I’ve heard it time and time again from friends, patients, and acquaintances alike: “I just don’t like going to see doctors.” As a plastic surgeon specializing in aesthetic treatments like breast augmentation in Lexington and Louisville, KY, I take this as an exciting opportunity to change people’s impressions and show them just how pleasant a consultation with a doctor can truly be.
Our practice strives to create a private, serene, relaxing, and safe environment for every patient, from the minute they schedule a consultation to their last follow-up appointment with us and beyond. If you’re considering a consultation with Dr. Mizuguchi or me, here’s an overview of what patients experience during the initial consultation.
Your Arrival
When you first arrive at our practice, you’ll be greeted by a friendly team member, who will take down some of your important information and help to make you comfortable. Then you’ll head back to the consultation room, where you’ll meet with Dr. Mizuguchi or me. At that point, we’ll get started with our conversation. Before coming to this consultation, you may consider making a list of questions that you have for us. It’s also a good idea to bring some before-and-after pictures of other patients with results similar to what you desire.
Your Consultation
The initial consultation is where we begin planning for your breast augmentation. It’s always very exciting, for both patient and surgeon. While you may be nervous, you have no reason to be! I always hope to make patients feel relaxed and comfortable. Our discussion should flow like a conversation, and I want you to openly share all of your cosmetic and health concerns related to the procedure.
We’ll discuss your lifestyle, why you’re choosing to undergo your chosen procedure, and more. All of these factors will help guide our conversation about your surgery, results, and implants, so it’s important to be as open as possible in our discussion.
Choosing an Implant
Next, we’ll discuss the type of implant that will best fit your needs. I prefer to use Sientra® implants, because they offer very high quality implants, in a variety of styles. (Here’s more on why we prefer Sientra.) We’ll choose from saline and silicone in a range of shapes and sizes to find a few options that may be best for you.
After considering your implant options you’ll try on a sizing bra, which fits like a regular bra and holds different implants to give you an idea of how different sizes will actually change your breasts. Patients often say this part is the most fun, because it “makes it real,” in the sense that you can get a tangible sense for what you’ll look and feel like with those different options.
We’ll then use the VECTRA 3-D® Imaging System to provide a digital representation of your implant options. We’ll scan your upper body, and Vectra will show the potential results for each implant type and size. It can show you how you would look in T-shirts, bras, or bikini tops. Once the scan is complete, you’ll see an image similar to the rendering below.
The Next Steps
After we’ve discussed your surgical goals, implant options, and what you can expect before and after surgery, you’ll be ready to take the next step. If you’re not quite ready to move forward with your surgery and want to discuss the options with your family, friends, or other trusted people in your life, I encourage you to take the time to do so. It’s incredibly important to me that you’re 100% confident in your decision about your breast augmentation before we move forward.
You may also need to have some further testing done to ensure you’re completely healthy and ready to undergo surgery. If you’re already certain of your decision, we can go ahead and schedule your testing and surgical appointments at this time. Our processes are flexible and made to fit your needs, desires, and comfort level.
That’s essentially how a consultation goes. If you’re ready, please feel free to request yours right now. If you’d like to do a little more reading first, a recent blog post talks about how to exercise after breast augmentation.
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