You have finally made the decision to undergo a plastic surgery procedure. If the initial decision wasn’t hard enough, now you are faced with arguably the single most important decision that is fundamental to a good surgery outcome.
So, what is the best way to choose your surgeon? These are our top 4 points to help you tackle the surgeon dilemma.
1. Recommendations and reviews
Recommendations are always the best starting point. On the forum, you will find a wealth of information regarding cosmetic surgery procedures and the surgeons who performed them.
- Take a look at the review section of the directory or simply click a surgeon profile.
- Ask family or friends who have had the procedure that you are interested in for their feedback. Were they happy with their results and the aftercare?
- If you have a trusted GP, ask them for a recommendation and a referral (this will come in handy if you want to claim the medicare rebate for the consultation)
- It is important to remember, it is near impossible for a surgeon to have zero complications, they can happen to anyone. What is important is how the complications were handled by the surgeon. You want to know you are going to be looked after
2. Qualifications
- You want to make sure you are aware of your surgeons qualifications. Are they a Plastic Surgeon or a Cosmetic Surgeon? Acquaint yourself with the difference and make sure you are comfortable with that decision.
- All the surgeons listed in our directory are verified FRACS Plastic Surgeons, so if they are listed in the directory, you can be comfortable that they possess the highest level of qualifications to perform the surgery.
- So you have got recommendation and qualifications sorted now its time to narrow down your list. Check out the before and after shots that the surgeon has available. You can view surgeon galleries in our directory.
3. Before and after pictures
- Send Friend Requests along with a private message introducing yourself to forum members who have had the procedure with the particular surgeon. Our lovely forum members are most helpful and happy to share their surgery experiences as well as before and after photos if requested.
- Check out the PSF Facebook page and Instagram to view before and after pictures.
- Make sure you are happy with the look of the surgeons work.
- Find before and after pictures from patients who have similar stats to you so you can get a better idea of the outcome you might get from that surgeon.
4. Consultation
- Consultations can be expensive, so its a good idea to make sure you have addressed the first three points before you proceed to the consultation stage.
- Book a consultation with at least 2 surgeons, even if you think you have found ‘the one’ – this might be an important deciding factor later on if you are given different recommendations
- Compile a list of questions for your consultation. You want to know how much the procedure is going to cost you, what is and isn’t included in the quote, the after care and what happens if you need a revision.
- Bring lots of pictures of your desired outcome. This is particularly important for a breast augmentation consultation. You want to make sure you are both on the same page when it comes to the look and size that you are trying to achieve. After all, a C cup can mean very different sizes depending on the person.
- Make sure you are comfortable enough with the surgeon to ask questions, and even more importantly, to speak up and address your concerns. It is important to have a level of trust in your surgeon. You want to feel comfortable with them and their recommendations for you.
Hopefully by this stage, you have decided on a surgeon and you can begin your journey. Make sure you join our ‘Monthly Surgery Threads‘ in the forum. The support you receive from your surgery group will be enough to see you through the process. And don’t forget to review your surgery experience so you can help the next person.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.