1. Running to the mirror right after a procedure expecting an INSTANT! RESULT! So says Dr. Jonathan Hoenig, an oculoplastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. Almost every cosmetic procedure takes a little while -- or longer -- to show it's full effect, and if someone promises you "instant results," you might want to think twice about how effective the procedure will end up being. So even if you look a little bruised or sensitive immediately post-procedure, don't worry -- you won't look like that forever. 2. Uttering the words, "But that's not what they said on the TODAY show." No disrespect to America's popular morning news crew - or Oprah's prior reign as Queen of daytime TV - but several doctors we talked to complained that the often mesmerizing air of authority can make patients think that media are the one with the MD, not them. And, yes, there are good doctors making intelligent judgments on TV shows, but keep in mind what works for some might well not work for you. (The same goes for infomercials.) If you've seen something thought-provoking or amazing on TV, there's no harm in mentioning it to your doctor -- just don't compare your results to something you saw on the tube. It's TV, people. 3. Using your teeth as small weapons. No, we don't mean on the doctor when she or he is about to inject a needle into your skin (please don't do that either). Actually, this no-no comes from Dr. Jeffrey Golub-Evans, an NYC cosmetic dentist, who really wishes his patients would stop using their teeth "to chew ice, chew bones, open wrappers, hold pins," and other tasks better suited for hand tools and prehistoric mammals than human beings. 4. Drenching your eyeballs in bacteria. Well, OK, not literally, but almost: Dr. Robert K. Maloney, an L.A. ophthalmologist, says his most persistent complaint with patients is that they insist on licking their contact lenses and putting them back into their eyes (Guilty!). Says Dr. Maloney, "They would be better off rinsing the contacts in a toilet than in their mouth, because the toilet has fewer germs!" Try carrying a small bottle of rehydrating solution with you -- but don't use tap water, either, because, frankly, do you know where that water has been? 5. Hopping like bunny rabbits. More specifically, "...from one product to another in pursuit of the best deal or cheapest price possible," as Dr. Henri Gaboriau of Issaquah, Wash., puts it. Other doctors tell us that patients will often try a zillion-and-one drugstore products -- and shell out serious cash -- only to complain they haven't gotten the results they wanted. Some over-the-counter home remedies work reasonably well, but if you're looking for real results, save yourself the aggravation and needless expenditure, and find a good doctor. 6. Blocking your doctor on his way out the door. Now, we know doctors are very committed to their profession and their patients, but they have families and personal lives, too, OK? One persistent complaint amongst several of the doctors we spoke to was that certain patients decide to call their offices late on a Friday -- like after hours, or a minute after the office closes -- with a complaint that has been bothering them all day long. Source
