subject: Questions to ask your cosmetic surgeon before liposuction procedures [print this page] Questions to ask your cosmetic surgeon before liposuction procedures
As with any surgical procedure, there are inherent risks associated with cosmetic surgery, and liposuction is no exception. So, here are some basic questions that should be asked by all patients before they undergo liposuction or fat removal surgery, and the answers to these questions should be straightforward and comprehensive. It is essential that everything is completely clear before surgery commences, to ensure that both surgeon and patient are in agreement and understand exactly what the desired results are and how these are to be achieved.
Ask to see a range of before and after images of liposuction procedures that have been performed by your surgeon. There will likely be before and after images of particular procedures on the website and marketing literature of your chosen clinic, but these are also likely to be the very best example of the procedure and as a result, do not necessarily paint a truly broad picture of the procedures carried out.
Ask to see evidence of your surgeon's professional qualifications and proof that your chosen clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Both of these pieces of information will give you a good indication of the level of patient safety and care you can expect and will receive before, during and after your liposuction procedure. Do not accept anything less than this from any clinic offering invasive and surgical procedures as risks of complications and infections increase considerably at so-called backstreet clinics.
Ask for a detailed run down of the pre-operative care you will receive, what the operation itself entails, what the recovery process will be, what realistic results can be achieved, and what post-operative care you will be given. Do not accept vague answers to any of these questions and if there is something in the answer that you don't understand it is essential that you keep asking the same questions until you fully understand what liposuction surgery entails.
Ask whether your expectations of the surgery are realistic and ask the surgeon to show you specifically what he or she hopes to achieve. Understand that you are still you no matter what surgery is performed and that there is no such thing as perfection - once you have got your head around this, you will be mentally prepared for the surgery.
The more questions you ask, the more you will understand about liposuction and what it was designed to do. One of the most important things to understand is that it was never designed to be a weight loss tool for the obese and should never be used as such.
