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Top Tips on Finding a Surgeon 1) Ask your GP. They are there to protect you, and they should know who has a good reputation in your area.2) Use word of mouth. Ask friends. They will not let you down. 3) Pick a Surgeon, NOT a clinic or hospital. If you go to one of the big clinics you may not see the same surgeon that your friend saw and some may employ surgeons, who come on short-term contracts and then leave. Some Hospital Groups distribute patients in turn to all the surgeons who work with them, irrespective of the surgeon’s expertise, interests or quality. Be aware that some may only want to sell you a procedure. A free consultation is not really free, the cost is added in elsewhere when you proceed. By choosing a surgeon you should be charged for advice and you should not be sold a product or procedure. 4) Check the BAAPS website - BAAPS (The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) - It will give you BAAPS members by region of the country. All BAAPS surgeons have a special interest in cosmetic/aesthetic surgery. But still ask the right questions. 5) Check the website - GMC (General Medical Council) - to check what specialty your surgeon is registered to work in. 6) Before you see your surgeon, think about what it is you that you do not like about yourself and what you want to change. Please do not go in, sit down and ask for a specific procedure but tell your surgeon about the areas you are concerned about. A reputable surgeon will ask you questions and analyse what the anatomical problem is, and then will recommend a procedure to address that problem. Listen to the advice given, it may not be as you expected, so please try not to have any preconceived ideas. 7) Beware the “new is better” philosophy of the cosmetic/anti ageing market. More complications arise immediately after surgeons have been to a meeting and seen a new procedure than at any other time. Some treatments may not have been fully tested before being released. 8) Ask how many procedures the surgeon has done and what their complication rates are. We are very fortunate in the UK that the standard of training is very high but not all surgeons are as competent as others and not every surgeon will be proficient in all procedures. Ask what their interests are, and their complication rates. One in twenty five of the population will form lumpy, red, itchy scars no matter how well they are stitched. Every surgeon has complications and they are obliged to tell you what their complication rate is (the same applies in every branch of surgery following the Bristol Heart Scandal, where the surgeons were quoting national not personal figures). If they are telling you what the books say, wonder why they are not telling you what their own complication rate is. Ask what he/she will do if there is a problem with your operation. This is where a surgeon local to you is better than having to take a train to London every week to have a dressing done or a fluid collection drained. It may be difficult to find a surgeon locally who is willing to sort out the problems caused by a surgeon in Thailand, Eastern Europe or South Africa. 9) Do not make a decision on the day of the consultation. No matter how long you have been thinking about the problem, go back for a second consultation, for which there should be no charge. We know from studies that patients only take in 30% of what they are told at a first consultation! If you do not like or trust your surgeon do not proceed with the treatment or procedure. Avoid anyone or any clinic that tries to persuade you to have a cosmetic operation or procedure. 10) As no surgical procedure or cosmetic treatment carries a guarantee ask yourself, “IF I HAVE A COMPLICATION OR IF I DO NOT GET THE RESULT I WANT HOW WILL I FEEL”. 11) IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS DO NOT HAVE THE TREATMENT! Remember that the result and the scars will be with you for life, so make careful choices and do your research. Information provided by Mr. Nigel Mercer, BAAPS President- Elect and Consultant Plastic Surgeon |
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