There are many things to look for in a rhinoplasty surgeon. This is the top 10 list as composed from the office of a rhinoplasty surgeon Anil Shah, MD located in Chicago , Illinois.

1. Is the practice focused on rhinoplasty? It is quite clear from speaking with an office what a particular office's focus is on. In Dr. Shah's practice greater than 80% of all surgeries are rhinoplasty surgeries.

2. Can the surgeon perform a septoplasty? While this seems like a trivial thing to ask in a surgeon, rhinoplasty is no longer a one stop cookie cutter type of procedure. Rhinoplasty now involves delicate reshaping of tissues which typically but not always requires cartilage support, most often from the septum. Not being able to perform a septoplasty should be a clue in the surgeon's lack of expertise in the nose.

3. How does the surgeon take photographs? The nose is a complex three dimensional structure and therefore requires special equipment to truly capture and analyze it. If the physician is using outdated equipment or a point and shoot camera, their ability to truly examine their results may be questionable. A true rhinoplasty surgeon will have a setup of using at the very least a SLR camera and hopefully a proper light setup and background to boot. (link to photo page on how we take pictures)

4. Has the surgeon ever written anything on the topic of rhinoplasty in the scientific literature? Working on the nose is truly an expression of art and science. Not having the scientific background to understand the nose or ability or talent to write scientific articles on the topic or perform research may be a red flag of the surgeon's academic background.

5. Does the surgeon teach at any academic institution? Having an academic affiliation not only is a sign of prestige but allows patients to know that the surgeon is participating in advances and advancing the field of plastic surgery.

6. Are there any before and after examples? Before and after examples are one way of assessing a surgeon's style and capabilities.

7. Does the surgeon look in your nose on the examination? Not looking inside the nose may be a sign that the surgeon may not have the ability or interest in the function of your nose.

8. Does the surgeon feel your nose on examination? The surgeon must account for skin thickness and how stiff the cartilages are, with which palpation is a good method.

9. Does the surgeon perform enough rhinoplasty? Surgeons who perform less than 1 rhinoplasty a week may not have the experience necessary to be competent in rhinoplasty surgery. A rhinoplasty surgeon should perform a minimum of 100 rhinoplasty procedures per year.

10. Does the office cater to your needs and is available to explain the pre and postoperative instructions? An office which performs a lot of rhinoplastys should have adequate amounts of information on the procedure.