What Happens at Consultation?

At consultation for plastic surgery of any kind, it is important that all of your questions be answered and that you have a good understanding of the procedures to be done. For breast surgery, implant size can be determined from a discussion, pictures, sizing implants, and 3-D imaging. Your surgeon may use more than one of these methods. Although getting input can be useful, you should absolutely be the one to make the final decision as to size, and think about it carefully. I like to schedule a second visit to discuss size before actually proceeding with the surgery. When multiple procedures are being discussed, it is a good idea to anticipate that the consultation will take longer, and a second consultation may be necessary.

Your consultation is a very important and lengthy visit. My philosophy is that in order to have a satisfied patient, you have to have an educated patient. I like to go through what should be expected before, during, and after a surgery including all the potential risks, complications, and options. It is great for you to bring a friend with you in case there are any other questions along the way.

A thorough medical history and physical examination will be done to see if you are a good candidate for surgery. After this, your surgical options will be discussed including your desired size. A few weeks before the actual surgery is done, blood tests will be drawn to make sure you do not have any laboratory abnormalities and corrected if there are.

Bottom line is you must build a connection with your doctor and fully understand what is being suggested and walk out with a plan.

Hope that helps

 

A consultation serves many purposes.  It allows you to gather information from an expert in the field, your plastic surgeon, about the procedure (or procedures) that you are interested in.  It also allows you to ask questions about that procedure.  You can also see before/after pictures, discuss prices and schedules, and perhaps speak with a former patient who has had that procedure.  It also gives you a chance to see how you feel about the plastic surgeon who is potentially going to operate on you.  Do you feel comfortable with him?  Does he answer your questions adequately?  Does he have a lot of experience with this procedure?  How available will he be after the surgery if you have questions or problems?  Finally, it never hurts to schedule two or three consultations just to get differing opinions.  Different plastic surgeons have different training and experience and may have a different approach to handling the issue(s) you present to them.