Questions to Ask at Breast Augmentation Consultation
Questions for a breast augmentation consultation, covering the surgeon's credentials and case volume, how sizing and implant choice are decided, incision and placement options, complication and reoperation rates, what the quote does not include, revision costs, recovery, and the long term follow-up implants require.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and roughly how many breast augmentations do you do in a month?
Why ask it
Board certification in plastic surgery is not the same as a generic cosmetic surgery certificate, and volume matters. A surgeon doing several augmentations a week has seen far more variations of your anatomy than one doing a few a year.
Can I see before and after photos of patients who started with a frame and breast shape like mine?
Why ask it
Every gallery has its flattering cases. Asking for patients with your rib width, breast base, sagging or asymmetry shows whether this surgeon has solved your specific problem, and what their default aesthetic looks like.
Based on my measurements, what implant width and volume range actually fit my chest?
Why ask it
Good sizing starts from base width, skin quality and existing tissue, not from a requested cup size. If the answer is a cc number with no reference to your measurements, the plan is being built backwards.
Will I get to try sizers in a bra or see a 3D simulation before I commit to a size?
Why ask it
Seeing volume on your own body prevents the most common regret, which is going too small or too large. It also gives you and the surgeon a shared reference instead of vague words like natural or full.
Would you recommend silicone or saline for me, and which implant profile and projection?
Why ask it
Silicone feels closer to breast tissue, while saline reveals a rupture immediately and can go through a smaller incision. Profile and projection decide how much you gain forward versus sideways, so ask why one suits your tissue.
Where would you place the incision, and what does that scar usually look like a year later?
Why ask it
Under the breast, around the areola and through the armpit differ in scar visibility, bacterial exposure and how easy future revision is. Asking about the one year appearance separates a realistic answer from a reassuring one.
Would you put the implant above or below the pectoral muscle in my case, and what do I give up with each option?
Why ask it
Under the muscle usually softens the upper edge and interferes less with mammograms, while over the muscle avoids the implant moving when you flex. The tradeoff should be tied to your tissue thickness and activity level, not to surgeon habit alone.
Do I need a lift as well as an implant to get the shape in the photos I brought?
Why ask it
An implant adds volume but does very little to raise the nipple. If your goal photos actually require a lift, hearing that now avoids paying twice and being disappointed at the six week mark.
Who administers the anesthesia, and where will surgery happen, is that facility accredited?
Why ask it
An anesthesiologist or CRNA in an accredited surgical facility is a real safety difference from sedation in an unaccredited office. This is the question people most often skip and the one that matters most if something goes wrong.
Can I have the total price in writing, and what is not included in that number?
Why ask it
Quotes routinely leave out lab work, pathology, medications, surgical bras and garments. A written breakdown of surgeon, anesthesia, facility and implant fees is what stops surprise invoices later.
If I need a revision or develop a complication, who pays for the surgeon fee, the anesthesia and the facility the second time?
Why ask it
Many practices waive the surgeon fee within a set window but still bill facility and anesthesia costs that can run into thousands. Get the time limit and the exact covered items in writing before you book a date.
What are your own rates of capsular contracture, infection and reoperation?
Why ask it
A surgeon who tracks outcomes can quote numbers and compare them to published rates. Vagueness here, or a claim of never having a complication, tells you they either do not audit their results or are not being straight with you.
Which implant brand and model will you use, and what does the manufacturer warranty actually cover?
Why ask it
Warranties differ on rupture, capsular contracture and whether they contribute anything toward surgical costs. You should also leave surgery with a device card recording your implant serial numbers for future care.
What imaging follow up do these implants need, and how will they change my mammograms?
Why ask it
The FDA recommends periodic ultrasound or MRI to catch silent rupture in silicone implants, and implants change how mammograms are taken and read. Ask who orders that imaging, how often, and whether insurance covers it.
How do you counsel patients about BIA-ALCL and about the symptoms people describe as breast implant illness?
Why ask it
These are the risks patients read about most, so the answer shows whether the surgeon engages with current evidence or waves you off. Listen for texture-specific risk, which symptoms to report, and what they do when a patient reports them.
What is likely to happen to nipple and skin sensation, and how often is that permanent?
Why ask it
Numbness or hypersensitivity in the early months is common and usually settles, but a share of patients keep some change for good. Knowing the real numbers in advance makes the first few months far less alarming.
If I get pregnant, breastfeed, or my weight moves twenty pounds either way, what happens to this result?
Why ask it
Pregnancy and weight change stretch tissue while the implant stays the same, so the breast can drop around it. If children are in your plans, timing and technique are worth deciding now rather than after.
Walk me through recovery week by week: pain, bras, sleeping, driving, lifting, work and the gym?
Why ask it
Concrete milestones let you book time off and line up help instead of guessing. An answer as thin as a few days off usually means the practice is underselling how much support you will need.
If I decide in ten years that I want the implants out, what does that surgery involve and what would my breasts look like afterward?
Why ask it
Augmentation is a commitment to long term maintenance, not a one time purchase. A surgeon willing to describe explant honestly, including skin laxity and whether a lift would be needed, is giving you the whole picture.
Is there anything about my anatomy, health or expectations that would make you tell me to wait or to say no?
Why ask it
This invites the surgeon to act as a doctor rather than a salesperson. Smoking, unstable weight, very thin tissue and unrealistic goal photos are all genuine reasons to pause, and a surgeon who never turns anyone away is a warning sign.
Getting real answers in a consultation
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you walk in
Bring three kinds of photos
Results you want, results you actively do not want, and a plain photo of your own torso for reference. The dislikes do the most work, because they define the boundary the surgeon has to stay inside.
Know your own numbers
Write down your rib cage measurement, the bra size and brand that currently fits best, and any asymmetry you have noticed. Sizing conversations that start from your measurements go much better than ones that start from a cup size.
Plan to capture the answers
Ask whether you can record the consultation, or bring someone whose only job is to take notes. Most people retain very little of what is said after the sizing portion of the appointment.
Ask to leave with these in writing
- An itemized quote that separates surgeon, anesthesia, facility and implant fees
- The revision policy: what is covered, for how long, and what you would still pay
- The brand, model and warranty terms of the implant being recommended
- Pre-op and post-op instructions, including lifting limits and the garment schedule
- The name and credentials of whoever will administer your anesthesia
- An after-hours number to call during the first two weeks
- Consent forms to read at home, not on the morning of surgery
Red flags in the room
- Pressure to book today, or a discount that expires when you leave the office
- A cc number offered before anyone has measured your chest
- Irritation or deflection when you ask about complication and reoperation rates
- Five minutes with the surgeon and the rest of the visit with a sales coordinator
- Surgery planned in a facility you are not allowed to walk through
- Photos only of patients who already looked close to their goal before surgery
- No clear answer on who covers facility and anesthesia costs for a revision
After the consultation
Compare surgeons on the same axes
Line up two or three consultations side by side on implant recommendation, placement, incision, total cost and revision policy. Real differences in the surgical plan tell you far more than bedside manner does.
Verify independently
Check certification directly through the American Board of Plastic Surgery, confirm the facility's accreditation, and look up the surgeon's state licensing record instead of trusting the practice website.
Sit with it for two weeks
A reputable practice does not lose anything because you took time to think. If the price or the surgery slot only exists this week, that is information about the practice, not about your decision.