Many patients wonder if they are making the right choice by considering plastic surgery and if they are good candidates for a certain procedure. From a physical standpoint, the ideal candidates for any surgery are in good overall health and not actively smoking. If you do have any medical issues such as high blood pressure or diabetes, it is important to work with your primary care physician to make sure these are well controlled and stable before considering surgery. It is also very important to consider your motivations for and expectation about surgery. Plastic surgery is intended to improve your self-image, or the way you feel about yourself. You may be doing it for reconstructive purposes, either because of congenital defect or something that developed as a result of trauma or injury. Or, you may be doing it to slow the aging process or reverse changes that happened as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Cosmetic surgery is a significant investment in time, effort, and emotion. It is important to be honest with yourself about your motivations for surgery and expectations of the outcome. It is unwise to expect that cosmetic surgery can cure a troubled marriage, significantly improve one’s success in the job market, or reinstate one’s youth. Instead, you should set your expectations on the way you feel about yourself and the impact that a physical change could have on that feeling.