Questions that can be answered clearly and those that cannot.

When answering questions in counseling, some questions can be answered clearly and others not so clearly.

For example,

How many days are the stitches out?"
When can I start wearing contact lenses?"

questions can be answered clearly.

On the other hand,

How long will the swelling last after surgery?"
Will people find out if I have the surgery?"
Wouldn't this surgery make me look unnatural?"

etc. are difficult questions to answer clearly.

You're a doctor and you can't answer that question? You may think, "I can't answer that," but medical care is more uncertain than patients think. Downtime varies from person to person, and treatment results can vary. Doctors are not always able to accurately predict everything.

When asked such a difficult question to answer clearly, the doctor

To each his own.

I tend to answer, "I'm not sure.

It depends on the person" and "It depends on the person" are useful expressions, but I try my best not to use them.

Of course, I feel that "each person is different," but I try to anticipate what will happen in the case of this patient. I try to give you an idea of what I would expect in the case of this patient. Let me give you a concrete example.

Sample Questions and Answers

How long after my double incision surgery will I be comfortable with people looking at me?"

Suppose there is a question, "What is the best way to do it? This is exactly the kind of question to which one might answer, "To each his own.

My answer is as follows.

The swelling is expected to go down faster than usual because of the thin eyelid skin of Ms. A. After the stitches are removed, she will be able to hide her eyes with makeup and glasses. After the stitches are removed, she will be able to hide her eyes with make-up, glasses, etc., and it is highly likely that people at work will not feel much discomfort.

Mr. B has thick eyelid skin and the desired double width is reasonably wide. To create the desired double width, she will need to lose subcutaneous tissue and remove fat, so the swelling will be longer than average. Normally, it can be camouflaged with makeup within two weeks, but Ms. B may need to be patient for about a month. If you are a student and can take a vacation, it would be best to aim for a long vacation."

Ms. C has thick eyelid skin, but her desired double width is not very wide. I think she will be fine after about two weeks when she can wear makeup.

I will give you my own prediction, taking into consideration each patient's condition and background. Of course, there is a possibility that I may be wrong, but based on my experience as a physician, I believe that I am able to give you a prediction that is not too far off the mark.

This column was about my secret obsession in counseling.

Assistant Director Daiki Kuroda

#Cosmetic Surgery Yoyamatogatari Series