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10 Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before Cosmetic Surgery

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A consultation is a two-way assessment. The surgeon is assessing whether you are a suitable candidate for the procedure; you should be assessing whether the surgeon, the clinic, and the proposed plan meet a reasonable standard of care. The questions below are the ones that materially distinguish a well-run UK consultant plastic practice from the alternatives. Bring them to your consultation written down, and listen to how they are answered as much as to what is said.

1. Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery?

This is the single most important question, and the answer should be specific and verifiable. A "yes" should be backed up by a GMC reference number that you can check on the within 30 seconds.

Be aware that "I’m on the GMC register" is not the same answer as "I’m on the GMC Specialist Register for Plastic Surgery". Any UK doctor is on the GMC register; the Specialist Register entry is what marks completed plastic surgery training. The associated qualification is FRCS (Plast), the specialist exit examination administered by the Joint Committee on Intercollegiate . A surgeon who answers around this question rather than is signalling . See our explainer on .

2. How often do you perform this specific procedure?

plastic surgeons typically focus on a subset of procedures within the specialty — most do not perform the entire range with equal frequency. Volume matters. The relevant figures are annual case numbers for the procedure you are considering, and ideally cumulative career numbers. For common procedures (breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty), an experienced consultant will perform dozens to hundreds annually.

The answer also tells you about niche techniques. A surgeon who performs three preservation rhinoplasty cases a year is not the right surgeon for that specific approach, even if they perform 200 rhinoplasty procedures overall using other techniques.

3. Can I see your before-and-after photographs for this procedure?

Two specific things matter: that the photographs are the surgeon’s own work (not the clinic’s general portfolio); and that they include cases similar to yours in and goals. A surgeon should be able to show you several cases at standardised photography angles, taken at consistent points post-operatively (typically 6 to 12 months), with patient consent for use.

If you are shown only marketing-ready, heavily curated images, ask to see a wider range — including cases that didn’t go perfectly. Honest portfolios include average outcomes, not just best ones. Our gallery is at .

4. Where will the surgery actually take place?

The facility matters as much as the surgeon. For any procedure beyond minor work under local anaesthetic, the appropriate setting is a -registered surgical facility with "Good" or "Outstanding" inspection rating. CQC inspection reports are public and available on the CQC website.

Centre for Surgery operates from a CQC-registered facility at , with full theatre, recovery, and overnight stay capability. Our current rating is published on our .

Procedures performed in non-CQC-regulated settings — treatment rooms above shops, hotel suites used by visiting overseas surgeons, premises with no overnight capability — are at materially higher risk. See .

5. What anaesthetic technique is planned, and who will administer it?

For anything beyond minor procedures under local anaesthetic, the answer should include a named consultant anaesthetist whose sole role during the procedure is monitoring the patient. The should not be administering and managing the anaesthesia themselves while operating.

The specific varies. Centre for uses total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) for most cosmetic surgery — a controlled general anaesthetic with rapid recovery profile, full airway control, and consultant throughout. For more detail, see .

Ask specifically about monitoring: continuous ECG, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, capnography (end-tidal CO2). All four should be standard for any general anaesthetic or significant sedation.

6. What are the specific risks of this procedure, and your personal complication rates?

A useful answer addresses two things: the documented risk rates for the procedure from the published literature, and the surgeon’s own audited outcomes. UK consultant plastic surgeons annual appraisal that includes outcome audit, and a reasonable surgeon should be able to discuss their own seroma rates, revision rates, infection rates, and any other complications specific to the procedure.

Procedure-specific risks worth asking about:

A surgeon who claims zero complications is not being honest. Every has complications; what differentiates them is rate, recognition, and .

7. Are you performing the consultation, and will you personally perform the surgery?

The expected answer is yes to both. UK consultant practice has the operating surgeon conduct the consultation, take the history, examine the patient, and consent the patient personally. Sales-led consultations by patient coordinators or non-medical "advisors", followed by a different surgeon on the day, are a structural warning sign — common in some overseas and high-volume UK operators, not present in regulated consultant-led practice.

8. What is your policy on revision surgery?

Revisions happen. A small percentage of cosmetic procedures require some form of touch-up or — this is true even in the best hands and for technical reasons that are not negligence (scar maturation, asymmetric healing, patient anatomy changes over time, implant-related issues).

The relevant are: what counts as a covered revision (technique-related complications that arise within a defined period are usually covered without surgeon fees); what does the patient pay if a revision is needed (facility and fees are sometimes still payable); what is the timeframe for assessing whether a revision is appropriate ( 6 to 12 months post-operatively, since residual swelling and scar maturation need to settle first); and how often do this surgeon’s patients end up requesting revisions.

A clearly articulated revision policy is a positive sign. A surgeon who has not thought it through is one whose patients have either not asked or not been told.

9. Can you provide a written, itemised quotation that includes everything?

A proper cosmetic surgery quotation includes: the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, the facility fee, the cost of any implants or specific consumables (breast implants, surgical garments, drains), all pre-operative assessment costs, all routine follow-up appointments through to the 12-month review, and any specifically anticipated additional costs.

What should not appear is a long list of unexplained "additional fees" that come up after the deposit is paid. If the quotation is not itemised, ask for it to be. For benchmark pricing across procedures, see .

10. What aftercare arrangements are in place?

The of post-operative care is one of the differentiators providers. A reasonable answer includes: a next-day check by clinical staff, scheduled follow-up appointments at week 1, week 3, week 6, three months, and twelve months (some procedures have additional appointments); 24/7 access to nurse-led aftercare for the first six weeks; a named clinical contact for any concerns; provision of surgical garments where applicable, with fitting before discharge; and explicit for what happens if you develop a complication out of hours.

"Call us if you have a problem" is not a satisfactory answer for a procedure that may produce wound at 11pm on a Saturday. The clinic should have a structured response in place.

Additional questions worth asking depending on the procedure

If you are considering breast surgery: Which implant manufacturer do you use and why? What is your approach to implant choice — round versus shaped, smooth versus textured? Do you photograph the procedure for the medical record? Is the breast cancer screening pathway different post-implant?

If you are considering rhinoplasty: Open or closed approach, and why? What is your approach to tip refinement? How do you plan for ethnic-specific nasal anatomy if relevant? See .

If you are considering facelift: Which technique — SMAS, deep plane, mid-face, mini, neck lift? At what depth? Do you ever recommend skin-only lifts (the answer should be no)? See .

If you are considering abdominoplasty: Will muscle plication be performed? Drains or drainless technique? What is the planned scar position? Is liposuction ?

If you are considering BBL: What is your OnabotulinumtoxinAAbobotulinumtoxinAIncobotulinumtoxinAPrabotulinumtoxinALetibotulinumtoxinARimabotulinumtoxinBHyaluronic Acid FillersCalcium Hydroxylapatite FillersPoly-L-lactic Acid FillersPolymethylmethacrylate FillersAutologous Fat GraftingForehead Lines TreatmentGlabellar Frown Lines TreatmentCrow's Feet TreatmentBunny Lines TreatmentChemical Brow LiftLip FlipGummy Smile CorrectionMasseter ReductionJaw SlimmingDimpled Chin SmoothingCobblestone Chin SmoothingNefertiti Neck LiftMicro-BotoxMesotoxHyperhidrosis TreatmentChronic Migraine ReliefBruxism TreatmentTMJ TreatmentCervical Dystonia TreatmentNeck Spasm TreatmentBlepharospasm TreatmentLip AugmentationLip ContouringCheekbone EnhancementTear Trough FillersNasolabial Fold SofteningMarionette Line FillersLiquid RhinoplastyNon-Surgical Nose JobJawline ContouringJawline DefinitionChin AugmentationTemple VolumisingHand RejuvenationAcne Scar Subcision Filling harvest and processing technique? What is the planned graft volume? What is your protocol for safe injection plane? See .

What you should hear in the answers

Beyond the specific information, listen for tone and structure. A consultation that flows like a conversation — with the surgeon engaging with your questions, acknowledging uncertainty where it exists, and being honest about limits — is a different experience from a that feels like a presentation followed by a sales close. Cosmetic surgery is irreversible; the consultation should feel like a discussion, not a transaction.

If at any point you feel pressured to book on the day, offered a "limited-time discount" if you commit before leaving, or moved through the process by a non-clinical staff member, walk away. A statutory cooling-off period applies between consultation and surgery booking, regardless of any urgency framing. See .

Booking a consultation

To book a consultation at Centre for Surgery, call or use the . Consultations are conducted by the operating surgeon, with the statutory period before any surgery is booked.

Centre for Surgery · CQC-regulated · GMC specialist-registered surgeons · · · ·

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Centre for Surgery is a CQC-regulated hospital on London’s Baker Street, delivering plastic and cosmetic surgery through specialist surgeons. Our expertise spans facial procedures including and , , for men, and body contouring procedures such as and . Patient safety, surgical excellence and natural-looking results sit at the heart of everything we do.

Centre for Surgery is a private hospital on London’s iconic , offering plastic and cosmetic surgery led by GMC-registered surgeons.

Marylebone

London

W1U 6RN

Mon – Sat, 9am – 6pm

Saturday consultations available