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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Should I be wary of cosmetic surgeons that offer much cheaper prices than average?
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Dr Anh Nguyen
Plastic Surgeon
Dr Anh Nguyen (MBBS (Hons) PGradDipSurgAnat FRACS (Plast)) is a highly qualified, Australian-trained and registered Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeon based in Perth, WA. She … View Profile
It is important to consider all of your options when thinking about having cosmetic surgery and to do that, it is recommended you do your research well. Cheaper does not always equate to better quality.
Seek as many professional opinions as possible. Go to as many consultations as you can with a variety of surgeons. Ask as many questions as you can think of so that when you do decide to have cosmetic surgery, that you are comfortable with who you trust to perform the surgery well for you and look after you after the surgery and follow you up.
Cost should not be the sole consideration in choosing your surgeon. Make sure the surgeon is fully registered, fully trained with specialist training, is accredited to perform the procedures you want, is actually a surgeon (FRACS), is a member of ASPS and is experienced and you feel comfortable with them so that they understand what you want and will attend to all the details necessary for a great result.
Often the extra many years of training a plastic surgeon has done to get to where they are, their experience, and the greater time they dedicate to you and the attention and care the surgeon and their nursing staff give you cannot compete with the cheaper prices of their cosmetic surgery counterparts (who may well not be surgically trained).
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Dr Gavin Sandercoe
Plastic Surgeon
Enhancing lives through excellence in plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. “I enjoy the technical challenge of complex reconstruction for trauma and cancer patients. Using knowledge … View Profile
Cheaper is not always better. A case in point is the current mess with PIP implants.
If you are cost sensitive, the question to ask is “Are the cost savings putting my health and life at risk?”. Within a locality, most surgeon's operating fees are quite similar. Many of the cost differences are due to facility fees or implant cost variations. Some doctors minimise costs by delegating a significant component of your pre and post operative care to nursing staff.
Procedures that require anything more than just local anaesthetic (even mild sedation) should be performed with an anaesthetist to look after you, and almost always at an accredited day surgery or hospital. These factors cost, but they are vitally important in ensuring your safety.
If you are having a procedure that requires foreign material to be implanted in your body (such as breast augmentation), it is wise to check which brand of implants you will receive. Check that the brand is US FDA approved - our current TGA approval has lead to some mistakes, such as the PIP implants. Ensure that your implants are entered into the Breast Implant Registry and that you receive a copy of the stickers with the serial numbers.
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