EXPERIENCED BRISBANE PLASTIC surgeon & COSMETIC SURGEON

For more information regarding the costs, estimate of fees, Medicare or private health fund rebate, please read our financial information here. If you do not find the answer to your question, please feel free to contact our team on 07 3202 4744.

If you are having a skin lesion removed, you will only require one preoperative consultation.

If you are having cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, you will require at least two preoperative consultations.

If you decide to proceed with surgery after your initial consult, a second consultation will then be booked with Dr Sharp – this consultation is usually shorter than your initial appointment, and is provided free of charge.

It is standard practice to examine each patients’ area of treatment/surgery as part of the consultation process, in order for you to receive an accurate opinion. However, it is always your choice as to whether or not you feel comfortable being examined at any stage during the consult process.

If you decide to proceed with having surgery, Dr Sharp will need to examine the area he is going to operate on, to ensure you are having the right procedure, and to ensure he has all the information required to safely plan your procedure.

With your permission, pre operative photos will be taken and filed in your clinical record. Again, this assists in the planning of your surgery, referencing your pre operative condition or appearance – and to aid in assessing your post operative results.

These images are securely stored in accordance with our privacy policy and are available to you upon request. We provide robes to avoid unnecessary exposure during your consultation.

Dr Sharp offers all patients the option of bringing a support person into the consult room to be present during any examinations, and in the case where this is not possible and the patient wishes to have a female chaperone for comfort or cultural reasons, our experienced staff are more than happy to assist.

Dr Sharp and his team appreciate that some patients experience trepidation and embarrassment, particularly in anticipation of having their body examined, and we do our absolute best to ensure that the process is treated with the upmost respect and care.

Anecdotally, we often receive feedback from patients after their consult, indicating Dr Sharp’s warm and down to earth manner has made this aspect of their consultation process much more comfortable and easy than they expected!

Each surgical journey is unique to the individual patient, and includes both predictable and unpredictable aspects, so choosing the right specialist plastic surgeon for your cosmetic or plastic surgery procedure is a significant decision that can profoundly impact your surgical experience and outcomes! With the abundance of options available, it’s important to navigate this process with care and diligence to ensure you find a surgeon who meets your needs and expectations. Here is a brief guide to help you make an informed choice:

1. Research Your Plastic Surgeon’s Credentials:

• Start by researching specialist plastic surgeons in Brisbane who specialise in the procedure you’re interested in
• Look for RACS qualified surgeon (denoted by FRACS after their name) with extensive experience and a proven track record of successful outcomes. You can check your surgeon is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons here [hyper: https://www.surgeons.org/en/Patient-information-and-resources/trust-fracs/Find-a-surgeon]
• Verify their credentials, including their medical education, training, certifications, and affiliations with peak industry bodies and professional memberships such as the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and Australian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

2. Personalised Consultation:

• Schedule consultations with multiple surgeons to discuss your goals, concerns, and expectations. The patient education process takes place across multiple discussions with your care team, not just one appointment.
• Pay attention to how the surgeon listens to your needs and communicates their recommendations, both verbally and in writing as a follow-up after your consult
• The best plastic surgeon for you is the one who will take the time to understand your unique situation and develop a personalised cosmetic surgery plan, tailored to your concerns and anatomy.

3. Experience and Expertise:

• Enquire about the surgeon’s experience performing the specific procedure you’re considering. Ask them about the complications they’ve seen, and how they were treated or resolved. All surgeons have patients who experience complications from time to time for various reasons, so it’s a red flag if they tell you complications never happen
• View before and after photos of previous patients who underwent similar surgeries.
• Choose a plastic surgeon who frequently performs the type of surgery you want and has a high level of expertise in that particular area.

4. Facility and Technology:

• Visit the surgeon’s clinic or facility to evaluate its presentation, cleanliness, ambiance, discretion and level of comfort.
• Ensure that the facility is equipped with modern technology and adheres to strict safety protocols.
• A relaxing, welcoming and well-equipped space can contribute to a positive patient experience.

5. Word of Mouth:

• If you know someone who has had surgery, talk to them in person about their overall experience, what they loved about the process and what they’d do differently.
• Pay attention to both positive and negative feedback, and consider how the surgeon addresses any concerns or questions raised by your during the preoperative education process.

6. Trust, Comfort and Confidence in Your Decisions:

• Trust your instincts and choose a surgeon with whom you feel comfortable and confident. During your cosmetic surgery journey you will have more contact with their administration and clinical team than with the surgeon themselves, so also consider the overall clinic ethos and the people you interact with, within the team.
• The best plastic surgeon patient relationship is built on trust, transparency and open communication in both directions, so be honest about your expectations or concerns. The surgeon will then be able to determine if they think they can safely meet your expectations and whether they may be a good fit for you.
• Select a surgeon who listens to your concerns, answers your questions thoughtfully and makes you feel valued and supported throughout your journey.

Your safety, satisfaction and wellbeing should always be the top priorities when selecting a surgeon for cosmetic or plastic surgery.

By following these guidelines and conducting thorough research, you can confidently choose a plastic surgeon in Brisbane who is right for you.

If you are unable to make it into our Brisbane plastic surgery clinic, we also offer video consultations. Video consultations for regional patients aim to cover all of usual aspects of a consult, only via video link.

Sometimes you will be asked to provide further photos, measurements or radiology or pathology results to assist Dr Sharp with providing the best advice possible, and in order to plan your procedure.

In addition to your initial video consult, a face to face consult with Dr Sharp is required prior to elective or cosmetic surgery, in accordance with Australian Medical Board guidelines.

In most cases, your surgery will be performed in a private hospital, either as a ‘day case’ or inpatient. Dr Sharp will discuss your hospital options during your consultations. When you book your procedure, you will have an indication of the date and hospital facility.

Dr Sharp operates at Greenslopes Private Hospital and Southbank Day Hospital. 

In some cases, Dr Sharp may offer you the option of having your lesion removed under local anaesthetic in our in-clinic procedure rooms, as a minor procedure (or ‘MOPS’).

Most skin lesion procedures are performed as day cases; meaning you return home after a short period in recovery on the day of your surgery. You cannot catch a taxi or public transport home from hospital, and must be collected by a support person who can stay with you for 24 hours after the procedure, as you recover from the anaesthetic. Day surgery patients are discharged with pain relief medication and 24/7 access to our post operative support nurse.

Most reconstructive procedures – or some skin lesion operations that require grafts or flaps that must observe a period of restricted movement – are performed as inpatient procedures with one or more nights’ stay in hospital.

For most cosmetic surgery procedures, Dr Sharp offers his patients the option of having the procedure as day surgery in hospital – or as an inpatient with a stay in hospital. Procedures such as breast augmentation and facelift surgery were once accompanied by a mandatory stays in hospital, but this is no longer the case and many patients prefer the reduced cost of day surgery, and convenience of returning to the familiar environment at home.

The process of preparing for surgery should be a holistic one that ideally starts long before you book your operation. Preparing both psychologically and physically is key to good healing, realistic expectations and a pleasing outcome. Having a healthy diet, abstaining from smoking and maintaining a healthy weight are key to good physical preparation for surgery. Psychologically, it’s important to consider:

• why you are having the procedure; the factors that have lead you to consider surgery
• the possibility of risks and possible complications; and how you would fund any revisional surgery required in the future
• time off family duties or away from work post operatively
• any at-home support required during the early post operative period
• what you expect your outcome to look like both immediately, and into the future
• how you expect to feel about your results, and your appearance after surgery

These are all things that Dr Sharp will discuss with you during your consultation process. Once you decide to proceed with surgery with Dr Sharp, we will guide you through the process of preparing for your hospital admission, liaising with your health fund or Medicare and will pre-plan your post operative care. 

Prior to your final preoperative consult with Dr Sharp, our patient care team will complete a Preoperative Checklist with you.

This comprehensive checklist will step through everything you need to know about your surgical recovery, providing you with plenty of time to plan for what your life may look like in the immediate post op period. You will receive a copy of your Preoperative Checklist via email, for reference in the lead up to your surgery. 

You will receive a post op instruction kit – and if applicable, post operative support garments and products.

It is vital that you read the information Dr Sharp provides thoroughly, and if possible have at least one support person also read it too, just in case you forget anything in the immediate post-operative period!

During your post operative visits, your nurse or Dr Sharp may also provide you with additional specific instructions regarding wound care or optimisation.

Understanding the recovery process and your role in healing healing will reduce the risk of complications and further surgery costs.

Medicine is organised into specialties to ensure that your doctor has the appropriate training and experience to benefit you, with specific knowledge, training and ongoing professional development. It is for this reason that you may not want your GP to perform major surgery on you, just as you may not want your plastic surgeon to provide emergency medical advice for your sick child. Currently in Australia, anyone with a medical degree can perform surgery on you.

A qualified specialist plastic surgeon has completed not only their medical degree (indicated by the letters ‘MBBS’ in their credentials), but they have then completed an additional 7-10 years of post graduate surgical training.

For Dr Sharp, this involved serving two years in regional and metropolitan hospitals as senior house officer and principal house officer, before being accepted onto the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ general surgery training program.

He then spent three years  training in general surgery, followed by an additional five years training under the College’s plastic surgery fellowship training program.

This training culminates in a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (indicated by the letters ‘FRACS’ in credentials).

Most plastic surgeons are members of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons and therefore adhere to the Society’s strict code of conduct, which upholds world-class standards of professional conduct.

In Australia, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeon’s fellowship programs are the only surgical training programs recognised by the Medical Board, however there is no legal requirement for doctors to undergo this training in order to call themselves a ‘surgeon’.

It is important to understand that if your doctor is not a registered member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, they have not undergone the rigorous selection process, advanced surgical training and passed the clinical and theoretical examinations required to become a qualified plastic surgeon. You can check the RACS register of surgeons here.

ASPS is the peak body for plastic surgeons in Australia.

All members pledge to uphold themselves to the ASPS Code of Practice, which provides guidelines on the professional standards and ethics required by members.

Yes, we require patients to have a BMI in ‘healthy’ or ‘overweight’ ranges when undergoing elective plastic or cosmetic surgery.

This is a BMI under 30. To understand the clinical reasons for this requirement please read more here.

This BMI requirement does not apply to skin cancer surgery.