Familial Aggregation of Plastic Surgical Procedures

Summary: A growing number of patients seeking plastic surgical procedures in our practice are first-degree relatives of our previous surgical patients. Three possibilities exist as to the coalescence of procedures within a family unit: 1) the morphologic and anatomical patterns are conserved and passed on within relatives; 2) a captive "audience" (family members) appreciates firsthand the surgical result and positive difference, be it functional or aesthetic for their relative, or 3) the rapport established between surgeon and patient lead that patient to recommend his or her surgeon to others. The purpose of this study is to identify our recent cohort of family members undergoing similar or related procedures by the same surgeon (DMS), and understand the diagnoses, factors, and rationale for "passing the torch" to other family members to undergo surgery. Survey responses from 17 members of 10 families who sought elective procedures after an index family member indicated that both the result of the first surgery and rapport with the surgeon were important factors in their decision to undergo surgery (mean Likert response = 4.94; SD=0.24). 94% of family members (n=16/17) indicated that the result of the original procedure was the most important factor in their decision to undergo subsequent procedures with the same surgeon. 88% of family members (n=15/17) seeking subsequent procedures indicated that they were not considering undergoing surgery prior to observing the result of the first procedure in their family. The data demonstrate the importance of achieving an excellent surgical result in earning the trust of patients and establishing strong family referral patterns. ©2018American Society of Plastic Surgeons

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