Questions to Ask Plastic Surgeons
Ask questions at your consult. If you don’t, you’ll get home and wonder about things and not know the answers. Most of the time, the majority of these questions will be answered before you even have a chance to ask them. Don’t worry about seeming “rude” if you’re jotting down answers while the surgeon is talking.
Questions relating to your surgeon and his practice
How long have you been certified by the ABPS?
Do you have hospital admitting privileges? If so, with which hospitals?
How many breast augmentations do you perform per year?
What is your rate of complications (capsule contracture, bottoming out, infection, etc)?
What’s the most common complication your patients experience?
What is your re-operation rate with breast implants, and what is the most common re-operation you perform?
What incision site do you prefer, and why?
What placement do you prefer? Do you perform both over the muscle and under the muscle implants?
Do my breasts sag? Will breast implants provide some lift, or will I need a breast lift / mastopexy?
Do you recommend massage? Why, or why not?
Where do you perform your surgeries? Hospital, outpatient surgical center, or your own surgical suite? Is your facility accredited, and if so, by who?
What is your policy on repairs (cc, bottoming out, lowering a crease, etc.)? Do you charge a fee for these things, and if so, how much?
Are all post-op visits free? If so, for how long?
Regarding reconstructive surgery vs. plain breast augmentation, which do you do more often?
Will I be seeing you after my surgery, or will I be seeing one of your assistants for my follow-up appointments?
Surgical Recommendations
Do you recommend round or anatomical implants for me? Why?
Do you recommend overs, partial sub-muscular, or complete sub-muscular placement for me?
Which incision do you recommend for me?
Which type of implant do you recommend? Saline or silicone?
Will my creases need to be lowered?
Preop and Postop Questions
What medications do I need to stop taking prior to my surgery?
What herbal remedies should I stop taking prior to my surgery?
When can I resume normal activities, exercising?
Do you recommend taking antibiotics prior to having my teeth cleaned?
Do you recommend Arnica Montana and/or Bromelain for bruising and swelling?
When can I resume sexual relations?
Do you use dissolvable stitches, and if not, when do the stitches come out?
What pain medications do you prescribe?
How long should I take off of work?
When can I take a shower? A tub bath?
Will I have surgical tape on the incisions, and if so, can you put some on me now, so that I can see if I will have an allergic reaction to it? (If you already know that you have reactions to surgical tape, PLEASE let your surgeon know at the consult.)
Does smoking affect the healing process? Do I need to quit before surgery, and if so, how long should I be smoke-free before I have my surgery?
When can I start driving again?
Do you dissect the medial portion of the pectoral muscle in order to create more cleavage? (You want your surgeon to answer NO to this question.)
Do you make over-sized pockets?
Do I need to purchase any bras prior to my surgery? Will I need to wear a sports bra, underwire, “strap”, or no bra (after surgery)?
Health Related
Do I need to have a mammogram prior to my surgery?
I have fibrocystic breasts. Is it safe for me to have breast augmentation?
Anesthesia Questions
Do you use a certified anesthesiologist, or a nurse anesthetist (CRNA)?
What type of anesthesia will I receive? General, or twilight with sedation? What is the difference between the two?
Will I receive anti-nausea meds during surgery, and will I get a prescription for anti-nausea medication?
Miscellaneous
Do you believe that vitamin E plays a role in preventing capsule contracture?
How long after surgery should I wait before taking vitamin E? What dosage do you recommend?
Is there anything that I can do to help my incision heal better?
If I have a problem, or a redo, can the same incision be used, or will you have to make a new incision?
Will my breasts feel natural, to me, as well as my significant other?
Will my implants lose their shape and/or sag, after a long period of time?
Will I be able to breastfeed, and does the nipple / areola incision decrease my chances of breastfeeding?
Will I be able to scuba dive with my implants? How about skydiving, will I be able to do that?
After my breast augmentation surgery, will I get the device card for my implants?
Do you fill the implants to the manufacturers recommendations, or do you overfill (fill PAST the maximum amount recommended by implant manufacturers)?
How long do breast implants last?
Do you prescribe antibiotics to be taken before and/or after the surgery, and will I receive antibiotics in my IV?
Narcotic pain killers constipate me. Would it be safe to take a gentle laxative?
What about diuretics for the swelling? Would you recommend that also?
Can my menstrual cycle be thrown off due to the surgery?
How will my breasts look if I decide to have children?
Do you perform surgery on women who are menstruating?
Will the implants affect my ability to breastfeed?
Are my implants warranted? If so, for how much, how long?
Will I lose sensitivity in my breasts/nipples? What are the odds of this being permanent?
Do you use sizers (disposable implants) during surgery to best determine size? And if so, how many different sizes of implants do you take into the OR?