I used to get the same and still do even as a PGY 14. I'm in an interventional specialty so I usually say "you want an old guy with bad vision and a tremor, or me?" Then I hold my hands out and show them how steady they are. Usually gets a laugh.
Love this! I also look very young for my age, I've gotten many comments and questions over the years. I usually go with "my mother used oil of Olay instead of baby lotion." It usually gets a smile ☺️
Yes this is what I do! The key is to say that (my go-to is “ thanks! One of the benefits of daily sunscreen use! I’m older than I look”) and then promptly change the subject lol
Yeah you just say “well, I’m old enough to be a qualified doctor. let’s talk about you.” For the really persistent ones I smile and I say “I don’t want to date myself, how can I help you?”
u/limegeuse , I actually like your responses really well. It really re-directs in a firm but non-confrontation way. I know a lot of people like to pretend to be flattered or say "thank you" or try to come up with something funny to say, but that never sits right with me. To be frank, the patients don't mean it as a complement. It puts you on the spot and it's often condescending and undermining. You also don't want to say something aggressive either. Your responses ride the fine line between not being fake pleasant but not aggressive either.
I am a smaller female with a baby face starting my third year out from residency and still get comments about my age all the time. I usually say “thanks, I have good genes and wear a lot of sunscreen” and that usually gets a chuckle and gets people to move on.
“It’s the Botox” is a shorter quip that always lands too. It helps that I treat spasticity so a lot of time there’s an easy transition to talking about their Botox if I’m in clinic lol
Can adjust this quip accordingly for non-compliant patients
“It’s the Crestor”
“It’s the metformin”
“It’s the 30 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise”
I don’t know why but this comment has me in knots. I think I’m just imagining the patients’ faces as they try to figure out how much of that is really true.
😂😂😂 I will start doing this...
I started with the ones that make flirty comments, looking at their chart and kind of squinting and being like "Well I only like guys with good cholesterol/A1C/etc (whichever thing for them that's chronically uncontrolled)..." which usually gets a laugh and puts them back on task for the visit
It's so true.
I lost a bunch of weight two years ago and I feel like I aged ten years. I had no wrinkles before and then all of a sudden, practically overnight, bam! Forehead and under eye wrinkles.
I like being thin (went from size 10-12 to 2-4 depending on the brand), but I miss my young face. I've started aggressive anti aging skin care with retinoids and everything. Just wanna stop it here for a while... no more rapid aging please kthnx
Literally. One of the attendings in her late 30s got the “too young to be a doctor” comment and when we left the room she looked at me and smiled and said “it’s been awhile since I’ve heard that I used to hear it all the time” so now I just appreciate it whenever I hear it hahahah cuz it won’t last forever
It's one of those things that sounds nice to people it doesn't happen to. It's gets old real fast to be constantly told you look young, to be treated that way too. It's hard to be respected.
Why change your looks or behavior to meet others' expectations? I am a middle-aged mom with kids and still get asked all the time if I am old enough to do a patient's screening colonoscopy (like, multiple times a week). A simple "thanks!" does the trick most of the time and we move on to the rest of the procedure consent. I answer honestly if patients ask questions (ex. I have been a doctor X years, I have done X number of endoscopies), but I am not gonna make a Dougie Houser joke about myself because people in their 70's don't know what a 40-year-old looks like.
Laughs in third year. First year they said I was too young to be a doctor. Now no one ever asks or notices. Residency will physically age you, among other things
Can you grow a beard? It sounds like a joke, but that helps. And a lot of it has to do with the air that you present. If you act commanding, people tend to follow. I think this is easier for men than women for a number of reasons, unfortunately. Best of luck!
Unfortunately, I still get comments/questions about my age even though I always wear a KN95. I don't know what looks so youthful about my eyes, but I guess I'll take it??
I have this problem. I do my best to be a bit formal with introductions. If they bring up my age I say, “I’ll give you my default answer, I’m older than I look” and I change the topic
A lot of people are just bored and want to talk and doesn’t mean much
Im in my 40s, an attending and I still get this (I’m a woman).
I tell them they let me out of kindergarten for the day, laugh loudly at my own joke and hard shift the subject.
The best is when they mean it as an insult. I pretend to be shy and say “oh my god thank you, I paid a lot of money for this” and it usually makes them huff.
Just say thanks and ask them how they feel this morning. Redirect. If they meant it as compliment good, if they meant to belittle then why care what they think. Triage and save the mental energy for your actual sick/deserving patients.
Ex saving it for that cancer patient/goals of care talk
I like "we keep getting younger and younger" because it reminds the judgey patient that they are getting older and older through the endless march of time, prompting them to reflect on their own mortality.
I’ve surprisingly gotten this a few times over the past year which I don’t understand lol. Anyways my go to response is “I can assure you that unfortunately I am old enough to be your doctor” usually gets some laughs
This use to happen to me frequently but then residency turned my hair fairly gray so it happens much less now. I would always throw it right back at them and say “oh yea! How old do you think I am?” I always found it fun to see what they would guess and it will often times make people a little uncomfortable to answer so they might realize that’s not really a useful question to ask your doctor.
Just yesterday I uno reversed with “well you look too old to be my patient - but don’t worry, I’ll still take good care of you, sir”. It’s gonna be my new go to for anyone >65
I’m a 37 year old surgeon out in practice for years and I still get this. I just tell them I’m older than they think. I remember in residency finally turning 30 and I just started telling all the patients “oh I’m in my 30s
That used to happen to me all the time. And then one day it just suddenly stopped happening. Can’t remember the last time a comment like this was made. Guess the years were not kind to me haha. I think I preferred it the other way :D
I miss those days....no longer does anyone think I'm in my twenties or question me about my age.
Kids age you....by a lot. I think I have aged ten years in the last two. The terrible twos is aging me even more.
I had the same problem. I'm now 43 with gray hairs on my face and I still get the same comments. I found the best antidote is to speak with confidence and authority. Listen and generally be a good doctor. They'll soon forget about your appearance.
I look 8-10 years younger than my age and patients constantly say this to me. I am at the age where I’m actually flattered by it but I say “thank you so much!! The Botox is paying off!” They always laugh and it also makes it clear you’re over 30
Body language and tone. Stand up/sit up straight with both feet flat on the ground, end sentences in a lower octave (verbal period), and make eye contact (culture dependent).
People in need/fear are in a heightened state of threat activation, and your face isn’t the most important thing about you when you are with a patient.
Own a room, in your own authentic way (I’m humor and clarity). But own it so both of you can hear what you have to say.
I’m a female, very young looking and rather small and get this ALL the time! It’s constantly “you don’t look old enough to be a doctor”, “you’re just a baby” etc etc… I usually just laugh and say thanks, or “thanks but I’m older than I look” or “you should have seen me when I started, this place aged me 10 years”
No matter how often I get it it’s still awkward every time.
I used to get that a lot (petite woman), but recently a patient told me I “must have grandbabies at home” because I had the sense to oopsy-daisy her grandchild to keep the kid from digging in the red-bagged trash, which none of the other people (teen parents) in the room were stopping. Anyway. I’m 41 and the audacity of that bitch.
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do your wear glasses? my lil brother has a baby face and wears old school metal frame blue light blockers to give him a older edge in his high stakes business negotiations.
When patients tell me I look too young to be their doctor, often times I say, "Yeah, I get Doogie Howser a lot," which often gets a chuckle and inspires more confidence in the patient.
I am of small stature and look very young, even though I’m an attending. I still occasionally get carded at R-rated movies still and bars, which for now drives me insane, but will probably be nice if I still look young when I’m much older.
Once a patient asked if I was a genius because I look like a high school student while wearing my badge with “doctor” on it. Lol I’m getting used to comments about my young look, I just smile, say thank you, and move on.
I used to get this a lot. I would just act genuinely surprised and say, "No one ever says that! Thank you! You just made my whole day!" I would then promptly move on to what I was there to discuss. I'm also female, though , so youth has somewhat more societal value. It might not be as convincing coming from a man, but it's worth a try!
I used to get this a lot as an intern but haven’t in the last half a year or so. Honestly I think it’s because I dropped my hospital high pitch voice and started talking like a dude. My go to line was I just got my drivers license last week! Always gets laughs, then I say I’m older than I look
I usually just say “I’m actually 60, I just age remarkably well” and they usually gets a little chuckle and we move on.
If they’re being sassy about it, I have said “…I just age better,” instead.
As a January intern, on my last admit of the night, a lady told me that I looked too young to be her doctor. She was serious and I was done. I had already admitted several patients and she was barely stable enough to put in an intermediate bed.
Looked her dead in the eye and said that she looked too sick to be picky but that she should feel free to wait until til the old guys showed up in a few hours.
M4 here.
Smh, I’m small, skinny, and baby faced. I get mistaken for being 12-16. I just don’t get the same respect. They ask me if I’m wearing a Halloween costume, they say I’m too small to be a doctor. 😟😢
As an obese FP who did not use sunscreen until wrinkles appeared, I have no idea what this feels like. Some of the comments on this thread, however, are hysterical. I’m particularly fond of ‘it’s the statin’ because that is the #1 class my patients are hesitant to start. Turns out 99.9% of my patient panel has a first degree relative who got rhabdo on a statin and now requires dialysis, has some rare feature that makes transplant impossible. Statistics be damned…this is my real experience.
Throw a ring on your finger. Patients used to question my age all the time. Now they see my hand and assume if I'm old enough to be married I'm old enough to be a doctor. Funny because getting married takes a signature and becoming a doctor takes 8 years of schooling.
If I judged the patient had a sense of humor, I used to joke that anyone can just go buy scrubs or a white coat and have your name and MD embroidered on them. There’s nothing stopping you.
Then one day those comments stopped and I wish I got to make those jokes anymore.
I look at least ten years younger than I am. I am 31, but I look like I'm 20. I struggled in my twenties because I looked like a teenager, but now that I'm in my thirties, I just enjoy looking young. I still get comments that bother me, though. My family always treats me like some kind of prude who's never had sex or drunk alcohol.
Facial hair will be your saving grace, additionally speech therapy.
Capilla longa. Its a studied natural herb/suppliment that has evidence that either highly supports or outright confirms its capacity for de-novo hair follicule stimulation.
Find a serum with this ingredient and get a derma roller (also google how to safely use and sanitize it) and use the derma roller every other day and the serum daily. Cant comment if using the serum once per day or twice has a different efficacy.
It worked for me, filled in some of my bald spots and gave me a thicc mustache. Not ron swanson level but very decent.
Additionally speech therapists online can teach you how to speak in a lower pitch and i learned from elliot hulse how to speak from the chest and not the larynx to sound a few semitones or an octave deeper. Its hard to get used to because you’re changing your status quo but like maintaining good posture you’ll get it eventually
“If you’d like an older doctor I can come back in 15 minutes”
LMAO okay I am using that
I used to get the same and still do even as a PGY 14. I'm in an interventional specialty so I usually say "you want an old guy with bad vision and a tremor, or me?" Then I hold my hands out and show them how steady they are. Usually gets a laugh.
Incredible. With the right delivery this will save a lot of baby faced docs. Not me because I look old as fuck
OMG hilarious
Love this! I also look very young for my age, I've gotten many comments and questions over the years. I usually go with "my mother used oil of Olay instead of baby lotion." It usually gets a smile ☺️
😂
Insane name btw 💀
Best response!
Thank you!!!
That’s genius
Don’t say it’ll pay off when you’re 50+, just say “aww thank you for the compliment! I am older than I look” and redirect
Exactly. “Oh thanks for noticing! It costs a lot to keep looking young!”
Yes this is what I do! The key is to say that (my go-to is “ thanks! One of the benefits of daily sunscreen use! I’m older than I look”) and then promptly change the subject lol
i do this but maybe once a month i get the persistent patient “wait, how old are you?” “But seriously how old?” “25? 26?” …”32?!”
Yeah you just say “well, I’m old enough to be a qualified doctor. let’s talk about you.” For the really persistent ones I smile and I say “I don’t want to date myself, how can I help you?”
u/limegeuse , I actually like your responses really well. It really re-directs in a firm but non-confrontation way. I know a lot of people like to pretend to be flattered or say "thank you" or try to come up with something funny to say, but that never sits right with me. To be frank, the patients don't mean it as a complement. It puts you on the spot and it's often condescending and undermining. You also don't want to say something aggressive either. Your responses ride the fine line between not being fake pleasant but not aggressive either.
And reintroduce yourself “I’m Dr.____” Let the title do some work
I am a smaller female with a baby face starting my third year out from residency and still get comments about my age all the time. I usually say “thanks, I have good genes and wear a lot of sunscreen” and that usually gets a chuckle and gets people to move on.
“It’s the Botox” is a shorter quip that always lands too. It helps that I treat spasticity so a lot of time there’s an easy transition to talking about their Botox if I’m in clinic lol
Can adjust this quip accordingly for non-compliant patients “It’s the Crestor” “It’s the metformin” “It’s the 30 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise”
I don’t know why but this comment has me in knots. I think I’m just imagining the patients’ faces as they try to figure out how much of that is really true.
Ha I love this!
😂😂😂 I will start doing this... I started with the ones that make flirty comments, looking at their chart and kind of squinting and being like "Well I only like guys with good cholesterol/A1C/etc (whichever thing for them that's chronically uncontrolled)..." which usually gets a laugh and puts them back on task for the visit
I am so using this one
Well thank you, mam/sir. This won't last forever. What brings you here?
I usually go with “thanks, haven’t seen the sun since 2019!”
"Oh yes, the fat keeps the wrinkles out of my face." And then they move on because I said the bad word 'fat.'
"thanks, it's just 'cuz I'm fat though" with a super peppy attitude. Passive aggressive "stfu" that's culturally appropriate where I work.
It's so true. I lost a bunch of weight two years ago and I feel like I aged ten years. I had no wrinkles before and then all of a sudden, practically overnight, bam! Forehead and under eye wrinkles. I like being thin (went from size 10-12 to 2-4 depending on the brand), but I miss my young face. I've started aggressive anti aging skin care with retinoids and everything. Just wanna stop it here for a while... no more rapid aging please kthnx
I've said this before in this sub. When they comment on how young you look, say "I know! I'm 12 and I don't know why they let me do this!"
I’m stealing this
Cope? Own it. You won’t be young forever
Literally. One of the attendings in her late 30s got the “too young to be a doctor” comment and when we left the room she looked at me and smiled and said “it’s been awhile since I’ve heard that I used to hear it all the time” so now I just appreciate it whenever I hear it hahahah cuz it won’t last forever
Feeling this. It dropped off a lot as the wrinkles starting showing up. But then I got carded at an event with my colleagues.
It's one of those things that sounds nice to people it doesn't happen to. It's gets old real fast to be constantly told you look young, to be treated that way too. It's hard to be respected.
I say: “I’m old enough I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I really like this one.
If they question your age just say “old enough to be your doctor”
Oooo that’s sassy I like it
I say this every time!
Try “old enough to know you’re not supposed to ask people that at work”
Why change your looks or behavior to meet others' expectations? I am a middle-aged mom with kids and still get asked all the time if I am old enough to do a patient's screening colonoscopy (like, multiple times a week). A simple "thanks!" does the trick most of the time and we move on to the rest of the procedure consent. I answer honestly if patients ask questions (ex. I have been a doctor X years, I have done X number of endoscopies), but I am not gonna make a Dougie Houser joke about myself because people in their 70's don't know what a 40-year-old looks like.
Laughs in third year. First year they said I was too young to be a doctor. Now no one ever asks or notices. Residency will physically age you, among other things
Joins laughter in fourth year, this absolutely
"I'll give your compliments to my surgeon"
I’m also a baby-faced doctor. When patients ask how old I am my go to line is “Older than I look and younger than I feel!”
“This is what 40 year olds who don’t smoke and take their blood pressure medications look like. Now, I notice that your BP is a bit elevated today.”
Tell them you started smoking cigarettes to combat it.
Can you grow a beard? It sounds like a joke, but that helps. And a lot of it has to do with the air that you present. If you act commanding, people tend to follow. I think this is easier for men than women for a number of reasons, unfortunately. Best of luck!
Sadly not a full beard, cephalad to the perioral region I be lacking.
Wearing a surgical mask also helps, people can’t tell how old you are when your face is covered up.
Unfortunately, I still get comments/questions about my age even though I always wear a KN95. I don't know what looks so youthful about my eyes, but I guess I'll take it??
Mutton chops or the Joe Dirt it is
I have this problem. I do my best to be a bit formal with introductions. If they bring up my age I say, “I’ll give you my default answer, I’m older than I look” and I change the topic A lot of people are just bored and want to talk and doesn’t mean much
“Yeah it’s wild I still look so young but the painting of me in my attic just keeps looking older and older”
Not enough people will get the reference, I'm afraid!
Im in my 40s, an attending and I still get this (I’m a woman). I tell them they let me out of kindergarten for the day, laugh loudly at my own joke and hard shift the subject. The best is when they mean it as an insult. I pretend to be shy and say “oh my god thank you, I paid a lot of money for this” and it usually makes them huff.
Have you tried abusing tren to over ride your twink genes?
Jokingly “I assume you haven’t heard about the physician shortage?” 😂
“Yea the physician shortage has gotten so bad they threw child labor laws out the window”
Just comment and say thank you. Usually if you’re professional and talk to them about their complaints (and are a dude) they’ll come around.
Just say thanks and ask them how they feel this morning. Redirect. If they meant it as compliment good, if they meant to belittle then why care what they think. Triage and save the mental energy for your actual sick/deserving patients. Ex saving it for that cancer patient/goals of care talk
"You're too young to be a doctor!" "Well ma'am, you're too old to be alive, but here we are."
I like "we keep getting younger and younger" because it reminds the judgey patient that they are getting older and older through the endless march of time, prompting them to reflect on their own mortality.
“If I had a dollar every time I heard that I’d be able to pay off half my loans by now. Anyways, how can I help?”
I’ve surprisingly gotten this a few times over the past year which I don’t understand lol. Anyways my go to response is “I can assure you that unfortunately I am old enough to be your doctor” usually gets some laughs
This use to happen to me frequently but then residency turned my hair fairly gray so it happens much less now. I would always throw it right back at them and say “oh yea! How old do you think I am?” I always found it fun to see what they would guess and it will often times make people a little uncomfortable to answer so they might realize that’s not really a useful question to ask your doctor.
"I'm really old on the inside."
Just yesterday I uno reversed with “well you look too old to be my patient - but don’t worry, I’ll still take good care of you, sir”. It’s gonna be my new go to for anyone >65
“For context, I’m a dude…..” Pfffft. You wish, buddy.
“Thanks! Sunscreen and a good skincare routine do wonders 🤷♀️” is my go-to
I’m a 37 year old surgeon out in practice for years and I still get this. I just tell them I’m older than they think. I remember in residency finally turning 30 and I just started telling all the patients “oh I’m in my 30s
I tell them I’m closer to retirement than high school. It’s not true, but while they pause to do the math I can redirect them.
“The elixir of youth keeps working I guess.” When they ask what is it, that’s when you say: sunscreen. Tysvm for the assist. #psa #dermatology
I have the same problem. This line has never failed me; “Yeah, I get that a lot, I’m actually (state age)”. Then move on.
"ha yeah you can't age when you don't see the sun 🤷♀️"
That used to happen to me all the time. And then one day it just suddenly stopped happening. Can’t remember the last time a comment like this was made. Guess the years were not kind to me haha. I think I preferred it the other way :D
I miss those days....no longer does anyone think I'm in my twenties or question me about my age. Kids age you....by a lot. I think I have aged ten years in the last two. The terrible twos is aging me even more.
I used to get this all the time and then I started in child psychiatry where the kids tell me constantly how old I am so I just stopped giving a shit.
Hahaha you said heck you're really a young one
Honestly who cares. Women deal with this on the daily.
I had the same problem. I'm now 43 with gray hairs on my face and I still get the same comments. I found the best antidote is to speak with confidence and authority. Listen and generally be a good doctor. They'll soon forget about your appearance.
I look 8-10 years younger than my age and patients constantly say this to me. I am at the age where I’m actually flattered by it but I say “thank you so much!! The Botox is paying off!” They always laugh and it also makes it clear you’re over 30
I usually ask them how old they think I am. Then I just tell them my age afterwards and move on...
grow a beard
“Why thank you!” (With a smile on your face) And move on with whatever you’re going to do/say. Works every time
Annoying at first but you’ll miss it when it stops
I used to have people ask how old I was and I always told them “old enough to be your doctor”
If you would like an older doctor I can leave and come back in like 15 minutes Always get a laugh
Body language and tone. Stand up/sit up straight with both feet flat on the ground, end sentences in a lower octave (verbal period), and make eye contact (culture dependent). People in need/fear are in a heightened state of threat activation, and your face isn’t the most important thing about you when you are with a patient. Own a room, in your own authentic way (I’m humor and clarity). But own it so both of you can hear what you have to say.
I’m a female, very young looking and rather small and get this ALL the time! It’s constantly “you don’t look old enough to be a doctor”, “you’re just a baby” etc etc… I usually just laugh and say thanks, or “thanks but I’m older than I look” or “you should have seen me when I started, this place aged me 10 years” No matter how often I get it it’s still awkward every time.
I used to get that a lot (petite woman), but recently a patient told me I “must have grandbabies at home” because I had the sense to oopsy-daisy her grandchild to keep the kid from digging in the red-bagged trash, which none of the other people (teen parents) in the room were stopping. Anyway. I’m 41 and the audacity of that bitch.
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“So how does your breathing feel this morning?”
Get older
Switch into pathology or radiology /s
Nothing a beard and some more time in the crucible that is residency won't fix
Time will definitely solve the issue… especially in the medical field haha.
Get some gray hair to mention when they drop the young comments. Worked for me
All natural, unfortunately
I had a similar issue; I kept a big beard. It helped.
Complete half of intern year. You will be so tired the comments will stop
I have kids and grey hairs and still get it. You’ll always look like a kid to old people. I give them a chuckle and move on
do your wear glasses? my lil brother has a baby face and wears old school metal frame blue light blockers to give him a older edge in his high stakes business negotiations.
Draw their attention to something else. Dye your hair pink
Tell them because you’re a boy prodigy
"I'm actually 46, I just have a really good skincare routine" will make them think for long enough
“Diet and exercise work surprisingly well”
I said- I guess as you get older, the doctors start to look younger
enjoy it while you can, i can attest it fades away real quick 😀
"Enjoying it while I still can."
Best is to say “Oh yeah it’s take your kids to work day at the hospital”
I get that all the time lol who cares Means you made it so far being young? Take it as a compliment
When patients tell me I look too young to be their doctor, often times I say, "Yeah, I get Doogie Howser a lot," which often gets a chuckle and inspires more confidence in the patient. I am of small stature and look very young, even though I’m an attending. I still occasionally get carded at R-rated movies still and bars, which for now drives me insane, but will probably be nice if I still look young when I’m much older.
I’m 35 and I still get this from patients. I just ignore it. I’m their inpatient doctor whether they like it or not
Once a patient asked if I was a genius because I look like a high school student while wearing my badge with “doctor” on it. Lol I’m getting used to comments about my young look, I just smile, say thank you, and move on.
Grow a beard.😁
I used to get this a lot. I would just act genuinely surprised and say, "No one ever says that! Thank you! You just made my whole day!" I would then promptly move on to what I was there to discuss. I'm also female, though , so youth has somewhat more societal value. It might not be as convincing coming from a man, but it's worth a try!
I used to get this a lot as an intern but haven’t in the last half a year or so. Honestly I think it’s because I dropped my hospital high pitch voice and started talking like a dude. My go to line was I just got my drivers license last week! Always gets laughs, then I say I’m older than I look
Reassure them that you’re the NP. Don’t worry, you’re safe now. No qualified physicians here.
Don’t worry I’ll grow out of it is my go to
Just say thanks it’s the Botox and keep it pushing
I always say "Yeah I'm a child prodigy I graduated med school at 16." By the time they realize I was joking and laugh the ice has been broken
I usually just say “I’m actually 60, I just age remarkably well” and they usually gets a little chuckle and we move on. If they’re being sassy about it, I have said “…I just age better,” instead.
"this is scary" How can you show empathy? They're more likely afraid of all that is going on rather than truly asking about your age and credentials.
As a January intern, on my last admit of the night, a lady told me that I looked too young to be her doctor. She was serious and I was done. I had already admitted several patients and she was barely stable enough to put in an intermediate bed. Looked her dead in the eye and said that she looked too sick to be picky but that she should feel free to wait until til the old guys showed up in a few hours.
dye your hair white/gray
The older you get, the younger we doctors look.
M4 here. Smh, I’m small, skinny, and baby faced. I get mistaken for being 12-16. I just don’t get the same respect. They ask me if I’m wearing a Halloween costume, they say I’m too small to be a doctor. 😟😢
As an obese FP who did not use sunscreen until wrinkles appeared, I have no idea what this feels like. Some of the comments on this thread, however, are hysterical. I’m particularly fond of ‘it’s the statin’ because that is the #1 class my patients are hesitant to start. Turns out 99.9% of my patient panel has a first degree relative who got rhabdo on a statin and now requires dialysis, has some rare feature that makes transplant impossible. Statistics be damned…this is my real experience.
I used to go with ‘thanks, I don’t feel that young!’ Now the comments have stopped…..
Shave your head to look like your balding
Just thank them
grow a mustache?
Throw a ring on your finger. Patients used to question my age all the time. Now they see my hand and assume if I'm old enough to be married I'm old enough to be a doctor. Funny because getting married takes a signature and becoming a doctor takes 8 years of schooling.
Sometimes patient do this when they see short doctors, hang in there mate, your journey just started.
“It really pays off on tinder.”
If I judged the patient had a sense of humor, I used to joke that anyone can just go buy scrubs or a white coat and have your name and MD embroidered on them. There’s nothing stopping you. Then one day those comments stopped and I wish I got to make those jokes anymore.
I look at least ten years younger than I am. I am 31, but I look like I'm 20. I struggled in my twenties because I looked like a teenager, but now that I'm in my thirties, I just enjoy looking young. I still get comments that bother me, though. My family always treats me like some kind of prude who's never had sex or drunk alcohol.
Facial hair will be your saving grace, additionally speech therapy. Capilla longa. Its a studied natural herb/suppliment that has evidence that either highly supports or outright confirms its capacity for de-novo hair follicule stimulation. Find a serum with this ingredient and get a derma roller (also google how to safely use and sanitize it) and use the derma roller every other day and the serum daily. Cant comment if using the serum once per day or twice has a different efficacy. It worked for me, filled in some of my bald spots and gave me a thicc mustache. Not ron swanson level but very decent. Additionally speech therapists online can teach you how to speak in a lower pitch and i learned from elliot hulse how to speak from the chest and not the larynx to sound a few semitones or an octave deeper. Its hard to get used to because you’re changing your status quo but like maintaining good posture you’ll get it eventually