July 25, 2008, Newsletter Issue #80: Interviewing Breast Implant Surgeons

Tip of the Week

Interviewing breast implant surgeons is one of the ways the patient learns the most about the surgeon. The patient may obtain a wealth of information about the surgeon’s qualification and history through resources, such as the American Medical Association and the state’s medical board, but the most useful information is often the information obtained during interviews with the breast implant surgeons. The following is a brief list of questions breast augmentation patients might want to ask potential surgeons:

How long have you been performing the procedure and how many breast augmentation procedures do you perform each year? The answers to this question will provide insight into the surgeons experience with the procedure. Surgeons who have been performing the procedure for a significant amount of time and perform a large number of procedures each year are likely well qualified.Are you a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons? Membership in this society demonstrates the surgeon has met certain criteria such as graduation from an accredited medical school, adherence to a strict code of ethics, participating in specific training in plastic surgery and participation in continuing education programs.Can you provide references and before and after photos of previous patients? These can serve as a valuable resource for the patient as past performance is typically a good indicator of future performance. At which hospitals do you have admitting privileges? This information is useful because it will indicate where the patient can be admitted if there are complications during or after the breast augmentation procedure. If the surgeon does not have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, it may mean the patient has unnecessary delays in obtaining necessary treatments. What type of post-operative care is provided? This is a very important question because breast augmentation surgery should require a number of post-operative checkups where the surgeon can evaluate the patient’s health and the function of the implants. Patients should be wary of surgeons who do not require these visits.

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