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10 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before Cosmetic Surgery
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A is a two-way . The surgeon is assessing you are a candidate for the procedure; you should be assessing whether the surgeon, the clinic, and the plan meet a reasonable standard of care. The questions below are the ones that distinguish a UK consultant plastic surgery practice from the alternatives. Bring them to your consultation written down, and listen to how they are answered as much as to what is said.
1. Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery?
This is the single most question, and the answer should be and verifiable. A « yes » should be backed up by a GMC number that you can check on the within 30 seconds.
Be aware that « I’m on the GMC register » is not the same answer as « I’m on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery ». Any UK doctor is on the GMC register; the Specialist entry is what marks plastic . The associated is FRCS (Plast), the exit examination administered by the Joint on Examinations. A who around this question rather than directly is signalling . See our explainer on .
2. How often do you perform this specific procedure?
Consultant plastic surgeons typically focus on a subset of procedures within the broader — most do not perform the entire range with equal frequency. Volume matters. The figures are annual case numbers for the procedure you are considering, and ideally career numbers. For common (breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty), an experienced consultant will dozens to hundreds annually.
The answer also tells you about niche techniques. A surgeon who performs three preservation rhinoplasty cases a year is not the right for that approach, even if they perform 200 using other techniques.
3. Can I see your before-and-after photographs for this procedure?
Two specific things matter: that the photographs are the surgeon’s own work (not the clinic’s general portfolio); and that they cases similar to yours in and goals. A surgeon should be able to show you several cases at photography angles, taken at points post-operatively ( 6 to 12 months), with patient for clinical use.
If you are shown only marketing-ready, heavily curated images, ask to see a wider range — including cases that didn’t go perfectly. Honest portfolios include outcomes, not just best ones. Our is at .
4. Where will the surgery actually take place?
The facility matters as much as the surgeon. For any procedure beyond minor work under local anaesthetic, the appropriate setting is a facility with « Good » or « Outstanding » inspection rating. CQC inspection reports are public and on the CQC .
Centre for from a CQC-registered at , with full theatre, recovery, and overnight stay . Our rating is on our .
in — treatment rooms above shops, hotel suites used by visiting surgeons, premises with no capability — are at materially higher risk. See .
5. What anaesthetic technique is planned, and who will administer it?
For anything beyond minor under local anaesthetic, the answer should a named anaesthetist whose sole role during the procedure is the . The surgeon should not be administering and managing the anaesthesia while operating.
The specific technique varies. Centre for uses total (TIVA) for most cosmetic surgery — a general with rapid recovery profile, full airway control, and anaesthetist throughout. For more detail, see .
Ask about monitoring: ECG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, ( CO2). All four should be standard for any general anaesthetic or significant sedation.
6. What are the specific risks of this procedure, and your personal complication rates?
A useful answer two things: the documented risk rates for the procedure from the published literature, and the surgeon’s own outcomes. UK consultant surgeons undergo annual appraisal that includes outcome audit, and a should be able to their own seroma rates, revision rates, infection rates, and any other to the .
risks worth asking about:
A who claims zero is not being honest. Every has complications; what differentiates them is rate, recognition, and management.
7. Are you performing the consultation, and will you personally perform the surgery?
The expected answer is yes to both. UK practice has the operating surgeon the consultation, take the history, the patient, and the patient personally. Sales-led conducted by or non-medical « advisors », followed by a different surgeon on the day, are a structural sign — common in some overseas and high-volume UK operators, not present in consultant-led practice.
8. What is your policy on revision surgery?
happen. A small of cosmetic procedures require some form of or correction — this is true even in the best hands and for technical that are not negligence (scar maturation, healing, anatomy changes over time, implant-related issues).
The relevant questions are: what counts as a covered ( that arise within a period are usually covered without surgeon fees); what does the patient pay if a is needed ( and fees are sometimes still payable); what is the for assessing whether a revision is appropriate ( 6 to 12 months post-operatively, since and scar need to settle first); and how often do this surgeon’s patients end up requesting .
A clearly articulated policy is a sign. A surgeon who has not thought it through is one whose have either not asked or not been told.
9. Can you provide a written, itemised quotation that includes everything?
A proper cosmetic surgery includes: the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, the facility fee, the cost of any implants or specific (breast implants, surgical garments, drains), all assessment costs, all routine follow-up appointments through to the 12-month review, and any specifically anticipated additional costs.
What should not appear is a long list of « additional fees » that come up after the is paid. If the is not itemised, ask for it to be. For benchmark across procedures, see .
10. What aftercare arrangements are in place?
The structure of post-operative care is one of the between . A reasonable answer includes: a check by staff, at week 1, week 3, week 6, three months, and twelve months (some procedures have appointments); 24/7 access to for the first six weeks; a named clinical contact for any concerns; provision of garments where applicable, with before discharge; and for what happens if you develop a complication out of hours.
« Call us if you have a problem » is not a answer for a procedure that may wound at 11pm on a Saturday. The clinic should have a structured response in place.
Additional questions worth asking depending on the procedure
If you are considering breast surgery: Which implant do you use and why? What is your approach to choice — round versus shaped, smooth versus ? Do you photograph the procedure for the record? Is the breast cancer different post-implant?
If you are considering rhinoplasty: Open or closed approach, and why? What is your to tip ? How do you plan for nasal anatomy if relevant? See .
If you are considering facelift: Which technique — SMAS, deep plane, mid-face, mini, neck lift? At what depth? Do you ever skin-only lifts (the answer should be no)? See .
If you are considering abdominoplasty: Will muscle plication be performed? Drains or technique? What is the planned scar position? Is liposuction ?
If you are considering BBL: What is your OnabotulinumtoxinAAbobotulinumtoxinAIncobotulinumtoxinAPrabotulinumtoxinALetibotulinumtoxinARimabotulinumtoxinBHyaluronic Acid FillersCalcium Hydroxylapatite FillersPoly-L-lactic Acid FillersPolymethylmethacrylate FillersAutologous Fat GraftingForehead Lines TreatmentGlabellar Frown Lines TreatmentCrow’s Feet TreatmentBunny Lines TreatmentChemical Brow LiftLip FlipGummy Smile CorrectionMasseter ReductionJaw SlimmingDimpled Chin SmoothingCobblestone Chin SmoothingNefertiti Neck LiftMicro-BotoxMesotoxHyperhidrosis TreatmentChronic Migraine ReliefBruxism TreatmentTMJ TreatmentCervical Dystonia TreatmentNeck Spasm TreatmentBlepharospasm TreatmentLip AugmentationLip ContouringCheekbone EnhancementTear Trough FillersNasolabial Fold SofteningMarionette Line FillersLiquid RhinoplastyNon-Surgical Nose JobJawline ContouringJawline DefinitionChin AugmentationTemple VolumisingHand RejuvenationAcne Scar Subcision Filling and processing ? What is the planned graft volume? What is your protocol for safe plane? See .
What you should hear in the answers
Beyond the specific information, listen for tone and structure. A that flows like a conversation — with the surgeon engaging with your questions, acknowledging uncertainty where it exists, and being honest about limits — is a different experience from a consultation that feels like a followed by a sales close. Cosmetic surgery is irreversible; the consultation should feel like a discussion, not a transaction.
If at any point you feel pressured to book on the day, a « limited-time discount » if you commit before leaving, or moved through the process by a staff member, walk away. A period applies between consultation and surgery booking, regardless of any urgency . See .
Booking a consultation
To book a consultation at Centre for Surgery, call or use the . Consultations are conducted by the operating surgeon, with the period before any surgery is booked.
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Centre for Surgery is a private hospital on London’s Baker Street, delivering plastic and cosmetic through specialist . Our expertise spans facial including and , , for men, and body contouring procedures such as and . Patient safety, and results sit at the heart of everything we do.
Centre for is a private hospital on London’s iconic , offering plastic and surgery led by consultant .
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