For a lot of people, the idea of going to a plastic surgery consultation can be intimidating. It’s hard when you don’t know what to expect. We wanted to give a bit of a breakdown so you can have some kind of idea of what you’re heading into when you visit our plastic surgery practice east of St. Louis for your first consultation.
Timing and Pricing
The consultation will have a $100 fee and that is due at the time of scheduling. This amount will be applied to the total surgery cost. Breast augmentation consultations are 90 minutes long, facelift consultations are 60 minutes, and all others are about 30 to 45 minutes. Below is an outline for a breast augmentation consultation, but all consultations generally follow the same order.
Meeting With Our Patient Care Coordinator
At the beginning of the consultation, you’ll meet with Katie, our Patient Care Coordinator, to discuss your goals. She’ll listen to your concerns and answer all of your questions. Next, she’ll tell you about the different kinds of implants. There are silicone and saline filled implants with pros and cons for both. You’ll learn about your options and decide which would be best to match your goals and fit your lifestyle. Learn more about the latest implant options in our previous blog post.
We have a slideshow that you’ll see next that includes information on the procedure, any risks, recovery time, and answers to most of the questions we receive. It’s always a good idea to come with some questions about what specifically concerns you, but we will likely answer most in the slideshow.
Meeting With Dr. Diederich
After Katie explains everything, you’ll get to meet Dr. Diederich. Again, he’ll listen to your concerns and give you his best recommendation to achieve the results you are looking for. We really want to make sure that we all have the same goals in mind before moving forward. It can help to look over before-and-after photos to see examples of the results your chosen procedure can create.
Once everyone is on the same page, Dr. Diederich will step out of the room and you’ll change into a robe that we provide for you. Dr. Diederich and Katie will then come back and take some measurements to make sure that what you had discussed will be possible and fit your specific anatomy.
Envisioning Your Results
After this quick examination, Katie will take you to our photo room which is right next door and take some “before” pictures, as well as capture your image on the VECTRA®. This is a 3D imaging machine which allows us to simulate what you might look like after the surgery. It’s important to know that this isn’t a guarantee of your outcome.
Next is the fun part! You’ll get to try on our different implant sizes to determine which is the best. We’ll start with our smallest implant and move up until you find the size that fits your goals. This will give the best idea of the size you will actually be after the surgery.
For breast augmentation consultations, we suggest wearing pants and a top because we’ll provide a tank top and a bra to try on with the implants. We also love it when patients bring a husband or friend with them to help remember all of the information!
Scheduling Your Surgery
The last step will be going to Katie’s office where she will provide you with a quote for surgery. This quote will include Dr. Diederich’s fees, hospital fees, and anesthesia fees. This is when you can also start looking at dates for surgery and even schedule! Once your procedure is on the calendar, you’ll be able to start preparing for your big day.
You can schedule your plastic surgery consultation in the St. Louis area by contacting us online or calling (618) 288-7855, option 4. Our dedicated team can’t wait to help you look and feel your absolute best.
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