According to several studies published between 1997 and 2013, women doctors tend to demonstrate more concern and empathy, ask more questions about their patients’ emotional well-being, and exude an approachable, easy-to-talk-to air. Research also confirms that these qualities resonate more strongly with women than with men. Case in point: how many guys do you know who have knit their doctors a scarf?

All this may help to explain why female patients have a proven affinity for female primary care physicians, such as internists, gynecologists, and general practitioners. But in the rarefied world of plastic surgery, gender has no discernable bearing on patient choice.