One of the most important decisions people make about surgery procedures is their choice of Surgeon. It’s important to thoroughly review your Surgeon and their work before consenting to Surgery, as you only have one body or face or nose — and will live with your surgery decision for the rest of your life. It’s also important to understand their credentials, how long they have been in practice, and how many surgeries they have performed.
So you want an excellent Surgeon – but where do you start?
TIP 1: Ask family, neighbours, colleagues and friends — or visit the online forums
Word of mouth – directly and from others in your area – are often invaluable for finding an excellent surgeon like – and avoiding a not so great one.
TIP 2: Ask your local general practitioner, preferred Specialist or hospital for a recommendation
Hospitals can also recommend you to a renowned Specialist or Australian Certified Plastic Surgeon such as Dr Peter Laniewski for your preferred procedure. Hospitals usually have high standards for Surgeons to be able to operate on their premises.
GP Referrals at our Clinic: Clinic and Specialist Surgeons receive several referrals from GP’s and specialists each year, thanks to excellent reputations of providing patients with great service and extensive post-op care including scar minimisation.
TIP 3: Ask the Australian society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
All ASPS members are fully-qualified in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery with a record of accomplishment in this field.
TIP 4: Via the media and review the work of less-qualified Surgeons, so you have a comparison
Be careful selecting surgeons via the press. There are many different levels of quality surgery and many different types of Surgeons, some who love the media spotlight more than others.
So do your homework and your research in a holistic way that includes talking to patients, looking at photos, meeting with different candidates. After you have done your research and have met with your Surgeons, you should have a strong sense of who you feel most COMFORTABLE with and CONFIDENT in their abilities. Only proceed if you feel entirely comfortable with the procedure AND your Surgeon.
TIP 5: Check your Surgeons credentials
Prior to making your decision, you should ALWAYS check your Surgeon’s experience, credentials and qualifications. Surgical credentials can’t guarantee a positive outcome, but will greatly minimise your risk.
TIP 6: Set up an initial consultation
In your initial meeting, you should be assured that the surgery is right for you. All of your questions have to be answered, and your decision should be easy to make – you should feel natural and ‘right’ — whether that decision is to go ahead with the surgery or not. At your consultation, you should ask any and all questions you have, and your Surgeon should willingly and respectfully answer all the questions you ask.
TIP 7: Make an informed decision about your surgery after allowing yourself adequate time to process the information fully
Once you have assessed the specifics of the surgery, thought about potential outcomes and reviewed the common risks, have chosen your Specialist Surgeon, and investigated your surgery location (hospital facility) and rapid recovery options, it’s a good idea to ask yourself if you’re ready to proceed.
Now you have all the information you need you should make an informed decision on choosing the RIGHT plastic surgeon for you.
