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4 Points to keep in mind when undergoing surgery

When you have to undergo surgery, or in the case of cosmetic plastic surgery, when you have made the decision to undergo a surgical procedure, it is important that you take into account these 4 points that will allow you to live this experience in the best way, minimizing any type of associated risks.

 

1. Who will perform the procedure. The first step, if possible, is to choose the professional who is going to perform the procedure, especially if it is an aesthetic plastic surgery where you can choose who to perform it with. You must verify that the surgeon is a suitable professional to perform the procedure and that he/she really has the knowledge, training and experience to do what he/she says is going to do. Reviewing your doctor’s resume and looking for testimonials from patients who have already had the procedure with this professional can be a good way to verify that your surgeon has the training, knowledge and experience. Being part of a scientific society of their specialty at national and international level, can serve as a filter regarding the studies this doctor has carried out and any continuous scientific education done by he/she, but it is not mandatory in our country for a specialist to be part of a scientific society.
2. Where will your surgery be performed. If you are going to perform your surgery in Colombia, you must verify that the place where the surgery will be performed is authorized by the corresponding health secretary or territorial entity. Also make sure that the institution where your surgery will take place has been authorized to perform the type of procedure they will be performing on you.
3. You meet the medical requirements to perform the surgery. In order to do your surgical procedure, it is important to carry out previous medical check-ups and laboratory tests that allow us to confirm whether or not you are suitable for this surgery and that you are OK to enter the operating room.
4. What is the surgical plan, what procedure will I have. The first step to perform your surgery is to carry out the evaluation with the doctor. This first meeting should ideally be with the surgeon that is going to perform you procedure, and if we are talking about an aesthetic plastic surgery, even more important, because in aesthetic plastic surgery it is very important to understand why that patient wants to perform that procedure. For me it is vital to listen to my patient, understand why he/she is there with me and also between the two of us, surgeon and patient, define what is best for him/her at that moment, build together the surgical plan.

Remember that in plastic surgery, more than in any other procedure, we do not make molds, each patient is unique and different, for this reason the surgical plan is developed according to each person.

The surgical plan is like the plan that the pilot makes before getting on the plane. The pilot knows that although the flight goes from one city to another, there are no two equal flights, even if they are to the same destination, since it not only depends on which plane he uses, but which co-pilot will be with him, how is the weather, the winds, what weight will be the plane exposed to, how high will the plane fly, etc.

The same thing happens with a surgery, it may be that two surgeries have the same purpose, but they will never be the same, the surgical plan will vary according to who is the patient, the patient’s associated diseases, the equipment, supplies or materials that are used in this surgery, the surgical technique used, how much the patient bleeds in surgery, etc.

It seems incredible to me that we think about undergoing surgery without even knowing, listening and having been heard by our surgeon. For me, the most important point for my surgery to be successful is choosing the correct surgical plan.

The surgical plan must be born from first listening to the patient and then examining him/her as doctors, because only then, can the ideal plan be built for that patient, at that moment. Let us remember that as human beings, we are not only unique and different but we are constantly evolving, we are living and changing organisms, so that the ideal surgical plan for me today may not be the same in a few years. Furthermore, medicine is not an exact science and as such it will always be very difficult to promise, as doctors, a final result.