Your Breast Augmentation Consultation: What to Expect

Arrive at your consultation on time. Allow extra time for getting stuck in traffic or getting lost. Arriving on time is just plain polite. And you never know, if someone else had to cancel an appointment, you might see the surgeon early!

Even though you’ve arrived on time, don’t assume that the surgeon’s office is running on time. Be prepared for the office to be running a little late. Although a doctor’s office allows a certain amount of time per appointment, some appointments may run over their allotted time. There may also be an emergency appointment that has to be fitted in. Yes, in a perfect world, doctor’s offices would run on time, but it doesn't always happen.

Bring a book to read or some knitting or some such to give yourself something to do while you wait. Some things I’ve learned about waiting in doctor’s offices are that if I bring something I want to read or something to do, I don’t wait long, and if I have nothing, the wait is forever. Also, if I assume that the doctor’s office will have magazines I want to read, it won’t. The corollary to this is that the minute I find a fascinating article in a magazine, they call my name.

Bring with you the lists of questions, photos or yourself and how you want to look, a few bras or bathing suit tops in sizes you'd like to fit in and anything else you can think of.

At your consultation, you should meet with the surgeon. I have heard of instances where you don't meet the surgeon until the day of surgery and I find that poor practice.

The consultation is your chance to interview the doctor. Think of it as a job interview for him or her. You want to find out as much as possible about that doctor to see if he can help you achieve your goals for your appearance. Interview him as though your life depended upon it, because it does.

During the breast augmentation consultation with a plastic surgeon, you should:

Address all your questions, concerns, fears expectations, etc., with the surgeon. Anything that you want to discuss with the surgeon, you should be able to discuss during this time.
Discuss your medical history completely.
Discuss your options in anesthesia, types of implants, incision and implant placement, and more.
Determine implant size by using implants inside bras or tops you have brought to the consultation.
Discuss how you want your cleavage to look and other cosmetic aspects.
Discuss the risks of breast augmentation surgery at length. You may be given an informed consent sheet about implant safety and the risks of anesthesia. Make sure the surgeon addresses all risks. No surgery is risk free. We are talking about your flesh and blood.
Ask to see the surgeon's breast implants before-and-after photos.
Ask if you may speak to any of his patients who have had breast augmentation surgery.
Ask to tour the facilities if your surgery will be performed on site.
Ask about the surgeon's education and training, certification, and memberships, or any other pertinent information
Discuss costs and fees with either the surgeon during your meeting or with a financial planner towards the end of the consultation.

The Physical Examination and History

The surgeon should give you a physical examination. He or she should take a good look at your breasts and general physique. You will probably have your blood pressure taken and be weighed, as well.

During the exam, you will be asked to remove your top and bra and cover yourself with a gown. The surgeon and a nurse will come in to examine your breasts, as well as the condition of your skin and its thickness, and elasticity. The surgeon will also evaluate the position of your nipples and the mammary crease under each breast. Your surgeon will evaluate how far apart or close together your breasts are and may measure from the base of your throat to each nipple to note symmetry and distance. He may pinch or tug on your skin gently to test if your skin is loose.

Many women feel uncomfortable during a physical examination so prepare yourself. If you are feeling a bit shy or nervous or feel ticklish, tell the doctor.

Your doctor, or a member of the staff, may take your medical history at the consultation. This consists of asking you questions about your health, any history of disease, and about the health of family members. You will be asked what medications you take and whether you have any allergies.

Under no circumstances should you keep any information about your health from the surgeon. You are playing with your health if you do that.

If you have any underlying conditions such as asthma or diabetes, your doctor may ask you to have a general physical exam done by your family physician or an internist or to have an electrocardiogram done. Essentially, he or she is asking that another doctor confirm that you are in good enough health to have breast augmentation surgery. Based on the results of that exam, you may still be cleared for cosmetic surgery. However, your surgeon may decide you need to stay overnight in a hospital or recovery clinic rather than go home the same day.

Your consultation may include an opportunity to try on some sample breast implants by putting them in your bra and putting your blouse or top back on to see how you look. The surgeon should have a serious conversation with you about how big you want your breast to be and how you want to look after breast augmentation surgery.

Although you are there to tell the surgeon how you want to look, be prepared to listen to him or her and get input. The surgeon may make suggestions to you about what size is appropriate for your height and body type. Understand that a good breast augmentation surgeon has developed an eye for what is aesthetically pleasing and may point out to you that very large breasts will look awkward or cartoon-like on you, or conversely, that you might be able to go with larger implants than you are considering. Getting information is what a consultation is about.

You are there to check out the doctor, but check out the office and the office staff, as well. Were you treated politely by the staff? The office décor does not have to be the height of luxury, but is it clean and well kept?

You will notice that your intuition may kick in during your consultation. Trust your own judgment of character and have faith in your abilities. Sometimes you get a bad feeling (or a good one!) about someone and you don’t know why. Trust that feeling.

The consultation is also the chance for the surgeon to interview you. You will be asked why you want breast augmentation surgery. The surgeon will want to make sure that you have reasonable expectations for breast augmentation. If you want bigger breasts to please someone else or if you think having implants will solve any problems in your life, you have unreasonable expectations of what augmentation can do. You will not be happy with the results of your surgery no matter how good they are and it is the surgeon’s duty to tell you that.

Breast Augmentation Surgery Cost

During the consultation, the subject of the costs of the procedure must be brought up. You may discuss costs with the surgeon or with someone in his or her office who handles these matters. Make sure you get the costs of the procedure in writing. Make sure that you know what is covered by the surgeon’s fee and what is not covered. Ask what the total cost of the surgery will be for you, not just what you will pay to the surgeon. The fees for anesthesia, for the surgery center, or for preliminary tests may be extra. Make sure you know what everything will cost in advance.

Scheduling Surgery and Preoperative Appointment

At the end of the consultation, you may or may not schedule a surgery date. Making an appointment for surgery is the next step, but you are by no means obligated to do so. Do not feel pressured.

If you choose to schedule a surgery with a particular surgeon, you will usually need to give a deposit to hold your surgery date. You will also need to make preoperative appointments for lab work, preparation, medications, etc. Your surgery should take place with in 2 weeks of the lab work.

If you have made a deposit for your surgery, you will usually need to pay the balance of the fee at some point before the surgery itself.

You should leave the consultation with enough information to go on, but if you haven’t got all the information you want, or if you have more questions, you can request a second meeting with the surgeon.