Seeking Breast Augmentation Surgeons

Selecting a breast augmentation surgeon may be one of the most important aspects of the entire breast augmentation procedure. This is because the skill and experience of the surgeon can have a significant impact on the results of the procedure. There are a number of different ways a patient can find breast augmentation surgeons in their area who are qualified to perform this type of procedure.

Seeking a recommendation from a trusted friend or family member who has previously undergone a breast augmentation procedure is an excellent way to select a potential breast augmentation surgeon to interview. This is an ideal situation because the patient will have seen the result of the surgery firsthand and will likely receive candid information about the surgeon’s demeanor from the friend or family member. This information is useful because the patient will want to select a surgeon who is not only experienced and skilled but also easy to talk to, willing to listen to the patient and able to communicate well with the patient.

Qualified Breast Implant Surgeons

Patients who are considering breast augmentation surgery are often extremely concerned about finding qualified breast implant surgeons. Fortunately, for patients who are apprehensive about selecting a breast implant surgeon, there are a few criteria which can make the selection process significantly easier.

Breast implant surgeons who are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) are a good starting point for patients trying to select a surgeon. The ASPS does much of the research for the patient in verifying certain information before accepting the surgeon as a member. For example, members must have graduated from an accredited medical school, received a certain amount of training specifically in plastic surgery, adhere to strict ethical codes and participate in continuing education programs. Breast implant surgeons who meet these criteria are likely well qualified to perform a breast augmentation surgeon.

Trusting Your Plastic Surgeon

For patients who are considering any type of plastic surgery, the ability to trust the plastic surgeon is very important. Ideally a patient will do a great deal of research before selecting a plastic surgeon. This research should include obtaining information about the surgeon’s background, verifying membership in societies like the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, viewing before-and-after pictures of previous clients and contacting references provided by the plastic surgeon. These criteria will help the patient to determine whether the surgeon is qualified and skilled. In speaking with the surgeon directly, the patient will either trust the surgeon and feel confident or doubt the surgeon and not feel comfortable.

Researching Breast Augmentation Surgeons

There are a number of different ways a patient can do research on potential breast augmentation surgeons. This type of research is important because it can help a patient avoid being deceived by breast augmentation surgeons who are not well qualified to perform the procedure and embellish their qualifications.

The American Medical Association (AMA) Web site is one useful tool for patients who are researching potential breast augmentation surgeons. Through this Web site, the patient can obtain valuable information such as the medical school attended by the surgeon, the year of graduation, the location of residency training, certifications, hospitals in which the doctor has admitting privileges, professional achievements and awards and other significant professional activities. While the information on the AMA Web site may not be 100 percent accurate and up-to-date, it is certainly an excellent place to begin researching breast augmentation surgeons.

Verifying whether a surgeon has admitting privileges at a particular hospital is also very important in researching surgeons. The AMA Web site may provide this information, but patients should call the hospitals directly to verify this information. This is important because procedures which are performed in the surgeon’s office may require hospital admittance if something goes wrong during the procedure.

 Resources, such as the clerk of the county court, the state’s Department of Insurance and the state’s medical board, can provide you with information regarding malpractice suits against a particular surgeon. This information is relevant because a surgeon with a large number of malpractice suits may not be an ideal candidate to perform the surgery.

 The Federation of State Medical Examiners can also be useful for patients who are researching breast augmentation surgeons. For a fee, this organization can provide the patient with information regarding disciplinary actions taken against a particular surgeon. The information will include the type of disciplinary action taken, the reason for the action and the date the action was taken.

Interviewing Breast Implant Surgeons

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.

Seeking Plastic Surgeon Recommendations

Patients who are considering undergoing a cosmetic surgery should seek out plastic surgeon recommendations when beginning the process of selecting a qualified plastic surgeon to perform the procedure. Two popular options for obtaining recommendations include asking friends or family members who have had the desired procedure performed or contacting a referral service for information on qualified plastic surgeons.

 The method of seeking out plastic surgeon recommendations from a trusted friend or family member is one of the most popular options for patients who are considering plastic surgery. This method is ideal because the patient may already have a good indication of whether they think the surgeon is skilled based on the results the friend or family member was able to achieve. This method is also good because the patient can learn a great deal about whether or not the previous patient felt comfortable with the surgeon. In general, if the previous patient would likely return to the same surgeon for a repeat procedure, it is a good indication that the surgeon is worth investigating further.

Another option is using a professional referral service. For example, a patient may visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Web site to obtain a list of plastic surgeons in the patient’s area that are performing the desired procedure. The ASPS Web site allows the patient to search through the database of surgeons by using criteria such as surgeon’s name, location or type of procedure. This type of referral service will provide information on any surgeon who is registered as a member of the ASPS and is capable of performing a specific type of procedure. While the ASPS does have strict guidelines for membership, they do not guarantee the skill level of the surgeon before admitting the surgeon into the society. Therefore, the patient may want to do additional research before selecting a surgeon listed in this database.

Contacting Breast Augmentation Surgeons Previous Patients

During the process of interviewing breast augmentation surgeons, the patient should ask the surgeon for references from previous patients. This is important because speaking to these references can give the patient the opportunity to learn about the surgeon's results and how comfortable the patients feel talking to the surgeon about their expectations and preferences.

Most breast augmentation surgeons will willingly provide a list of references to potential patients. Many patients ask for these references and fail to contact them because they assume the surgeon will only provide references who were fully satisfied with their surgery. While it's true that most surgeons will only provide references from these types of patients, the patient can still learn a great deal about the surgeon through contacting these references.

Questions to ask the reference: how well the surgeon explained the procedures and options, whether the surgeon listened to question and concerns and how well the surgeon was able to reassure the patient during times of doubt.