There are always many things we as a practice do at Aesthetic Surgical Images to make your experience positive, but more importantly safe. A key aspect to preparing you for surgery is our pre-operative visit. This is scheduled after your initial consult and after you have decided to go ahead with surgery. It is usually planned for 2-3 weeks before your surgery date. At this visit you read through and sign all of your consent forms and paperwork for surgery so that you do not have to struggle through those the day of your operation. You also get your official “before” pictures done to document where we are starting from. You then meet with the nurse who goes over all the little things you need to know about the day of surgery. She also makes sure you know what supplies you will need to have at home to take care of your incisions and what to expect at your follow-up visits. She is responsible for making sure you have had all of the necessary testing and bloodwork you may need to make you safe for the anesthetic and the surgery. One of the necessary tests for women over the age of 40 undergoing breast surgery is to have a clear mammogram within a year of our surgery date. This is important to ensure there is not any problem that has to be addressed before we do an elective/cosmetic surgery on the breast. It would be absolutely crazy to do a beautiful breast enhancement and then have it be ruined by having a biopsy or cancer surgery. Those things need to be identified and resolved before we proceed. Then we can achieve the best results for you that will last over time. You would be surprised how many people forget and get behind on their mammograms even though it is an essential part of women’s health maintenance. Also, remember after surgery it is important to do your monthly self-breast exams. Be familiar with what is normal for you, and you are less likely to have surprises later.
At the pre-operative visit you will meet with your surgeon again, re-discuss the scheduled surgery and solidify the exact plan for your procedure. Your surgeon will then do a history and physical to document your health history and identify any issues that need to be clarified before going forward (examples of things that need to be addressed are diabetes management for surgery or blood pressure regulation, especially with facial surgeries). We want to be certain nothing gets overlooked. This will decrease the chance the anesthesiologist would feel a need to cancel your procedure on the day of surgery.
Finally, at the time of the pre-operative visit is when payment is expected. You meet with a representative of the business office and square away the financial aspect so that the surgery can go ahead without any hitches when the day comes. The pre-op visit may seem like an involved process, but we want to make absolutely sure that you are prepared for your procedure and that everything goes smoothly on your special day!
Dr. Edney
Dr.Bruneteau
Dr. Montag
Link to American Breast Cancer website for their recommended scheduled mammograms.