful appearance, tweaking a specific facial feature you don’t like, or more symmetry, according to Azizzadeh.

This way, there is a higher chance his patients are happy with their post-surgery face for years to come, said Azizzadeh.

Interview 2 to 3 plastic surgeons before settling

Once you’re clear on what you want, speak with two or three surgeons you’d potentially want to work with.

According to Azizzadeh, this range is ideal because it allows for a second opinion. Interviewing more than three surgeons can lead a patient astray from their ideal outcome — overwhelming them with too many options and doctors’ opinions, he said.

Each of the surgeons you interview should be board-certified, meaning they have the training to safely and successfully complete your procedure, Insider previously reported. The American Board of Plastic Surgery provides a database of these doctors on its website.

Additionally, Azizzadeh suggested interviewing plastic surgeons who specialize in the procedure you want. For example, Azizzadeh said he has expertise in facial reconstruction and rhinoplasty (or a nose job), but would suggest a different surgeon if a patient asked him to complete a tummy tuck.

“If I’m doing a tummy tuck once every two to three years, am I going to be as good as the person who’s doing it all the time, with an aesthetic eye, who is the leader in the field, who’s teaching and coming up with new novel treatments? No,” Azizzadeh told Insider.

Ask to see years-old before-and-after photos of former patients

While completing these interviews, Azizzadeh said it’s appropriate and helpful to request before-and-after photographs.

Ask to see images that show former patients who underwent the same procedure you’re interested in getting. When you do this, ask for recent patient photos and older patient photos, which will help you see how a surgeon’s work holds up over many years, Azizzadeh said.

He said relying on surgeons’ social media pages may not be enough because “anyone can go on there, fabricate photos, or just put one or two photos, and grow their surgery social media sites because it’s a lot more based on personality and what you’re doing outside of work and things like that.”

“If that physician is an artist, then they’ll combine the variety of different techniques that they have to give you the best possible outcome,” Azizzadeh told Insider.