Questions to Ask About Breast Augmentation
Questions to take to a consultation about breast augmentation, covering the surgeon's training and case volume, implant choice and placement, risks and revision rates, total cost, recovery, and follow-up care.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Are you board certified in plastic surgery, and by which board?
Why ask it
Certification is not the same as a license to practice, and titles such as cosmetic surgeon are not restricted in many places. Ask which board, then verify it yourself. A surgeon used to the question will give you the details without hesitation.
How many breast augmentations do you perform in a year?
Why ask it
This operation involves many small technical decisions, and volume affects them. A surgeon doing a handful a year alongside unrelated work is a different proposition from one operating weekly, whatever the credentials show.
Given my measurements and what I have described wanting, what would you recommend, and why?
Why ask it
This moves the conversation from a catalogue of options to your case. Notice whether the recommendation refers to your tissue, your frame, and your stated goal, or repeats a plan that would suit anyone.
Which implant would you use for me, and why that type and shape?
Why ask it
The choice between saline and silicone changes how a rupture would show itself, how the implant feels, and what monitoring you need afterwards. A surgeon with a firm preference should still be able to explain why it fits your case.
Would the implant sit above or below the muscle for me, and what does that change?
Why ask it
Placement affects the shape when you move, how much pain to expect in the first week, and how the implant appears on a mammogram. Ask for the trade-off in your situation rather than a general description of both.
Where would the incision be, and what does that scar look like a year later?
Why ask it
The incision determines where the scar sits and can affect sensation and later access to the implant. Ask to see scars photographed at twelve months rather than at six weeks, because they continue to change for a year or more.
What size does my tissue actually support, and what happens if I go larger than that?
Why ask it
Implants heavier than the skin and tissue can carry lead to thinning, visible edges, and further surgery. A surgeon willing to decline a size is telling you something useful about their judgement.
Can I see before and after photographs of patients who started with a similar shape to mine?
Why ask it
Only photographs of comparable starting anatomy predict anything about your result. A gallery of dissimilar bodies, or one that shows only the best outcomes, is advertising rather than evidence.
What complications have your own patients had, and how often?
Why ask it
General risk lists are available anywhere. What you want is this surgeon's own record of infection, bleeding, asymmetry, and reoperation. Anyone who says they have never had a complication is either newly qualified or not answering the question.
How long do implants last in practice, and what usually prompts the next operation?
Why ask it
Implants are not lifetime devices, and the answer sets your expectations for future cost and time off work. What typically triggers a second operation is more informative than an average lifespan figure.
What is capsular contracture, how likely is it in my case, and what is done about it?
Why ask it
Scar tissue tightening around an implant is one of the more common reasons for further surgery and it can be painful. Ask how they assess your risk and what treatment would involve, including whether the implant would need replacing.
How might this affect sensation, and is that change usually permanent?
Why ask it
Altered nipple and skin sensation is common early on and sometimes lasting. Ask what proportion of their patients report a permanent change, since this is a part of the outcome that is easy to leave undiscussed until afterwards.
If I want to breastfeed in future, how does this affect that?
Why ask it
Feeding after augmentation is often possible, but incision site and implant placement affect the odds. Raise it before the surgical plan is settled rather than after, because it may change which approach is chosen.
How will this change my breast screening?
Why ask it
Implants can obscure part of the breast tissue on a mammogram, so extra views or different imaging may be needed. Ask what to tell the person performing your screening and when routine screening should resume after surgery.
Who gives the anesthesia, and where would the operation take place?
Why ask it
Anesthesia and facility standards affect your safety more than most patients expect. Ask whether the anesthesia is given by a physician anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist, whether the facility is accredited, and what the arrangement is for transfer to a hospital.
What does the quoted price include, and what is not in it?
Why ask it
Quotes often exclude the anesthesia fee, the facility fee, garments, medication, and follow-up visits. Ask for a written total, and ask what happens to your deposit if you postpone or cancel.
If a second operation is needed, who pays for it?
Why ask it
Revision policies vary widely and are rarely volunteered. Get in writing who covers the surgeon's fee, the facility, and the anesthesia in that situation, and whether the policy expires after a set period.
What do the first two weeks look like, day by day?
Why ask it
A day-by-day account is harder to keep vague than a general statement that recovery takes a few weeks. It also lets you arrange help for the days when reaching above your head will be difficult.
What are the restrictions on lifting, exercise, and sleeping position, and when does each one lift?
Why ask it
These restrictions decide whether you can work, drive, carry a child, or train, and they are what patients most often underestimate. Write down the date each one ends rather than relying on memory afterwards.
If I am worried at night or at the weekend, who do I call?
Why ask it
Postoperative worry rarely arrives during office hours. Ask for the actual out-of-hours arrangement, who covers when your surgeon is away, and how quickly a call is returned, then keep the number somewhere easy to find.
Preparing for a Surgical Consultation
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the consultation
Write your questions down and take notes
Consultations are short and often emotional, and much of what is said will not be retained. A written list keeps the appointment on your agenda, and notes let you compare two surgeons on the same points afterwards.
Describe the result you want in words, not a cup size
Cup sizes vary between manufacturers and say little about shape or projection. Describing how you want to look in clothing, and bringing photographs of results you like, gives the surgeon something specific to respond to.
See more than one surgeon
A second consultation costs a fee and an afternoon, and it is the most reliable way to tell a considered recommendation from a standard one. If two surgeons propose different plans, ask each what they think of the other approach.
Bring someone with you
A second person remembers different things, notices sales pressure you may miss, and can ask the question you decided not to. They will also be the one helping you in the first week.
Signs to take seriously
- A discount that expires if you do not book at the consultation.
- Reluctance to discuss complication rates, or a claim of having had none.
- Photographs of results but none of scars or of patients built like you.
- A quote that is not itemized, or a refusal to put the revision policy in writing.
- Anesthesia or facility arrangements that are described vaguely.
- Being seen mainly by a coordinator or salesperson rather than the surgeon who would operate.
Common pitfalls
Choosing on price
Costs differ largely because of surgeon experience, anesthesia provider, and facility standards, which are the parts that affect safety. If a quote is far below others, ask specifically what is different about those three things.
Deciding during a period of upheaval
A decision taken during a breakup, a bereavement, or a stressful year is harder to assess clearly, and elective surgery will still be available in six months. Surgeons who raise this with you are doing their job rather than putting you off.
Planning the surgery but not the recovery
Arrange time off, someone to drive you home, help with lifting, and food that requires no reaching before the date is booked. Recovery is the part that most often goes badly when it has not been planned.