What Questions Should You Ask Your Surgeon?

In attempting to select a plastic surgeon for your plastic surgery procedure, it is important to establish whether the surgeon is qualified to perform your surgery and give you the highest likelihood of a safe procedure with good results. But it is also important to establish a solid relationship with the surgeon of your choice. You have to feel comfortable telling your surgeon your cosmetic goals in full without hesitation. And you have to trust your surgeon’s professional judgment to know how best to meet your cosmetic goals, as well as to tell you when your goals might be unrealistic.

Make sure you first ask your surgeon some basic questions about education, board certification, and experience. You want to know that your surgeon is trained in and has experience performing the procedure you desire. Ask the surgeon about the facilities where the procedure will be performed. Pay attention to what details the surgeon brings up, such as safety, privacy, convenience, and gauge them against your priorities for the surgery.

Ask the surgeon if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Hopefully your surgeon will show some rigorous standards for plastic surgery candidates. If you’re not a good candidate, you are more likely to experience complications or get a poor result. A good surgeon will protect you first by rigorously evaluating your candidacy. Don’t be surprised if it seems like your surgeon is also questioning you. A good surgeon is evaluating your physical and mental appropriateness for the procedure.

Make sure you ask your surgeon for recommendations about your procedure. A good surgeon should have significant input on how you can best meet your cosmetic goals. You may have come in looking for one type of procedure, but if your surgeon recommends a different one, listen to the rationale and decide how you feel about the recommendations.

Throughout, make sure you like the surgeon and feel completely comfortable with him or her. Although the surgery itself takes only a few hours at most, the recovery will likely last months, and you want to have a good relationship with your surgeon over that entire time.

Remember to talk to multiple surgeons. This is an important decision, and you should not make it without first interviewing enough surgeons to feel confident that this one is the right one for you.

If you are interested in plastic surgery in the Washington DC area, please contact New Image Plastic Surgery Associates using the form on the left side of the page or call 703-742-8004 today to schedule your initial consultation.