Questions & Answers

Q: I am seriously considering breast augmentation. I am 21 years old and in the future I want to have children. Will breast feeding be a problem after breast augmentation?

A: Most women can breast feed normally after breast augmentation providing that they were able to do so prior to surgery. However there could be a 5% chance that one breast may not retain the ability to breast feed.

Q: My teenage daughter is concerned about the shape of her nose. She feels that it is too large for her face and is very self-conscious about it. When is the appropriate age for a young person to consider plastic surgery on her nose?

A: Rhinoplasty or surgical reshaping of the nose should be carried out on those individuals in whom the nose is fully developed, usually around 18 years old. Rhinoplasty can be an ‘image changing’ operation and is the most common cosmetic surgery procedure carried out for teenagers.

Q: I am interested in breast augmentation and would like to know how long my implants will last. I am 22 and have two children.

A: Modern cohesive gel implants are excellent and should last from ten to fifteen years.

Q: I am troubled by very large painful breasts. I often have pain in my upper back and neck and have difficulty finding bras that fit me properly. I would like to have a breast reduction and wonder if this something that my private health insurance carrier would cover. Is breast reduction surgery covered by insurance?

A: Depending on a patient’s specific plan, breast reductions are often covered under private health insurance plans. If patients have a medical history that includes chronic pain, difficulty breathing, skeletal deformities or infections in the creases underneath the breasts, those patients probably require a breast reduction as a medical necessity and not for cosmetic reasons. Check with your insurance carrier and ask them specifically if you are covered for breast reduction surgery.

Q: My grandmother died of breast cancer. Do you think it is unwise for me to have breast augmentation? Will implants prevent detection of cancer?

A: I would suggest a mammogram pre surgery and continue with your regular checks after. Breast augmentation does not affect this and there is no evidence that surgery will reduce or increase risk of cancer.

Q: My thighs are very thick and heavy and I think they look out of proportion to the rest of my body, especially in some clothing. I am thinking about having liposuction but have heard that the fat can come back or even reappear in another part of my body. Is this true?

A: Liposuction is not a weight reduction method. It is best applied to healthy people who are at or close to their normal body weights. Liposuction can however reshape an area or areas that are out of proportion to the rest of the body. Once that collection of fat -containing cells is removed, it is gone forever. Of course, most natural body fat is left and if a person gains a lot of weight he or she will increase in size. Hips or thighs that have been narrowed with liposuction could get large again if one gains a lot of weight. Other, non-treated areas, would enlarge with weight gain as well but only in a way that would be normal for that individual.

Q: I am in my 60s and am widowed. I am still quite active, feel very youthful and have a healthy social life. I am interested in having a facelift so that my outside appearance reflects a little more how I feel on the inside. Am I too old to have a facelift?

A: If you are healthy and you feel fit then you are probably not too old. Some older patients have significant medical risks which may prohibit many elective procedures. If you feel well and have not had significant medical problems in the past then your age is not necessarily a reason not to go forward. Some individuals into their 70s or even 80s have cosmetic surgical operations performed to improve their appearances.

Q: I am 41 and have noticed an increasing amount of lines forming on my neck, the skin seems loose and there is a fatty area under my chin.

A: Liposuction can be used to remove the fat in the area under the chin together with a gentle neck lift to tighten the neck muscles and recontour the skin. This will give a firm and youthful line to the jaw and give a more sculptural shape to the neck.

Q: My son is nine and has large protruding ears. They are making his life a misery. At what age can ear surgery be performed and what is involved?

A: Otoplasty is usually performed from age six onwards. Incisions are made at the back of the ear and small portions of skin and fat are removed. Cartilage is recontoured to bring the ear into its correct position.

Q: I have a scar on my arm from a bicycle accident. Can a plastic surgeon remove it so I have no scar?

A: Human beings, as members of the animal kingdom, heal most injuries with a scar and cannot regenerate native tissue such as skin. Though the ‘once a scar, always a scar’ adage is true, a plastic surgeon can often reorient or reconfigure a scar so it has a much better chance of healing in a more natural and less obvious way than from the original injury.

Q: I have heard that any qualified doctor can call himself a plastic surgeon and perform plastic surgery procedures. Is this true? How do I know if my plastic surgeon is properly trained and well experienced?

A: It is true that in the UK and in the USA a qualified physician can represent himself as any type of specialist, regardless of his credentials or post graduate training. Dermatologists, Ear, Nose and Throat doctors, Gynaecologists, General Surgeons and even General Practitioners have been known to practice plastic surgery, doing so quite legally. However what defines a properly trained and qualified plastic surgeon is very clear. This requires at least 3 or 4 years of basic surgical training after medical school followed by 2 or 3 or more years of training in the specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery. After completing rigorous and highly competitive training programmes, young plastic surgeons must pass written and oral exams in order to be certified in their specialty. Ask your surgeon if he has the following credentials:

In the USA the surgeon should be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

Should i check my surgeon is listed on the General Medical website and what do i look for?

Your cosmetic surgeon should be listed on the GMC specialist register for plastic surgery as are all our Hurlingham Clinic & Spa cosmetic surgeons.

Q: Do you offer financing?

A: Hurlingham Clinic & Spa have teamed up with First Medical Loans to offer a range of flexible finance packages for cosmetic surgery procedures and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. See home page for details.

Q: Do you offer any patient insurance?

A: Hurlingham Clinic & Spa works with Beautysure, the world's first insurance package specifically for cosmetic surgery complications.