Hi,
To answer your questions in the format you ask them,
1. If you are having the surgery privately, NO you do not have to tell your GP. However I personally think it would be a good idea to chat to your GP first and tell him or her your intentions. His or her unbiased opinion could be very useful to you. Bear in mind that any surgeon you see is also a salesman and has a vested interest in having you as a patient. Go on .. call me an old cynic.
Also your GP could be very useful in supporting you after the surgery if there are any hiccups or simple post op things that need to be done (removal of stitches etc).
2. Karadis is often mentioned on these boards and works out of London I believe. I used Levick in Birmingham because I believed him to be the most experienced, the most empathetic and does all revision work for free (no extras like hospital costs). Both Levick and Karadis charge around £4000 I believe. If you read the posts in this (UK) section you will see that some people have had surgery in Poland and Spain where it is a lot cheaper.
3. The surgeon will be the best to advise you on recovery but bear in mind that if you have the surgery at the end of June you could be wearing the compression vest for the whole of July and possibly August! You will most likely be bruised for anything up to a month as well. I chose to have my surgery in October; I didn’t want to be walking around in a tight fitting vest in high temperatures.
Ok the next bit is my usual rant about choosing a surgeon but I think it worthy of a read. These are the questions I think a patient should be asking a surgeon at the first consultation:
1. How many of these procedures has the surgeon done before? I would want to be sure the surgeon is well experienced in this procedure otherwise I would find another.2. How often does he do them (different to how many, as he could have done 30 but over the last 30years)? I would want to know if he does them regularly.3. Is he going to do the operation himself or is he going to supervise someone else? I wouldn’t let anyone practise on me.4. Does he have “before” and “after” photos for you to see the results of previous patients? This would give me an idea of how good he was.
5. Is he going to remove the gland and perform liposuction to remove the fat as well? It is pretty much the experience of patients on here that liposuction to remove only fat doesn’t give a good result. The gland needs to be removed as well.6. What method does he use? Some make small cuts around the underside of the areola to remove the gland and lipo out the fat. Some make small incisions under the armpit to remove both gland and fat through a long canula. Some (and I would avoid these surgeons) make large cuts across or under the boob to basically perform a full mastectomy. Note gynecomastia reduction is NOT a mastectomy.7. Does the surgeon recommend the wearing of compression vests for weeks or months afterwards? Most do, and I would want to know why a surgeon doesn’t (I’d keep an open mind).8. If you need a revision, do you have to pay again? Some surgeons will include all or part of any revision surgery free (but many don't).I would also add that how you feel about the surgeon when you first meet him is important. If you take the private route I would suggest you have an initial consultations with at least 2.
Good luck.
Topic: Time for sugery! (Read 2256 times)
Similar Topics
