How To Choose Your Plastic Surgeon
by Astrid

Hi Ladies! There comes a time, after we have decided that we are going to have breast augmentation, that we then have to start looking for the perfect plastic surgeon. This is probably the most important decision in this process. I remember clearly the process that I went through to find mine. It was not easy and quite a bit of research went into finally making the decision.

Where did I start? Since I was trying to get my augmentation and lumpectomy done at the same time, I first asked my general surgeon whom he worked with in the plastic surgery field. He gave me a couple of names. Needless to say, I called and embarked on my first two of three consultations. The surgeons were both board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I verified this by actually going to www.abplsurg.org and verifying that the surgeons were actually board certified on record. That put my mind at ease since this is the most important qualification in my eyes. There is another certification that they can have that is given by the American Board of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the “honor society” of the plastic surgery world. This is an added bonus that tells a woman researching that her plastic surgeon has gone through rigorous training and has been in practice for many, many years.

Now, I really didn’t feel comfortable with either surgeon because they seemed to readily agree with me. At the time, I was trying to avoid having a lift procedure along with the augmentation and both said this was possible by going bigger. Well, I didn’t want to go bigger. I clearly stated that I wanted to be no larger than a C cup, maybe a small D cup. They were willing to compromise my desire for that size, along with what I know now as not so great augmented breasts. This left a bad taste in my mouth.

Although recommendations are wonderful, you must remember that we are all different and that we each have different needs than the next woman. This is why the perfect plastic surgeon for Julie may not be the perfect one for Mary. You will often find, especially in the forums, that us post-BAers will advise a woman to go to several consults, if anything, to compare results. You may know on the first consult but it is always best to get varying opinions on your situation. Boy, am I glad I did!

From this point, I was lost. I thought to myself, “Where do I go from here? I don’t know anyone that has had their breasts done so how will I find a good plastic surgeon?” It came to me as a revelation…THE INTERNET! So, I rushed home and started searching for breast augmentation sites and plastic surgeons in Houston.

Was I in for a surprise! I found a wealth of untapped knowledge. I started checking out before & after pictures of the plastic surgeons that had websites. Then I found forums to post questions about those specific doctors. I waited for responses and finally decided on a third doctor to consult with after the vote had come in.

This time, because my plastic surgeon was so busy, I had to wait a month (quite some time in Houston due to the amount of good plastic surgeons located here). Before I even went in, I started emailing his Patient Coordinator and speaking with her on the phone. She was great! She answered all of the questions I had in regards to certification, hospital affiliation and even offered to give me some references to speak with prior to even meeting Dr. Ciaravino. This was the first sign that I might have found my plastic surgeon.

The big day finally came after many anxious nights. I walked into the office and immediately felt comfortable. Call it a woman’s intuition, but you just know when things are falling into place. Then I met with Dr. Ciaravino, alone, in a room in which he answered all my questions. Yep, the whole list of 50 or so…that is he answered the ones left over after he was finished discussing how he does breast augmentation and his beliefs on placement, etc.

From there, we went into the examination room where he took a peek. Due to my stretched out, damaged skin, he put his foot down and said that going any bigger than a 325cc implant filled to no more than 360 would be all he would do. The reason was because of my severe ptosis (sag) and damaged skin. He was honest and I appreciated that. He was thinking of MY future and complications that could have occurred over time if I chose to go bigger. I respected that and, of course, decided then and there that he was the one for me.

Many women forget that picking your plastic surgeon is a marriage of sorts. This is a person that you will be dealing with, hopefully, for the rest of his/her career and your implants’ life. I can truly say that, after having done the research, making sure that the plastic surgeon was certified by ABPS, feeling comfortable in the office that I would visit frequently, feeling at ease in talking with all his staff, and most importantly…having a doctor that would listen to MY needs and concerns and respond to them in the kindest yet well thought of responses, that I truly picked the right surgeon for me.

With all this said, happy hunting and the best of luck!