Five questions to ask your plastic surgeon

Prior to your consultation with your plastic surgeon it is important to do your research. Here are five questions we would recommend that you ask them at the consultation.

1. Do you specialise in this form of treatment?

Most plastic surgeons are covering a wide spectrum of conditions such as hand surgery, breast reconstruction surgery after cancer treatments, treatment of cleft lip and pallets and burn surgery.

It is important to make sure that the surgeon you’re considering to treat you specialises in the treatment you are considering.

2. How many of these procedures do you perform each year?

This will give you a good idea of whether they do specialise in this treatment. For common procedures such as breast augmentation expect an answer of at least 15 per month. For less common procedures such as breast reduction surgery a good figure would be 5-10 per month.

3. Have you had any significant complications in the last year?

Ask them specifically whether they have had any complications after treating the condition you are considering having treated or in any other procedures.

Your surgeon should answer this honestly and be concerned if they say that you’ll not get any complications as all surgery is slightly unpredictable and small complications such as poor scarring and delayed healing in certain areas can occur.

4. How long have you been performing this treatment?

Again this will give you an idea of the experience of the surgeon. It is generally best to avoid newly qualified surgeons who have limited experience in the field you are considering having treated.

5. Is it possible to talk to someone you have treated?

A reputable surgeon will actively encourage you to talk to someone who’s recently undergone similar surgery. This has the advantage of giving you a good idea of what’s involved, the recovery period and the likely outcome.

These five questions will give you a very good idea as to whether the surgeon you are considering performs a significant number of these procedures and is being open and honest with you.

Asking these in all consultations will give you the best opportunity of selecting the right surgeon for you.