While there is no key number of consultations to effectively make a decision, we’ve come up with a list of three recommendation to consider before even scheduling your consultations. By following these recommendations, you can more effectively navigate your way through the plastic surgery decision making process and save yourself from information overload and needless head scratching.
1. Do Your Homework on Your Desired Plastic Surgery
At Colorado Plastic Surgery Center, we emphasize patient eduction in our consultation process. The decision to undergo plastic surgery is a big one that isn’t taken lightly. Identify your goals first! By identifying your goals and defining what you desire, you can narrow down the procedures and options available to meet these goals with a little research. Take the time to research your desired procedure and you will be able to more confidently make a decision on both the plastic surgery and your surgeon.
The easiest place to find information about plastic surgery procedures is online. We recommend looking at the following reputable, industry related websites to get you started.
- Surgery.org – The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) Website
- PlasticSurgery.org – The American Society of Plastic Surgeon (ASPS) Website
- ColoradoPlasticSurgery.com – Colorado Plastic Surgery Center’s official Website
2. Identify Your Priorities
Think about what your top three decision making factors are when considering a plastic surgeon to perform your procedure. Maybe it’s your plastic surgeon’s board-certifications, procedure costs, availability to schedule surgery, location of their practice, or whether you feel a good rapport with the surgeon and staff. Each cosmetic surgery patient is unique, and as such your own priorities will be unique. Whatever these priorities are, honestly identifying them and ranking their importance will help you to determine which cosmetic surgeons you will want to schedule a consultation with and what factors you will use to determine which surgeon you eventually chose to do your procedure. Which brings us to the final point…
3. Research Plastic Surgeons
That’s right, more research. When identifying the plastic surgeons you will schedule a consultation with, we strongly recommend:
- Talking with friends and family who have had cosmetic surgery to get initial recommendations on plastic surgeons.
- Visit plastic surgeons’ websites. This is a great resource for learning about the surgeon, their qualifications, the staff, the procedures they perform, the techniques they use. You will also be able to view before and after results of actual patients. We recommend looking for patients who’s before images more closely resemble your current condition.
- Verify the surgeon’s qualifications! Not all practices and doctors have the same qualifications. With the economic constraints many physicians who are not board-certified plastic surgeons are preforming cosmetic procedures. Do you really want a cosmetic dermatologist performing your Liposuction or Tummy Tuck? We strongly recommend making sure that your cosmetic surgeon is board-certified in plastic surgery, as well as a member of the ASAPS and ASPS. Both associations have a cosmetic surgeon directory on their websites to help patients find qualified surgeons in their area.
- Read patient reviews. From general review sites, such as City Search and Google Places, to medical related review sites, like Real Self, you can learn a lot about a cosmetic surgeon’s skills, personality and overall practice from patient reviews.
- Contact the practice with questions! Sometimes you won’t be able to find exact details without contacting the practice. Most practices will be happy to answer any initial questions that you may have. At Colorado Plastic Surgery Center, we may even be able to put you in touch with other patients who are willing to answer questions you may have from a patient perspective.
If you are considering plastic surgery, we encourage you to contact us to find out if Colorado Plastic Surgery Center and Dr. Nick Slenkovich is the right fit for you.
