Tips to a quality and safe surgical cosmetic procedure.

1. Do check and make sure that you are consulting and putting your trust to a board certified plastic surgeon; one who has completed years of formal training and  satisfied the standards set by the Board of Plastic Surgery in your country.

2. Don’t be a victim of deception, false advertisements and publicity regarding the specialty of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery. Be wise enough to ask your doctor for facts or truth. However, it is always safe to have realistic expectations with regards to the procedure you plan to have.

3. Always know your cosmetic plastic surgeon’s background and training. You may be able to see his or her credentials through his website or you may also ask the medical society he/she belongs. In the Philippines a board certified cosmetic plastic surgeon must be a member and had passed all the requirements given by the Philippine Board of Plastic Surgeon (PBPS) and Philippine Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon (PAPRAS).

4. Do not hesitate to ask questions or clarify your concerns about your desired or planned operation. Your surgeon must be able to discuss in details all possible options that you  have to attain your desired outcome. Sometimes it may take several visits to fully understand the procedure you want to undergo. With this you will be able to know your surgeon well and established a comfortable relationship prior to surgery.

5. Before finalizing your decision and submitting yourself to any procedure ,make sure that you fully understand all informations about your planned surgery. This includes the benefit that you may attain, the safety of the procedure, possible risks and complications. Every detail must be clear and your surgeon must be able to give a brief discussion and summary of the procedure immediately prior to surgery. However,  patients must have and should be able to accept the fact that all surgical procedures either cosmetic or not, have an inherent risks or complications. This is the basic reality in the field of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery. Moreover, your surgeon must be able to know any possible complication in each cosmetic procedure, and  be able to avoid this complication as much as possible.  If ever  complication arises, he/she should be able to address it. To be able to do this, your surgeon must be equipped with adequate surgical knowledge of the procedure you want to have and this knowledge is attained through years of formal training.

6. Be aware that in the Philippines there are  doctors or even non-doctors that do not have formal training in cosmetic plastic surgery but perform cosmetic procedures. It will be to safe, if you will ask your surgeon if he/she is a member of the Philippine Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon (PAPRAS) and Philippine Board of Plastic Surgery (PBPS) which is the only society in the Philippines recognize by the Philippine College of Surgeon (PCS) to practice and regulate cosmetic surgery.

7. You must accept that even though you were able to discuss all issues pertinent to the procedure that you want to have, you will still have a lot of questions or concerns after the procedure. Cosmetic surgery being a surgical procedure  will have swelling, bruising, tube drains, numbness, soaking of dressing etc... Do not hesitate to discuss or ask questions regarding this with your surgeon. These issues may sound simple however, this may create anxiety and a feeling of uncertainty to a lot of patients. It’s your surgeon's job to explain, comfort and guide their patients during recuperation period. A compassionate surgeon will most often provide that comforting response.

8. Make sure all instructions before and after the surgery are well explained by the staff or the surgeon. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, to clarify any concerns that you may have. Religiously follow all instructions given by the surgical team for this will definitely help minimize the risks of complication after the surgery.

 

9. Any prospective client that wishes to have cosmetic procedure must be able to accept the fact that there is always a limitation in any surgical procedure that they may want to undergo as well as the result. Some patients may have medical conditions and/or taking medications that may affect the outcome of the surgery.