10 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before Cosmetic Surgery

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A is a two-way . The surgeon is assessing whether you are a candidate for the procedure; you should be the surgeon, the clinic, and the proposed plan meet a of care. The below are the ones that a UK plastic from the alternatives. Bring them to your consultation written down, and listen to how they are answered as much as to what is said.

1. Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery?

This is the single most question, and the answer should be specific and verifiable. A "yes" should be backed up by a GMC reference number that you can check on the within 30 .

Be aware that "I’m on the GMC register" is not the same answer as "I’m on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery". Any UK doctor is on the GMC register; the Specialist entry is what marks completed plastic . The associated is FRCS (Plast), the specialist exit examination administered by the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate . A surgeon who answers around this rather than is signalling . See our on .

2. How often do you perform this specific procedure?

plastic typically focus on a subset of within the broader — most do not perform the entire range with equal frequency. Volume . The relevant figures are annual case for the procedure you are considering, and cumulative career numbers. For common (breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty), an experienced will perform dozens to hundreds annually.

The answer also tells you about niche techniques. A surgeon who three preservation rhinoplasty cases a year is not the right for that specific approach, even if they perform 200 overall using other techniques.

3. Can I see your before-and-after photographs for this procedure?

Two things matter: that the photographs are the surgeon’s own work (not the clinic’s portfolio); and that they cases similar to yours in and goals. A surgeon should be able to show you several cases at standardised angles, taken at consistent points post-operatively (typically 6 to 12 months), with patient consent for use.

If you are shown only marketing-ready, curated images, ask to see a wider range — including cases that didn’t go . Honest portfolios include average outcomes, not just best ones. Our gallery is at .

4. Where will the surgery actually take place?

The as much as the surgeon. For any procedure beyond minor work under local anaesthetic, the appropriate is a facility with current "Good" or "Outstanding" inspection rating. CQC are public and available on the CQC .

Centre for operates from a facility at , with full theatre, recovery, and stay . Our current rating is on our .

in non-CQC-regulated — treatment rooms above shops, hotel suites used by surgeons, premises with no — are at materially higher risk. See .

5. What anaesthetic technique is planned, and who will administer it?

Anti-Wrinkle for Women anything beyond minor procedures under local anaesthetic, the answer should include a named consultant whose sole role during the is monitoring the patient. The should not be and the anaesthesia themselves while .

The varies. Centre for Surgery uses total anaesthesia (TIVA) for most cosmetic — a controlled general anaesthetic with rapid profile, full airway control, and . For more detail, see .

Ask specifically about monitoring: ECG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, capnography (end-tidal CO2). All four should be standard for any anaesthetic or significant sedation.

6. What are the specific risks of this procedure, and your personal complication rates?

A useful answer addresses two things: the documented risk rates for the from the literature, and the surgeon’s own outcomes. UK consultant surgeons undergo annual that outcome audit, and a reasonable surgeon should be able to discuss their own seroma rates, rates, infection rates, and any other specific to the .

risks worth asking about:

A who claims zero complications is not being honest. Every has complications; what them is rate, recognition, and .

7. Are you performing the consultation, and will you personally perform the surgery?

The expected answer is yes to both. UK consultant has the operating surgeon conduct the consultation, take the history, the patient, and consent the patient personally. conducted by patient coordinators or "advisors", followed by a different on the day, are a sign — common in some overseas and UK operators, not present in .

8. What is your policy on revision surgery?

Revisions happen. A small percentage of procedures require some form of touch-up or — this is true even in the best hands and for technical that are not negligence (scar maturation, asymmetric healing, patient anatomy changes over time, implant-related issues).

The relevant are: what counts as a revision ( complications that arise within a defined period are usually covered without surgeon fees); what does the pay if a revision is needed ( and anaesthetic fees are sometimes still payable); what is the timeframe for assessing whether a is appropriate ( 6 to 12 months post-operatively, since swelling and scar need to settle first); and how often do this surgeon’s patients end up revisions.

A clearly policy is a sign. A who has not thought it through is one whose patients have either not asked or not been told.

9. Can you provide a written, itemised quotation that includes everything?

A proper cosmetic surgery quotation includes: the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, the fee, the cost of any implants or (breast implants, garments, drains), all pre-operative assessment costs, all follow-up appointments through to the 12-month review, and any specifically additional costs.

What should not appear is a long list of "additional fees" that come up after the is paid. If the is not itemised, ask for it to be. For benchmark across procedures, see .

10. What aftercare arrangements are in place?

The of care is one of the strongest differentiators between providers. A answer includes: a next-day check by staff, at week 1, week 3, week 6, three months, and twelve months (some have additional appointments); 24/7 access to for the first six weeks; a named clinical contact for any concerns; of surgical garments where applicable, with fitting before discharge; and arrangements for what happens if you a out of hours.

"Call us if you have a problem" is not a satisfactory answer for a procedure that may produce wound concerns at 11pm on a Saturday. The clinic should have a response in place.

Additional questions worth asking depending on the procedure

If you are considering breast surgery: Which implant manufacturer do you use and why? What is your approach to choice — round versus shaped, smooth versus textured? Do you photograph the for the medical record? Is the breast cancer different post-implant?

If you are considering rhinoplasty: Open or closed approach, and why? What is your to tip ? How do you plan for nasal if relevant? See .

If you are considering facelift: Which — SMAS, deep plane, mid-face, mini, neck lift? At what depth? Do you ever lifts (the answer should be no)? See .

If you are considering abdominoplasty: Will muscle plication be performed? Drains or technique? What is the planned scar ? Is ?

If you are considering BBL: What is your fat harvest and technique? What is the planned graft volume? What is your protocol for safe injection plane? See .

What you should hear in the answers

Beyond the information, listen for tone and structure. A consultation that flows like a conversation — with the with your questions, acknowledging where it exists, and being honest about limits — is a different experience from a consultation that feels like a followed by a sales close. Cosmetic is irreversible; the consultation should feel like a discussion, not a .

If at any point you feel pressured to book on the day, a "limited-time discount" if you commit before leaving, or moved through the process by a non-clinical staff member, walk away. A statutory two-week period applies between and surgery booking, regardless of any urgency framing. See .

Booking a consultation

To book a at Centre for Surgery, call or use the . are by the surgeon, with the statutory period before any surgery is booked.

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Centre for Surgery is a CQC-regulated hospital on London’s Baker Street, delivering plastic and surgery through surgeons. Our spans facial and , , for men, and body procedures such as and . safety, and natural-looking results sit at the heart of everything we do.

Centre for Surgery is a private on London’s iconic , offering plastic and led by GMC-registered consultant surgeons.

Marylebone

London

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Saturday consultations available