Sample Newsletter: Plastic Surgery
CLIENT: Dr. Michael Park, MD, FACS
TONE: Professional and authoritative
SPECIALTY: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
CLIENT SUBMITTED (work story via bi-weekly form):
“Had three consultations this week where patients brought me photos from Instagram showing filtered, edited faces and asked if I could ‘make them look like this.’ All three photos were so heavily edited the proportions weren’t even physically possible. One patient got upset when I explained what was achievable vs. what was digital manipulation.”
NEWSLETTER WE CREATED
SUBJECT: The Instagram photos patients bring to consultations
I had three consultations this week where patients showed me photos from Instagram of how they want to look.
All three photos were heavily filtered and edited. Faces smoothed until they looked like porcelain. Features altered until proportions weren’t even anatomically possible. Eyes enlarged, noses reduced, jawlines sharpened beyond what human bone structure allows.
When I explained what was actually achievable with surgery versus what was digital manipulation, one patient became visibly upset. She’d been convinced that this filtered, edited appearance was real—and attainable.
This is happening more and more frequently, and I want to address it directly because I think social media has created dangerous confusion about what plastic surgery can and should do.
Plastic surgery can enhance your features. It can address specific concerns—a nose that’s always bothered you, aging that’s happened faster than you’d like, asymmetry that affects your confidence.
What plastic surgery cannot do is turn you into a digitally altered version of someone else.
Those photos you see on Instagram? The ones with impossibly smooth skin, perfectly symmetrical features, and proportions that look almost doll-like? Most of them aren’t real. They’re filtered, edited, and manipulated with apps that can reshape your entire face in seconds.
And when patients bring me those photos as goals, I have to have a difficult conversation: that’s not a surgical outcome. That’s photo editing.
Here’s what concerns me about this trend: we’re losing sight of what real, beautiful results look like. We’re comparing ourselves to images that aren’t even human anymore—they’re digital creations.
Good plastic surgery should make you look like a refreshed, enhanced version of yourself. It should be subtle enough that people say “you look great” rather than “you had work done.” It should respect your natural anatomy and proportions.
What good plastic surgery should not do is try to turn you into someone else, chase an impossible digital standard, or create results that look artificial.
When I consult with patients, my goal is to understand what’s genuinely bothering them—and then determine if surgery can reasonably address it. Sometimes it can. Sometimes it can’t. Sometimes what they’re asking for would actually make them look worse, not better.
I’d rather tell you honestly that what you’re asking for isn’t achievable—or isn’t advisable—than promise you results I can’t deliver.
If you’re considering a procedure, I encourage you to bring photos of yourself at a younger age, or photos showing the specific feature you’d like to change. Don’t bring filtered Instagram photos of strangers.
Because the goal isn’t to look like someone else’s edited photo. The goal is to look like the best version of you.
If you’re thinking about a cosmetic procedure and want an honest conversation about what’s realistic, I’m happy to talk. No pressure, no overselling—just an honest assessment of what would actually help you meet your goals.
—Michael Park, MD, FACS
Park Plastic Surgery
(310) 555-0198
consultations@parkplasticsurgery.com
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