Christina, aged 56, first visited a BAPRAS consultant plastic surgeon after deciding to have surgery to remove excess skin following massive weight-loss. Here, she talks about her positive experience of feeling informed and supported at every stage of the process and why she thinks it is vital to have full confidence in your surgeon before going ahead with any cosmetic surgery procedure.
I lost 12.5 stone through bariatric surgery around 13 years ago. I was left feeling very uncomfortable because of lots of excess skin. I started researching different surgery options and was recommended to go and visit a BAPRAS consultant plastic surgeon.
I went along with a list of questions to ask and the consultation process went really well. My surgeon listened to me and asked me about my choices, preferences and the change I wanted like to see. He wasn’t a pushy salesman – his focus was on hearing what I wanted rather than telling me what he could do to make me look better. His approach was very personal and this made a huge difference for me.
I had my first round of body contouring surgery – surgery to remove excess skin following massive weight loss – in 2005. It was performed in stages, with proper time for recovery included. The last procedure I received with my surgeon was a breast augmentation.
My advice to anyone thinking about cosmetic surgery would be to make sure you have 100% trust and confidence in your surgeon. I felt this immediately with my surgeon and felt very confident that he had all the proper experience. He gave me a realistic idea of what I should expect, and that improvements wouldn’t appear overnight.
For me, finding the right surgeon should be top of the list for anyone considering cosmetic surgery. My surgeon had everything in place to give me the best possible outcome and he is dedicated to keeping his standards high. If he doesn’t think that surgery is necessary, he’ll tell you.