Here at Manchester Plastic Surgery, our experts understand that beginning your cosmetic surgery journey with us can feel daunting - especially if it’s your first time undergoing a cosmetic procedure. To ensure that you feel as confident and comfortable as possible with the process, this article outlines the experience that you’ll undergo of having a cosmetic surgery procedure with MPS during COVID-19.
The procedure of having cosmetic surgery with us during COVID-19 is very similar to the process of having cosmetic surgery with us pre-COVID-19! With our COVID-19 safety protocols in place, the process can go ahead almost as it did before. Though we were able to adapt to agile working procedures and continue with online consultations during the UK’s national lockdown, we are pleased to state that our new protocols have allowed us to reopen face-to-face clinics safely - which we recommend to patients as a preferable option for complete confidence in their surgery.
Choosing Your Cosmetic Surgery:
If a patient at our clinic does decide that they do wish to go ahead with a cosmetic surgery procedure from us, here at MPS we want them to feel as involved as possible with the decision-making process. This process is of course naturally different to many other areas of medicine; however, it’s always a priority for us that you feel as comfortable and informed as possible to feel fully in control of your decisions and your procedure.
Of course, this collaborative approach means that there will naturally be a considerable amount of information that you as the patient will need to take on board and consider, in order to make an informed decision about what’s best for you.
Your surgeon will help to keep you as informed and educated as possible about the various options available to you, and explain anything that you don’t feel you fully understand. Nonetheless, there will be certain decisions that fall to you as our patient - depending on how you would like the procedure to take place and the results that you are hoping to achieve.
The complex nature of these discussions means that it is therefore difficult to combine all of these different pieces of information to just one consultation. Though certain other clinics may perform in this manner, our experts find that patients can become overwhelmed with the information and the consultation can therefore be less productive if time is a factor.
The Two-Consultation Approach:
What many practices do instead, of which Manchester Plastic Surgery is one, is to split this decision-making and examination process into two separate consultation appointments. This applies to almost every procedure available to our patients from our clinic. The first of these consultation appointments allows patient and surgeon to meet in a comfortable, safe and clinical environment, and to assess and if necessary amend the procedural plan.
It is important during this appointment that you as the patient feel safe and confident with your surgeon, and that your surgeon is able to assess your chosen procedure and confirm whether or not it is feasible (or even necessary). Our surgeons always endeavour to see the patient’s perspective and will always prioritise the patient’s health and safety - which is why we’ll never perform a surgery that we deem necessary or inappropriate.
What’s Involved During Cosmetic Surgery Consultations:
The two consultations explore not only the physical procedures and recovery that will be involved, but additionally will explore the patient’s personal perspective on the surgery and reasons for it. Our surgeons will never ask patients to speak about something they do not feel comfortable sharing; however, it is important for our clinicians to understand the motivations behind the patient’s decision to ensure that it is the right path for that person.
Another key aspect to these discussions is to understand expectations. Common questions at this stage may include: ‘Can I get the result that I’m looking for?’
This discussion is fundamental to the process, as it not only allows the patient to vocalise clearly the results they are hoping to achieve, but allows our surgical experts to recommend the appropriate treatment, if it may lie elsewhere. In addition, it is important for every consultation to address any risks that may be inherent in the patient’s chosen procedure, whether those are common, like minor scarring, or extremely rare.
Our surgeons need to assess whether the patient’s request is likely to be a standard procedure, or whether there may be additional factors impacting the procedure or recovery. This first consultation will cover an overview of the process itself, covering questions like how long the operation may take, how long the hospital stay is likely to be, whether or not there will be side effects accompanying the recovery or how long the recovery is likely to be.
At the end of this first consultation, should the patient’s chosen procedure be approved by our surgeon, our patients typically feel reassured that our practice will be capable of delivering that result.
At this stage, depending on the patient, they may already feel ready to consider the timing of the operation. As a result, this first consultation usually ends with a discussion between the patient and our administrator. They will outline the likely costs of the procedure, along with any supplementary information that is necessary, and can discuss potential dates with a patient.
The Process
Following this first appointment, it is then usual for a patient to return for a second consultation once they have booked in their date of surgery. Though this is not necessarily always the case, it is likely that the patient will return for their second discussion to explore the details of the surgery.
The patient is then once again able to discuss with their surgeon the actual physical changes they can expect, post-surgery, and explore in more detail the results the patient wishes to achieve.
This second consultation can also be an opportunity to discuss the patient’s preparation for the surgery, both in terms of any current outstanding medical issues, whether or not they are able to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as discussing the preparations before the surgery itself (for instance, avoiding eating and drinking immediately before).
If the patient is keen to proceed, this is typically the stage preceding the surgery. This second consultation is a recap of both expectation and planned results, and serves as a preoperative conversation to ensure the patient is happy and confident in their decisions and surgeon. This second consultation usually happens no more than a week or two before the surgery itself, so that all of the necessary information has been revisited in order to achieve the desired outcome. These initial consultations tend to be around an hour in length, in order to allow the patient to discuss each aspect of their procedure; whilst the second is typically shorter as the patient feels more informed and confident (in addition to usually being keen to continue the process!).
Pausing The Process
It is important to state that if there are any doubts at all in the patient’s mind, they will of course be encouraged to pause the process and reflect on what’s been said in the consultation. Our teams will only continue the process if the patient is happy, confident and relaxed about the procedure - and will never limit the number of consultations that a patient has access to. A patient can have as many preoperative consultations as is required in order for them to feel fully informed and ready for their surgery. It’s extremely important to our surgeons that each patient feels relaxed and confident by the time they decide to go ahead with their procedure - so don’t be afraid to take your time.
Your Procedure
Of course, each of these journeys will differ slightly depending on the specific procedure that you have requested. In general, however, the procedure above applies to having almost all cosmetic surgery with MPS - the consultations process and operation process typically follow this outline above.
Our two-consultation approach here at MPS allows the patient to get to know their surgeon on a professional and personal level, in order to feel confident and comfortable that they are entrusting the right person with their cosmetic surgery. Our time, dedication and attention to our patients is a true point of pride here at MPS - and we can confidently say that our patients enjoy a level of support that truly goes above and beyond.
If you have any further questions about having cosmetic surgery during COVID-19, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and one of our experts will be happy to help you.
