How to Choose a Plastic Surgeon

As plastic surgery is all about appearances, you need to make entirely sure that you are going to be totally happy with the outcome of any surgery you undergo. It’s not very easy to hide mistakes when it comes to your appearance. How do you make sure that you will be satisfied with the result? The only way is to make sure you choose the right Toronto plastic surgeon to perform the procedure.

Not well regulated

Unfortunately, that is not always an easy thing to do. Aesthetic surgery is not as regulated as other branches of surgery. There is also confusion because of the terms “cosmetic” and “plastic” which are sometimes used together and sometimes separately. Only physicians who are certified in plastic surgery are plastic surgeons. The same doesn’t apply to cosmetic surgery so surgeons who do not specialise in the plastic surgery field are able to perform cosmetic procedures, and even doctors without any formal surgical training can too. While some of such procedures end up just fine, you don’t want to be the one who discovers, after being disappointed (or worse) with the outcome, that the surgeon who performed it was not a surgeon, let alone a plastic surgeon, but actually a gynaecologist or a family practitioner.

Do your homework

Create a shortlist of possible plastic surgeons in your district by asking friends, family and colleagues who have undergone treatment, for recommendations. Personal experiences provide wonderful testimonials. You can also ask medical professionals for advice.

Do some research

Research all the surgeons on your shortlist on the internet, looking for details of relevant qualifications, board certification, experience and reviews of work done. If the surgeon is registered with the appropriate board, it may be possible to get further details about him or her from that board, or from a plastic surgery society’s website. Also research the procedure you are interested in so that you know something about it when you consult prospective surgeons, you will be better able to pose good questions, understand answers and spot attempts to talk you into undergoing extra procedures which you may not need.

Board certification

Board certification is vital to ensure the standard of the work you are likely to experience. In Canada, the relevant board is the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Certification can be verified on the Canadian Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery website.

Set up consultations

Arrive a little early to get a feel of how efficiently the facility is run and how professional the staff are. When meeting the surgeon, gather as much information as you can. State what your needs are and ask how he or she thinks they can be met and how he or she would do it. Find out how often the surgeon performs that particular procedure and ask to see before and after pictures and testimonials of past patients. Enquire about what would happen in the case of an emergency or complications during the surgery, and if further surgery was needed as a result, and be on the alert for attempts to play down complications, side effects and recovery times. Also determine what follow-up care is provided. The most important thing in choosing a plastic surgeon is that you should feel comfortable with the person and the physician – you will be putting yourself in his or her hands to handle your appearance.