Plastic Surgeons -- Questions You Must Have Addressed

If you're planning to have cosmetic surgery, chances are you have a lot of questions. If you don't, you should probably come up with some. Going under the knife for any reason is not something that should be taken lightly.

Having said that, if you look through the plastic surgeons in your community and come up with a good one, there is little to worry about. But how do you find the good one? Well, asking questions during a consultation will give you a great deal of information to work with. The answers will lead you in the right direction.

How much experience do you have?

This is an important question to ask, but the answer you want to hear may not be what you're expecting. When looking for plastic surgeons, you don't just want a doctor that has a lot of general experience. If a doctor has performed hundreds of nose jobs but only three tummy tucks, does that really speak to their prerequisites to perform your tummy tuck? It's a lot of experience, but it isn't the right kind. Ask for specifics. A doctor who has nothing to hide will be only too happy to provide you with the answers.

What technique will you be using?

This is a question that will mean little, unless you have done some reading. But you should certainly do some reading before you decide to go looking for plastic surgeons. You should be an amateur expert on the procedure you're about to have. Therefore, you'll know right away if a doctor is not up to date on the latest methods. That doesn't mean they aren't using some new procedure one doctor in New Zealand is having success with, but that they are well behind the times. This says not only a lot about this particular procedure, but about the doctor's philosophy towards medicine in general. Cosmetic surgery is a living, breathing science, and you want someone who is constantly improving their technique.

What are the risks and potential complications?

This question is important for two reasons. One, you deserve to know what you're getting into and plastic surgeons should know this. Your own research into the topic should have given you the answer already, of course. This question is more to judge the doctor than it is to get new information. If they pretend as if there are no risks and complications—and you know otherwise—then you are starting off on the wrong foot. Two, you need to know what steps you can take to minimize your own risks. This may include laying down the cigarettes or cutting out other behaviors that could negatively affect your surgery and recovery.