Questions to Ask During Breast Augmentation Consultation
Questions for a breast augmentation consultation, covering the surgeon's credentials and case volume, implant choice and placement, complication rates, breast screening afterward, recovery, revision policy and the full cost.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Which board are you certified by, and where can I verify it?
Why ask it
Certifying boards differ in what they require, and some official-sounding names are not recognized specialty boards. Verification is done through the board's own registry, not through the practice website.
How many breast augmentations do you perform in a year, and how many of those are revisions?
Why ask it
Annual volume matters more than years in practice. A high proportion of revision work can mean the surgeon is the person others send difficult cases to, so ask which it is.
Where will the surgery take place, and is that facility accredited?
Why ask it
The setting can be a hospital, a licensed surgical center, or an office-based operating room. Accreditation status and what happens if you need to be transferred are reasonable things to ask about directly.
Who gives the anesthesia, and what are their qualifications?
Why ask it
This is a separate clinician from the surgeon and the answer varies between an anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, and sedation given by other staff. Ask who monitors you during the operation.
Given my anatomy, do you recommend saline or silicone, and why?
Why ask it
The reasoning matters more than the recommendation. Look for an answer built on your measurements, tissue thickness and skin quality rather than a general preference for one product.
What size are you recommending, in cubic centimeters, and how did you arrive at it?
Why ask it
Cup size is not a measurement and does not transfer between brands or bodies. Ask what your chest width and tissue can support, since a volume larger than the tissue can carry raises long term problems.
Where would the incision be, and what does that scar usually look like a year later?
Why ask it
Placement affects scar visibility, and healing varies by person and skin type. Ask to see photographs of scars at twelve months rather than at six weeks, when everything still looks red.
Would the implant sit above or below the muscle in my case, and what does that change?
Why ask it
The choice affects appearance, feel, recovery discomfort and how the breast moves during exercise. Ask what the trade-off is specifically for your build and activity level.
What complications do you see most often, and how often do they happen in your own patients?
Why ask it
General published rates are easy to quote. A surgeon who tracks their own outcomes can tell you their own numbers for reoperation, infection and capsular contracture, and an unwillingness to do so is worth noting.
What is capsular contracture, and what would we do if it happened to me?
Why ask it
Scar tissue tightening around an implant is one of the more common reasons for further surgery. Ask what treatment would involve, what it would cost, and how long after the first operation it typically appears.
How could this affect nipple sensation and the ability to breastfeed?
Why ask it
Changes in sensation are common and can be permanent. Effects on breastfeeding depend partly on incision placement, so ask specifically if that matters to you now or later.
How will implants affect mammograms and breast screening for me from now on?
Why ask it
Implants change imaging technique and can make some findings harder to see. Ask what you should tell an imaging center, whether extra views are needed, and how it affects screening at your age.
How long do these implants realistically last, and what does replacement involve?
Why ask it
Implants are not lifetime devices, and revision is a further operation with its own cost and recovery. Ask what the surgeon's own patients have needed and after how long.
What follow-up or monitoring is recommended over the years, and who arranges it?
Why ask it
Recommendations for imaging or check-ups vary by implant type and by country. Ask what the schedule is, who tracks it, and what you would need to do if you moved away or the practice closed.
What symptoms after surgery should make me call you, and how do I reach you out of hours?
Why ask it
Clear thresholds for fever, one-sided swelling, increasing pain or drainage matter more than a general instruction to call with concerns. Ask who answers at night and at weekends.
What does recovery look like week by week, and when can I drive, lift, and go back to a job like mine?
Why ask it
Ask for the answer in terms of your own work and routine, including childcare and lifting. General timelines assume a desk job and no one at home to carry.
What are the alternatives, including a different procedure or doing nothing, and why do you recommend implants for me?
Why ask it
A surgeon comfortable discussing alternatives, including declining to operate, is giving you an assessment rather than a sale. This is also the point to raise fat transfer or a lift if either has been mentioned.
What is the full cost, itemized: surgeon, anesthesia, facility, implants, garments and follow-up visits?
Why ask it
Quoted prices frequently exclude anesthesia and facility charges, which are billed separately. Ask what a complication would cost, since an unplanned overnight stay is usually not included.
If a revision is needed, who pays, and does that change after a certain period?
Why ask it
Practices differ on whether surgeon fees are waived for early revisions, and facility and anesthesia charges usually still apply. Some implant manufacturers have their own limited programs, so ask what applies.
Can I see photographs of patients whose starting point was similar to mine, including any who needed a revision?
Why ask it
Before and after galleries are selected. Asking for cases like your own body type, and for a case that needed further surgery, tests both the range of the surgeon's work and their candor.
Using the consultation well
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you go in
- 1Write your questions down and take the list in. Consultations move quickly and are often followed by a conversation about scheduling and payment.
- 2Bring a list of your medications and supplements, your medical history, and any family history of breast cancer or clotting problems.
- 3Take someone with you if you can. A second person remembers different parts of the conversation.
- 4Book more than one consultation. Comparing two assessments is the clearest way to tell a plan built around your anatomy from a standard recommendation.
- 5Write down what you were told the same day, including numbers and names, while it is still accurate.
How to read the answers
Specific numbers, not reassurance
Useful answers contain figures: annual case volume, implant volume in cubic centimeters, the surgeon's own reoperation rate, an itemized price. Answers that stay general on all four are worth following up in writing.
Notice how alternatives are handled
A clinician who explains what implants will not achieve, or who says a different procedure or no procedure would suit you better, is assessing you. One who moves quickly to sizing and financing is selling.
Pressure is a reason to wait
Discounts that expire, a deposit requested at the first visit, or a surgery date offered before your questions are answered are all reasons to leave and think. There is no medical urgency here, which means time costs you nothing.
Before you agree to a date
- Ask for the written, itemized quote and read what it excludes.
- Ask for the manufacturer, model and volume of the implants proposed, and keep that record after surgery.
- Read the consent document at home rather than in the office, and ask about anything in it you do not follow.
- Confirm who will see you at follow-up visits and how many are included.
- Confirm what happens if you decide not to proceed, and what portion of any deposit is refundable.