Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Shayan Izaddoost. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Shayan, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on? 

One the most poignant lessons I learned about being a physician and plastic surgeon was when one of my patients gave me the advice: “Try to never be a patient”.

That statement really encapsulates how hard it is to be a patient. From stopping your daily routine, to giving up control of your life, to not eating the night before surgery, to having recovery time and being dependent on your friends/family- being a patient is super hard! Perhaps the hardest thing is to trust another person, your physician, whom you have only recently met, with everything- including your life. That is a very tall order for anyone. Once I truly understood my patient’s advice, I realized how vulnerable patients are physically and mentally when they are under my care. I realized that I need to work hard to earn their trust, to make them a partner in their care and to be honest with them even when it means giving them difficult news.

This advice directly translates into my practice every day when I speak to patients. I take the time to answer all their questions and address their concerns. After procedures, I give my patients my cell number in case of an emergency, and I call them the night of their procedures to ease their mind. I learn so much from speaking to my patients after surgery, and this helps me with the next patient. Communicating with my patients helps strengthen our bond, and I hope it makes “being a patient” a little easier.

Shayan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Board Certified plastic surgeon who specialize in cosmetic surgery of the breast, body and face along with reconstructive surgery of the breast. The main focus of my practice is helping patients achieve their goals and gain confidence by restoring their body after pregnancy, weight loss, aging, and other medical conditions, including cancer. While I employ techniques such as breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, face lifts and fat grafting (such as in a BBL) to restore my patient’s body, it is my years of experience and patient partnership that allows me to deliver optimal results.

My mentors and teachers taught me principles and techniques in plastic surgery during my 6 year plastic surgery residency. This allowed me to become a Board Certified plastic surgeon and to teach many future plastic surgeons when I was the Program Director for the Baylor College of Medicine plastic surgery residency program for 5 years. However, my experience learning from patients, understanding their goals, and evaluating which combination of procedures can give my patients the best results guides me to help them achieve their goals.

One of the most fulfilling parts of being a plastic surgeon is that I get to see my patients for months to years after surgery. Whether they have a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, my patients follow up with me for months immediately after the surgery to make sure they are healing well. After they have recovered they come to see me years later if they have new issues or concerns or when they have referred friends and family. Along with the joy of performing intricate life-changing surgery, my relationship with patients is what I love most about being a plastic surgeon.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Listening to my patients, caring about them and doing all that I can to deliver the optimal results is what has helped me build my practice. I take care of my patients in all three phases of their care: pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative phases. Being involved really helps to make sure my patients are ready for surgery and helps avoid problems and complications.

Having happy patients is an outstanding practice builder!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Everyone on my team is dedicated and has a passion for taking care of our patients. One of the most important things that I do to keep my team happy and focused is to remember that I work for them, not vice versa. My job is to make sure they have the tools, autonomy and freedom to meet all of our patients’ needs. I am available to them at all times to help with any patient concerns and do my best to teach them plastic surgery and why each part of the care we provide is important.
If I give them the tools to succeed and act as a role model for patient care, it encourages them to practice with passion and feel fulfilled by having appreciative patients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kelsey-seybold.com/find-a-houston-doctor/shayan-izaddoost-plastic-surgery
• Instagram: @drizaddoost
• Facebook: Dr.Shayan Izaddoost Plastic Surgeon

Image Credits
Cookie from @redshedcookieco