When you are selecting a cosmetic surgeon to perform a plastic surgery procedure, it’s important to make sure you are selecting one who is not only qualified to perform the procedure, but one you trust and like well enough to work with for the entire period of follow-up and recovery, which can be six months or a year for some procedures.
One of the essential steps in selecting that surgeon is talking to them in a personal consultation. To get full value out of your consultation, it’s important to have a list of questions ready so you don’t miss any important areas. Here’s a sample list of questions that covers all the main areas:
- Are you a board-certified plastic surgeon?
- How many procedures similar to mine have you performed?
- Who will be assisting in my procedure? What are their qualifications? How long have you been working with them?
- Where will my procedure be performed? Is the facility accredited? By whom? When was accreditation last renewed?
- What will my recovery be like? How long before I go back to work? When will my final results be visible?
- What side effects are normal for this procedure?
- What complications might occur? How common are they? How severe are they? What can I do to help prevent them? Do I have risk factors that might increase my risk?
- Can I see before and after pictures of patients similar to me?
- What is my total procedure cost, including your fees, surgical materials, operatory fees, other professionals’ fees, and any other expected costs?
When you ask a potential cosmetic surgeon these questions, it’s important to listen not only to the content of their answers, but to their tone when they answer. If you don’t feel the cosmetic surgeon is being completely honest or if you just don’t feel comfortable with him or her, you need to find a different cosmetic surgeon.
Dr. Antonio J. Gayoso invites you to decide for yourself if he is the right surgeon for you. Please contact Gayoso Plastic Surgery today for a consultation at our Clearwater, Florida practice.
