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Questions to ask at your Consultation

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Plastic Surgeon Information:

How long have you been a board certified Plastic Surgeon?
What medical boards are you certified with?
Are you certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
Are there any malpractice suits that you have been involved with?
Have you ever been disciplined by the State Medical Board?
How many breast augmentations do you do in a year?
Do you have local hospital privileges? If so, which hospitals? If not, why?
Are revisions of this procedure common?
If so, how many revisions do you do on average?
What is your office policy regarding revision surgery?
Do you have some before and after photos I can view?
Do you have any breast augmentation videos I can view regarding this procedure?
Do you see the patient yourself at all post op visits or does a nurse handle this?
Would you perform this surgery on a loved one or a family member?

Breast Implant Information:

What breast implant manufacturer do you use?
Do you prefer one type of implant versus the other?
What implant would be right for my body stature?
How many ccs. will you use to achieve what I am looking for?
Do you use both silicone and saline?
Do I qualify for silicone implants?
With saline implants, do you overfill the implant to prevent rippling?
Do you stay within the manufacturer’s guidelines with filling?
With saline implants, do they deflate quickly after a rupture?
Do you use the teardrop anatomical implants at all?
What opinion do you have of the anatomical gummy bear implants?
In relation to softness how do gummy bear implants compare to the regular cohesive silicone implants?
Would you consider round implants or anatomical implants for me?
Do you prefer smooth or textured shell implants?
What are the smallest and largest implants that the manufacturer makes?
What are my chances for breastfeeding after I have the surgery?
Does the incision around the areola have higher risks with not being able to breastfed after the procedure?
What are the implant’s warranty guidelines?
If an implant should rupture, will this be covered by the warranty?
Do implants rupture easily? How can you tell when a silicone implant has a rupture?

Breast Augmentation Surgery Information:

Do you commonly do both placements with implants – under the muscle and over the muscle?
What do you recommend for me?
Do you ever use complete sub-muscular placement for the implants?
If you do complete sub-muscular placement, what incision do you recommend to have?
Do you more commonly use partially under the muscle placement?
Do you think my breasts need a lift? If so, what level ptosis (sag)do I have?
What lift would you recommend to get the best outcome for me?
If I decide to forgo a lift, what are my chances of getting double bubble? What placement would benefit me more if I didn’t get a lift?
What incision do you most commonly use? What incision do you feel would be best for me?
How long are your incisions for saline implants? For silicone implants?
Do you use the TUBA incision at all? Why or why not?
Am I a candidate for (Trans-ax) transaxillary incision? If so, how do you perform this – blindly or with an endoscope?
If I need to have a revision, will you be able to use the same incision again?
Will the surgery be performed in a hospital setting or do you have your own surgical suite?
Will there be someone trained in the surgical suite or the recovery area trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in case of an emergency?
Is your surgical suite certified and accredited? Do you have a CRASH cart in case of an emergency? What agency is your surgical suite accredited with?
Is your surgical suite accessible to an ambulance in case of an emergency? What hospital would I be taken to in case of an emergency?
Do you use a board certified anesthesiologist or a CRNA – Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist?
Does the anesthesiologist use anti-nausea meds in the IV during the procedure?
What type of anesthesia do you normally use – twilight, general, local with sedation?
What kind of monitoring does the anesthesiologist during surgery?
Do you use sizers during the procedure to make sure you have chosen the right size for me?
If not, then do we come to an agreement with what size implant will be used before the surgery?

Risks and Complication Information

What are the risks and complications I need to be aware of with having breast implants?
How often does bottoming out occur?
Have you been successful with correcting this complication in your practice? How concerned do I have to be with keeping the implants supported all the time in a bra?
If bottoming out does occur, is this revision surgery on the patient or do you cover this complication?
What is your rate of capsular contracture in your practice?
How often does it occur? If a revision surgical procedure is needed for this complication, is this covered by you or the patient?
Do you have other methods of trying to eradicate capsular contracture before it gets to the point of surgery? What do you normally use in your practice for this? Is Vitamin E a good choice to use with reducing the chances of capsular contracture?
What is your infection rate?
If I do get an infection, what are my chances of being explanted until it is all cleared up?
With the complication of implant placement and symmastia, has this complication ever happened in your practice?
Do you dissect the medial area of the chest tissue/muscle over the sternum to obtain closer cleavage for patients?
If this complication of symmastia should occur, can you correct this and will the revision charges be absorbed by you?

Preparing for Surgery Information:

I work out at the gym all the time; do I need to refrain from going before the procedure? And when can I resume my normal activity level after the surgery?
If the patient smokes, do you recommend for them to quit completely before the surgery? How long in advance would you like this to be done? Does smoking really affect the healing process?
Do you have a list of medications and herbal remedies and over the counter meds I need to stay away from before surgery? How soon can I start taking them after the procedure?
Do you prescribe for the patient Arnica Montana or Bromelian for swelling and bruising?
Do you recommend the patient to have a full physical work up with labs before the surgery?
Do you also recommend a baseline mammogram?
Do you use dissolvable sutures or permanent sutures on the incision?
What do I need to get in ways of supplies before the surgery? Vitamins, bandages, bras, antibiotic ointments, antibacterial soaps?
Is there a particular bra you recommend or do you supply this to the patients?
What pain medication do you prescribe for this procedure?
Do you also prescribe antibiotics, anti-nausea medication, and muscle relaxants? If so, which ones do your prescribe?
Narcotics can constipate me; do you recommend a stool softner post op?
Do you recommend ice for swelling? If so, how often do you like the patient to do this?
I am currently taking anti-depressants, birth control pills and diet pills. Do I need to be concerned about any of these medications with the anesthesia?
How soon can I schedule this procedure? Is there a better time than others when I can have this done?
Do you think you can achieve the goals I want with this procedure?

Recovery Information:

How long should I take time off of work or school?
Will I need to eat a special diet post operatively?
What are the lifting restrictions regarding small children?
When can I resume sexual relations?
What are the driving restrictions after this procedure?
How soon will I be able to shower after the surgery?
Can I take baths as a substitute?
Do I need to have an adult stay with me the first 24 hour after surgery?
How long must the incision be kept completely dry?
What is the time span of starting scar therapy after the procedure?
Is there one type of scar treatment that you prefer over the others?
When will I be able to swim? In a lake or a hot tub?
How are most of your patients sent home – wearing just a bra, ace wrap or a compression bandage?
Do you recommend the strap if the implants have a hard time with dropping?
If there is an emergency at home, how do I get a hold of you?
Will you be calling me the night of surgery to check on me?
Will there be a lot of swelling and pain immediately afterwards?
Do you recommend icing to help with the swelling and pain? Is so how long do you normally suggest for icing?
Do you recommend diuretics for the excess swelling that happens?
Will you do surgery if the patient is menstruating? If so, what do you recommend for the patient to wear?
Can I wear make up the day of surgery?
I wear contacts; do these have to be removed before surgery?
Is it okay to wear finger nail polish on my nails? Why or why not?
I have acrylic nails; do I need to have these removed before surgery?
When will my sutures be removed?
What are your policies regarding post op appointments? When do you see me again after surgery?
How long will it take for my implants to drop into place?
Will I lose sensation in my breasts and or nipples from this surgery?
Do you recommend massaging after the procedure? Why or why not?

Financial Information:

How much will this procedure cost me? How much do you require to hold a surgical date? When should the balance be paid for in full?
Are there any hidden costs that I should be made aware of? Lab work, surgical center, hospital costs, postoperative appointments and medications?
Do you work with any financial companies? Is so, which ones do you recommend?
Do you offer an installment payment program?
Do you give a discount if the procedure is paid for in cash?
Do you take credit cards – if so, which ones?
If something should come up and I have to cancel the surgery, do you refund my money?