How Far in Advance Should You Schedule Your Plastic Surgery Consultation and Surgery?

Patients who are considering plastic surgery rarely do so on a whim. Most patients have been thinking about it for a long time and then finally make the decision to move forward. In most cases, it makes sense to begin the research phase of the process as soon as the patient is considering surgery. This is especially important for patients who are considering complex surgeries like post massive weight loss procedures including thigh lift, arm lift, or body lift. Gathering information from reliable sources on the Internet, the ASPS website, and other medical resources can prove valuable in providing background information for the patient. Once the patient has gathered enough research it is time to approach the consultation phase. This is a good time to put together a resource tablet so that patients can refer to questions that they have as they proceed with their consultation. Dr. Stuart Kincaid stresses to his patients, in the initial consultation that it is important to understand that plastic surgeons could vary in their recommendation for the patient. This does not mean necessarily that one plastic surgeon is correct and the other is wrong in their recommendation. A plastic surgeon makes a recommendation based on what he or she is comfortable with in their own hands. For this reason, it can be extremely confusing if a patient has numerous consultations. It is much more effective if patients make a decision prior to the consultation concerning which qualities and characteristics must be present in the practice and with the plastic surgeon that they choose. For example, is important that your plastic surgeon is located within a 20 mile radius of your home, or is it important that your plastic surgeon has a certain number of years of experience? These should be decided before making your first consultation so that it becomes much more effective when making the final decision. Dr. Stuart Kincaid typically encourages patients to make their consultation fairly close- to when they are actually ready to schedule there surgery. If the consultation is too far in advance of when the patient is ready for surgery, it is likely that many things could have changed and the recommendation may no longer be valid. Dr. Stuart Kincaid welcomes patients to schedule a consultation to determine which plastic surgery procedures are best for them.