Ridiculous hard to find a surgeon

[Dogmatix]

Am I the only one who find this field ridiculously hard to navigate in and get something done? I've tried reaching out to a number of surgeons. I've managed to get a Skype consultation with one, the rest doesn't answer, or don't get back as they promise etc.

This is really not the buyers market, seems like the surgeons can act and charge what they wish. Not really much options for the patients but to hope for the best.

[Lefortitude]

yeah I think it has alot to do with the lack of recognition by the cosmetics market. A good example of this is the botox phenomenon in the early 2000s.  In that time botox was hardly recognized as having medical applications, so nobody offered it.  Allergan in the US did a great job doing R/D on it and as soon as cosmetic applications were found, it became a multi billion dollar industry with everyone and their sisters flocking to capitalize on it. I think were going to see growth in the industry in the next 5-10 years.

[PloskoPlus]

This is really not the buyers market, seems like the surgeons can act and charge what they wish. Not really much options for the patients but to hope for the best.

You're absolutely correct.  This is why it is critical to find the right surgeon.  Because in a market like this, a botched surgery has zero impact on a surgeon's earnings, and finding a good revision surgeon is even harder.

Also, you'll find the bulk of orthognathic surgeries are performed by a small minority of surgeons (the famous 80/20 rule).  The rest are doing dental implants and pulling wisdom teeth and that's enough to earn them a very good living.  This trend is likely to accelerate with patients now having higher expectations than "as long as the teeth mesh, the surgery is a success".  Of course going to a high-volume provider has its downsides.  You literally become just a number and you may then be just paying for a name/brand - some resident will be doing the surgery instead of the big name himself.

tldr; surgeons are psychopaths.

[ForeverAloneDude]

yeah I think it has alot to do with the lack of recognition by the cosmetics market. A good example of this is the botox phenomenon in the early 2000s.  In that time botox was hardly recognized as having medical applications, so nobody offered it.  Allergan in the US did a great job doing R/D on it and as soon as cosmetic applications were found, it became a multi billion dollar industry with everyone and their sisters flocking to capitalize on it. I think were going to see growth in the industry in the next 5-10 years.

Growth in the way of actual useful stuff or overmarketed, ineffective nonsense?

[ExtractionsRuinFaces]

Joan Birbe is pretty easy to contact in my experience, as is Alfaro. Both located in Barcelona.

Raffaini was also easy to contact, one of his receptionists speaks pretty good English

Zarrinbal was a bit tricky but I managed to actually speak to him over the phone to book my consult, this was back in 2016 though. Perhaps have a German interpreter to contact their clinic (or a German friend), should be fairly easy that way. Shame his receptionist speaks super basic english, don't know why he hasnt changed that.

Defrancq is quick to respond to emails

[andyb]

I can only recommend you booking an appointment at the Teknon hospital in Barcelona with Dr Hernandez Alfaro. 
I had no problems with them and recommend to anyone in Europe.  its always best to go in person and see them.