Dr. Bottger did his undergraduate studies at Princeton, got his medical degree at Temple, studied general surgery at University of Cincinatti and specialized in plastic and hand surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Board certified and practicing for 19 years, he knows the questions patients should be asking their doctors and shares them here.
Any good plastic surgeon will take the time to sit down with each of his patients and walk them through the surgery, field questions and allay any fears or worries. It is often within this initial consultation that a client gauges the doctor and gets to the point where he is comfortable enough to get under his knife on the operating table. This time is important so use it wisely. Here are the questions to ask:
- Are you certified?
This is far and above the most important question you need to be asking. Nowadays, anyone with a medical degree can take a short course and “learn” how to perform a nose, butt or boob job. There are programs where doctors who wish to expand their practices can go away for a weekend and practice plastic surgery on a tomato - apparently their flesh is similar to ours.
You really want a doctor who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery – the top qualifying institution out there today. While other “boards” with official sounding names are out there, this is the board that certifies the best plastic surgeons in our country.
If your for some reason cannot provide their certificate, you can always find out for yourself. Call the Board at 1-888-4-PLASTIC or go to www.plasticsurgery.org to see if they are certified.
Have you done this before?
You are probably not the first patient he’s doing this procedure to, but are you the third? Some plastic surgeons have only done a certain procedure a couple of times. You really want a doctor who specializes in the type of plastic surgery that you are about to get. Like any medical procedure, you want a doctor who has a lot of background and to whom doing this is “old hat.” Who wants a novice giving you new breasts? If possible, also find out where and for how long his training was in doing this procedure. Was it a weekend course in Aspen or a 1-year internship in a hospital?
Are there any risks to doing this?
Please note that there are ALWAYS risks to elective surgery. You are being cut open, losing blood and someone is tinkering on your insides – its serious stuff. In almost all plastic surgery procedures, the unlikely worst-case scenario is death. You’ll want to ask this question for two reasons: First, to actually learn some of the more minor risks that are associated with this procedure, but also to judge your doctor’s character. If he swears up and down that injecting fluids into your rear is entirely harmless and less complicated than brushing your teeth, is that someone you trust under the knife? Also, feel free to ask if any of his patients have ever suffered complications from this procedure. He should be able to give you hard facts regarding any prior complications.
May I see some pictures?
Most plastic surgeons will be happy to show you pictures of what people looked like before and after a procedure. Make sure that the pictures being shown to you, however, are pictures of your surgeon’s actual clients, not stock photos. You want to see what a person looks like after he went through this particular doctor’s procedure. While he might not be as willing to show them, it’s also good to see some “healing” pictures. Most people look puffy and injured for months after plastic surgery and you’ll want to know what you are going to look like during the healing time as well. It is also quite common to ask for the phone numbers of some past clients. You should be able to call these people and ask them how their experiences were with the doctor.
Do you operate in a hospital?
Some procedures are done in private clinics and some are done in a hospital environment. While nothing is wrong with having the procedure done in a private clinic, you want to make sure that your doctor at least has hospital privileges (only granted to surgeons who fulfill rigorous requirements). That way if something does go wrong you can immediately be transferred to the hospital. In addition, having hospital privileges is yet another stamp of approval given your doctor to assure you that he knows what he is doing. You should also find out if the clinic in is accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, yet anther standard of quality you should seek.
How much does this cost?
Be sure to get the final tally of costs beforehand. There may be a base rate for the procedure, but does it cover anesthesia, preoperative blood work, surgical scrubs or medications? Are taxes factored in? Get the bottom line first so you are not presented with a bill padded with charges when you are too weak to argue about it.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
