A Guide to Choosing the Right Cosmetic Clinic for You

However I am like most women out there, whilst I was happy to make the brave decision to undergo some kind of surgical intervention, I didn’t want the downtime and recovery of a conventional operation, for a start who’d take care of my two kids under five? (My husband is a busy medical professional so I’m limited) I don’t particularly favour the grogginess recovering from anaesthetic associated with some cosmetic surgery operations, then there is recovery and healing... how long can a busy mum/wife/professional like me really be out of action laying low recovering before it becomes catastrophic to my daily routine?

So...

I set about doing some research because that’s what people like me do, we research and report cosmetic surgery procedures, we find out the in’s and the out the highs and lows, and the intricate details in every morsel and minute detail possible, we speak to clinics, surgeons, doctors, past patients, and we analyse before and after photos.  All of this and more I did for 3 solid months until I arrive at a very well informed, and researched decision and that is this:

Dr. Garcia, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Miami Medical School in the US recently published a clinical study on liposuction where he reported:

"In a direct comparison, there appears to be a significantly lower amount of blood loss among patients who experienced VASER ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty versus those who underwent traditional lipoplasty, commonly known as liposuction. Moreover, minimal bruising with the ultrasound device serves as a clinical correlation of the minimal blood loss associated with VASER."

So my choice was made: Vaser Lipo was the one for me, but at arriving at my decision here are a few tips I want to share with you:

Go to clinics and hospitals that advertise the liposuction procedure you’re interested in - I advise you to see at least three, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Reputable services will be happy to discuss everything with you.

Write down any questions you want to ask so that you don’t forget them.

The list could include questions about:

• The surgeon's qualifications and experience
• How often they have carried out the procedure you want
• The care you can expect after the operation
• How much it will cost

Don’t choose a clinic far from where you live – you won’t want to travel far after an operation. BAAPS recommends choosing a clinic or hospital that carries out other types of surgery as well as cosmetic surgery; because this means that the facilities will be more comprehensive than in cosmetic-only clinics.

Once you've confirmed that the provider is registered with the CQC, find out about the quality of their service. You can do this by looking at the latest CQC inspection report, which appears when you search for the provider on the CQC website.

Debate

There is currently a huge amount of debate in the Cosmetic Surgery arena and Aesthetic Medicine arena regarding Cosmetic Doctors carrying out more invasive procedures such as laser liposuction.

Personally (and this is my personal observation and choice), when carrying out a procedure like Vaser Liposuction, I believe a Cosmetic Surgeon would probably be my own preferred choice. This is because, from an anatomical point of view, a qualified plastic/cosmetic surgeon will have more experience in ensuring the procedure you’ve chosen will deliver and achieve the best results for you through his professional speciality.

Now don’t get me wrong there are currently a number of GP’s who have subsequently branched into Cosmetic Medicine, that offer and perform procedures such as Vaser liposuction themselves, and dare I say a handful select minority of them are very good at carrying out such procedures but I would do extensive background checks, and research before deciding that the experience of a Cosmetic Doctor supersedes the experience of a Cosmetic Surgeon in more skilled procedures such as Vaser Liposuction.

• Talk with the surgeon
• The clinic or hospital you choose should offer you a consultation appointment with the surgeon. “Tell the surgeon what you feel your problem is and ask for their advice.
• Ask whether the surgeon is an NHS consultant in the relevant speciality. It's not essential, but if they're an NHS consultant it means that their qualifications are of a very high standard.
• Ask about the procedure

The surgeon should give you details of exactly what's involved in the procedure, including:

• How long it will take
• The anaesthetic you’ll need
• What pain you can expect
• How long the results will last
• How long the recovery should be

The surgeon or clinic should not put pressure on you to have the procedure or to make a fast decision.

Eileen Bradbury, the consultant psychologist, says, "Don't be pressured by talk of special offers that are for a limited time only. If you feel any pressure at all from the clinic or surgeon, walk out."

• Have realistic expectations
• Do I understand clearly what's going to be done to me?
• Have I got a sensible expectation: not of perfection but of reasonable improvement?
• Do I understand what could go wrong and, if so, could I cope if it did go wrong?