Things you should ask your plastic surgeon before opting for any plastic surgery

Things you should ask your plastic surgeon before opting for any plastic surgery

Before planning for any elective cosmetic surgery, its crucial to have a detailed understanding of the same as each procedure has its set of pros and cons. You must be able to analyse whether the outcomes would be effective to cater to the specific needs. Here is a critical checklist that needs to be discussed with the surgeon prior to opting for any procedure for a clear and comprehensive understanding on the subject.

1. Type of recommended surgical procedure

The doctor must explain the surgical procedure as well as the steps involved in it. You need to ask whether any alternative can be performed instead of the recommended one and the reason of choosing the particular procedure over others.

2. Any specific reason for choosing the surgical procedure

One of the main reasons might be for lessening the pain or avoiding the pain factor completely. Meanwhile, it can also be for detecting a particular condition that can improve the patient’s life.

3. Whether any alternatives exist other than the surgery to address the problem. If so, what are they?

Surgery can’t be the first and foremost option in your plate. There can be non surgical treatments, medications and lifestyle changes. At times, the patient is kept under observation before surgery for the condition to improve or stabilize.

4. Pros of the surgery and the duration for the results to last

You must know all the positive effects of the surgery and the lasting period of the outcomes. Sometimes, the outcomes last for a short time while at other times, it lasts for a longer period. When the outcomes are short living, one might need to undergo a second procedure. Lastly, the expectations must be confirmed with the healthcare practitioner to be more realistic.

5. Cons and complications of the surgery

Many surgeries bear a chance of posing complications and certain risks. However, the range of benefits must be weighed against the disadvantages before performing the cosmetic surgery. The complications might range from profuse bleeding, infections and other side effects. On the other hand, you must know the symptoms to be watched out for after the operation and the consequences that need to be reported to the doctor. Lastly, its better to be mentally prepared for the pain, its intensity and ways to tackle it.

6. Expertise of the surgeon in carrying out the procedure

A surgeon who is qualified, groomed and experienced to perform a procedure lessens the risk factor to a considerable extent.  Therefore its important to ask the consultant about the expertise in carrying out a particular procedure, the number of times it had been done in the past, the kind of complications which arose during or after the surgery and the overall success rate. Meanwhile, have a look at the patients’ before and after photos who had undergone the surgery to check the end outcomes.

Lastly, communicate all the concerns and doubts that you have to the doctor before deciding on any procedure. Unless you get a comprehensive understanding on the subject, don’t proceed.