Breast Augmentation Consultation: A Valuable Tool!

The best way to ensure great breast augmentation results is to use your surgical consultation well. Your initial consultation is your chance to size-up prospective plastic surgeons, get a feel for who they are and how willing the seem to spend time with you addressing your questions and concerns.

Newport Beach cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Milind Ambe, offers this advice for evaluating a plastic surgeon on his website:

"My best advice to any prospective patient is to make sure that you feel comfortable with the Plastic Surgeon that will be treating you. They should fully explain to you, without rushing or compromise, every aspect of the procedure. Their attention to detail should be obvious. Do not ever feel that you are rushed into making a decision--if the surgeon makes sense to you and their work demonstrates skill, you will do wonderfully."

A plastic surgeon should spend at least an hour with you, discussing you goals and medical history in the initial consultation. He or she will need to evaluate such physical issues as your current breast size and shape, your skin tone, the degree of droop you may have, breast asymmetry and other issues. He or she should also carefully explore with you your desired goals, discussing breast implant size and shape, incision options, breast implant placement and filler type. Before undergoing breast augmentation with any surgeon, you should be sure study plenty of before-and-after photos of their work to make sure you like the results they offer. Not all surgeons will share your aesthetic taste, and not all will offer the skill-level you seek.

No breast augmentation consultation is complete without ample discussion of surgical risks and potential complications, as well as downtime and what you should expect during recovery. Though breast augmentation is cosmetic, it is still "real" surgery and should be considered as carefully as any other. In fact, due to its elective nature, breast augmentation allows for more evaluation time than many other surgeries. Many plastic surgeons offer free initial consultations, allowing you to carefully shop around and compare surgeons without added expense. Even if prospective surgeons do charge for initial consultations, it is well worth it to visit more than one to ensure you choose a surgeon you feel comfortable with.

For more information, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons offers great advice for choosing a breast augmentation surgeon on their website.