Patient journey
Taking the time to decide, with peace of mind
What you need to know about the consultation, preparing for surgery and recovery.
A consultation remains essential
When a patient has questions about an cosmetic concern, they naturally look for different solutions. The simplest thing is to talk to a doctor, and above all to an cosmetic professional.
Only a plastic surgeon who knows the different techniques can respond to this request by proposing a suitable solution. A doctor who knows several techniques can propose the treatment best suited to a particular patient. Conversely, a practitioner with only one technique generally adapts every patient to that single practice. In any case, be careful with your internet research!
In plastic surgery, and all the more so for an cosmetic request, two consultations are often needed before a procedure. The information on this site is only meant to help you prepare for the meeting with your surgeon: you can already read the information files on each procedure, prepared with the French plastic surgery society.
First consultation
- Analysis of the patient’s request and motivation
- Questions about medical and surgical history
- Clinical examination, with the “mirror test” · a diagnosis is discussed
- Different solutions are proposed, with the advantages, drawbacks and risks of each. Pre- and post-operative photographs of patients already operated on support the explanation: procedure, results, scars…
- You receive an information file on the proposed procedure
- A period of reflection is strongly recommended
Second consultation
- The treatment decision is confirmed and explained again
- The quote (cost of the procedure) and the informed consent form are given to the patient
- Practical arrangements are explained: place of surgery, appointment with the anaesthetist, admission time…
- The patient again has time to think and to ask further questions
Anaesthesia consultation
Before any procedure, an anaesthesia consultation is mandatory. It takes place at the Centre médical de consultations du Trocadéro : 36 bis rue Nicolo, 75116 Paris · 01 40 72 28 88.
Be aware that any cosmetic surgery should only be considered after a long period of reflection by the patient, and that the decision must be taken calmly and without haste. The surgeon must give a precise explanation of how the procedure will go (type of anaesthesia, presence and location of scars, pain after surgery…) and inform you about recovery and possible risks. Let us never forget that “zero risk” does not exist (as with any surgical operation).
Information before surgery
Before a procedure, patients naturally have many questions. The consultations are there to listen to you, understand your concerns, reassure you and give you as much information as possible.
Medical aspects
- The type of anaesthesia, explained again by the anaesthetist during the pre-operative consultation, which is mandatory and required by law before any procedure other than under local anaesthesia
- The procedure : how it goes, waking up, immediate recovery, pain management, first dressing, discharge…
- Dressings and advice after surgery
- Post-operative consultations : a schedule is set to monitor your recovery
Practical aspects
- Procedures take place on Friday mornings at the Clinique du Trocadéro
- Admission from 7:30 am, having fasted : no food for 6 hours before surgery (advice: fast from midnight)
- Antiseptic shower with Betadine® foaming solution (or soap) the evening before and the morning of surgery
- Compression stockings prescribed by the anaesthetist, to be put on before going to the operating room
- Wide shaving of the area to be operated on, or depilatory cream
- Remove nail polish, make-up, dentures, glasses, contact lenses and jewellery
In practice, in every case
- Stop smoking 2 months before the operation
- Stop NSAIDs (aspirin) and anticoagulants
- Buy a pair of anti-thrombosis stockings
- Attend the anaesthesia consultation
Usually, the surgeon sees the patient before the procedure to reassure them, answer any last questions, take pre-operative photographs and make some drawings for the procedure. The preparations specific to each procedure are best explained in consultation: each procedure has its own specific features and each patient their own requests.
Post-operative advice
In general: stop smoking for 1 month after the operation, wear anti-thrombosis stockings throughout any period of immobility, no sport for at least 1 month, massage the scars and protect them from the sun during the first year…
Breast implants
For some patients, the breasts are too small, either because they have always been small or because they have lost volume after one or more pregnancies. Treatment consists of placing an implant behind the mammary gland, under general anaesthesia, to increase its volume. The implant is most often inserted through the armpit or around the areola, with the advantage of barely visible scars.
Rhinoplasty
This procedure changes the shape of the nose without any external scar: removing a bump, narrowing the base of the nose or reshaping its tip. Before surgery, the patient’s request is carefully analysed, with photographs of the face from the front and in profile. The surgeon must reshape a nose according to the shape and proportions of each patient’s face.
Tummy tuck
Some patients have excess skin and fat on the front of the abdomen, which can form a genuine apron of skin and fat. The correction is surgical: all the excess skin and fat below the navel is removed in one go, then the surgeon re-tensions the skin of the abdomen.
Breast reduction
In some cases, the breasts are too large, painful or even disabling in daily life. The aim of the procedure is to reduce breast volume by removing gland and fat. The excess skin is also removed, which explains the scars, which are unavoidable.
Face and neck lift
With ageing, the structures of the face and neck sag: drooping eyebrows, folds, jowls, double chin. The lift corrects this sagging by repositioning the tissues and tightening the skin naturally; the art lies in hiding the scars in the hair.
Liposuction
Liposuction removes localised fat from certain parts of the body in women and men. Whatever the methods used, only liposuction will permanently remove this stubborn fat.
Blepharoplasty
With facial ageing, the upper eyelids become heavy and the lower eyelids accumulate fat (“bags under the eyes”). The procedure lifts the upper eyelid and removes the fat pads of the lower eyelid, under local anaesthesia with sedation.
Consultation fees
Depending on the length and complexity of the request. Surgeon contracted with the national health insurance, sector II, unregulated fees. Information on fees (FR) 62 KB
Contact
Book an appointment
Consultations at the practice on Mondays and Thursdays, 2 pm to 5 pm.