The Plastic Surgery Experience: What It’s Like to Have Plastic Surgery

The thought of having plastic surgery can be exciting. After all, it’s your opportunity to get the look you’ve always wanted, and perhaps to boost your self-image in the process. And yet, it can also be a little intimidating, especially for those who have never had a plastic surgery experience before.

The reason for this is simple: going into a cosmetic surgery, you may have very little idea of what to expect from the consultation, the procedure itself, the recovery, and the end result. Let’s take some time to walk through the plastic surgery experience, from front to back, and hopefully to alleviate a little of that uncertainty.

Researching Your Procedure

For most of our clients, the plastic surgery experience begins before you set foot in our practice. Most patients like to read up on their physician before making an appointment, for example. We very much encourage you to Google any of our providers, all of whom rank among the most esteemed plastic surgeons in the country.

We also hope you’ll take advantage of our website and its many resources. Visit our Before and After gallery to see some of our past work on patients just like you. Search our video archives to learn more about our advanced surgical techniques, and also download our Mommy Makeover and Facial Rejuvenation eGuides if you’re interested in learning everything you need to know about those particular procedures.

The Consultation

The next step in your plastic surgery experience is the consultation. This is something Charlotte Plastic Surgery offers for free, so you don’t have to feel like you’re under any kind of pressure to move forward. We simply want to help you understand your options. We spend about an hour of time with you so that we can get to know you, your concerns, and your goals, then to tailor our plan to meet all your needs. And for your convenience, you can even submit a consultation request online on our webpage!

You’ll also get to meet your surgical team, including the doctor, his clinical assistant, and your patient care coordinator, who will be with you every step of the way. It’s always helpful to get to know some familiar faces, and of course, you can ask us any questions you have about the procedure, our credentials, etc.

Also note that your patient care coordinator will furnish you with information about cost/financing, some available surgery dates, and other key considerations for your plastic surgery experience.

Secondary Consultation

We encourage all of our clients to schedule secondary consultations, either within our practice or elsewhere, to make sure you have all the information you need to make a confident decision about your surgery.

You may even wish to consult with another surgeon here at our practice. Should you decide to meet some of our other physicians, you have the benefit of knowing that our surgeons are board certified and hand selected by their peers. You can rest assured that you are always in capable hands.

Pre-Operative Appointment

Once you decide to go ahead and have your plastic surgery with us, we’ll want to schedule a pre-operative appointment. This is usually scheduled for two weeks before your appointment.

The point of this meeting is just to clarify the game plan, and to answer any last-minute questions you might have. We will review every aspect of your care plan, recap what you can expect, provide you with your prescriptions and instructions for surgery, and explain what recovery will entail.

Surgery

We come at last to the surgery itself!

When you arrive at our AAAASF-certified facility the morning of your surgery, you’ll be greeted by our friendly staff who will calm your nerves and help you feel at ease. (AAAASF stands for American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, and it is the gold standard for high-quality healthcare.)

You’ll then have a chance to meet with your own personal CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) who will be at your bedside for the duration of your surgery. She’ll answer any questions you might have about your anesthesia and its effects.

Of course, you’ll be under for the procedure itself. Once it’s over, you’ll be cared for by our recovery room Registered Nurses. They’ll help you gently wake up, get you prepared to go home, review any after-care instructions, and confirm your follow up appointment for the next day. A nurse will even call you that evening to make sure you’re resting well and feeling comfortable.

Post-Surgery Follow-Ups

The last thing you need to know about regarding your plastic surgery experience is the post-surgery follow-up. In most cases, you’ll come back to see us the day after your procedure. Your doctor will check and potentially change dressings and bandages and examine to make sure everything is as it should be.

Over the subsequent weeks and months, you’ll have periodic follow-ups with your physician and his clinical assistant – the frequency of which is based on what type of procedure you had and how your body is responding to it. “After” Photos will be taken so that you can see your own dramatic Before & After transformation.

At the end of your plastic surgery experience, we encourage you to leave a review. Not only is it a compliment to us, but it’s very helpful to patients just like you who are starting their journey to transformation and are trying to find a physician they trust.

And of course, should you ever decide that you’d like to consider an additional plastic surgery, we hope you’ll give us a call to start the process back at the beginning!

Begin Your Plastic Surgery Experience Today

Your personal transformation can start whenever you’re ready, and we hope to be a part of it. At Charlotte Plastic Surgery, we are always eager to hear from patients about their cosmetic goals and to help them feel totally confident about their plastic surgery experience.

If you have any questions at all or are ready to get your consultation scheduled, we encourage you to reach out to our front office today.