What questions should you ask a facial plastic surgeon at a consultation?

About credentials and standing

• Which boards have certified you, and is that certification current?
• Where do you hold hospital privileges?
• Where did you complete residency, and did you complete a fellowship?
• How often do you perform this specific operation?
• Who covers your patients if you are unavailable after surgery?

About the operation itself

• What specific operation are you recommending, and why that rather than the alternatives?
• If a branded technique name is used, which recognised technique underlies it?
• Where will the incisions be, and what will the resulting scars look like?
• What will not be improved by this operation?
• Are you recommending anything additional, and could that be staged instead?
• What happens if the result is not what we planned, and what is your revision policy in writing?

About anesthesia and the facility

• What type of anesthesia is planned, and why that type?
• Who administers it, and what is their qualification?
• Where will the operation be performed, and is the facility accredited, and by which body?
• What monitoring will be in place, and what emergency equipment and protocols exist?
• How long is the operation expected to take?

About risks and recovery

• What are the recognised complications of this operation, and how are they managed?
• What is your protocol if a hematoma occurs after I go home?
• How much time should I plan away from work, and away from exercise?
• What will be normal during healing that might otherwise worry me?
• What symptoms should prompt me to call, and who answers that call at night or at the weekend?
• How many follow-up visits are included?

About cost

• Is the quote itemised into surgeon, anesthesia, and facility fees?
• What is included, and what would be billed separately?
• Are garments, medications, and postoperative visits included?
• If a revision is performed, which fees apply?
• What deposit is required and what is the cancellation policy?

How to interpret the answers

Useful answers are specific, name anatomy and technique, and acknowledge trade-offs. A surgeon who explains what an operation will not achieve is giving you more information than one who describes only benefits.

Answers that avoid the question, that emphasise urgency or a limited time price, or that treat a request for written terms as unusual are worth noting. A consultation is also an assessment of how information will be communicated if something goes wrong.

Frequently asked questions

How many surgeons should I consult before deciding?

There is no fixed number. Consulting more than one is common for elective surgery, and it is particularly useful when recommendations differ, because the reasons for the difference are informative.

Should I ask to see before and after photographs?

Many people do. Photographs vary in lighting, angle, timing, and selection, so their value is limited unless they are standardised, and they represent other people's anatomy rather than yours.

Is it reasonable to ask how often a surgeon performs a procedure?

Yes. It is a routine question. Any figure given is self-reported, so treat it as one input among the verifiable credentials.

What if I feel pressured during a consultation?

Elective surgery does not require an immediate decision. Time to consider, and written information to review, are reasonable to request from any practice.

Mansher Singh, MD, FACS: reviews and trust checks

642 verbatim patient reviews from the practice Google Business Profile, plus credentials you can confirm at the issuing source.