How many consultations do I need before a breast augmentation?

The Medical Board of Australia’s Cosmetic Surgery Guidelines require patients to have at least two consultations prior to breast augmentation surgery, but in many cases, clinics like ours offer three or more consultations – to ensure patients make well informed decisions about their implant choice, implant positioning and surgery timing.

This means that patients have often spent hours with us before their surgery, planning their procedure and ensuring they are well informed, and well prepared!

Step 1: information seeking

Most patients begin their surgical journey with a call or email to our friendly bookings team, to find out general information about costs, the type of implants Dr Sharp uses, appointment and surgery availability. Patients are also encouraged to read our Breast Augmentation Surgery eBook, which is available via our website or by emailing us. This covers in-depth information about breast augmentation surgery, including incision lines, implant placement and options, the recovery process and a list of things we recommend patients considering when undertaking this procedure.

Step 2: book a consult

The next step is to book a consultation. We recommend booking a consultation with at least two clinics, in order to ensure you are making a well researched decision, informed by multiple surgical opinions. Choosing the right surgeon and clinic for you to partner with, is an essential aspect of your decision making process.

Step 3: pre-consult education

At the time of booking a consultation, we send patients an email with some forms to complete, as well as essential pre-consultation reading. It is important to complete these forms honestly, as the information provided will help form the understanding that your surgeon has about your medical and surgical history, expectations and surgical suitability. For example, following your surgery, you are prescribed a number of medications, including heavy pain relief, antibiotics and muscle relaxants. It is important to share any current medications, allergies, previous reactions, addictions or current recreational drug use with us, as this can impact the type of medications your treating team are safety able to prescribe. The documents attached to this email form the foundation of your informed surgical consent, and it is from this that your surgical team will base other information discussed during the consultation process. So while it may seem like a boring part of the process, please read the information provided – it contains essential information and may help you think of questions to ask your surgeon that you had not previously considered. Sometimes, this pre-reading also provides patients with information that makes them realise that breast augmentation surgery is not right for them at this time; for example, if they are about to move house and will be doing heavy lifting in the coming months, or have just started a job that requires pectoral animation and cannot take the required leave to allow for healing.

Step 4: attend at least 2 consults

The consultation process involves multiple opportunities to learn about the procedure, ask questions, try on implant ‘sizers’, discuss the type of result you are seeking and determine whether breast augmentation surgery is right for you. Following the initial consultation with Dr Sharp, patients are encouraged to attend as many additional complimentary consultations as they need. We make these subsequent consults free of charge, because we want patients to have as many opportunities as they need, in order to make a well informed decision.

Step 5: confirm your implant selection

The implant selection process commences with the completion of your breast ‘self assessment’ form, which provides us with an understanding of the type of result you are seeking. During your consultation with Dr Sharp, he then provide you with a size ‘range’ suitable for your natural anatomical measurements and the outcome you are aiming for. We use a number of tools to help you with this decision, including iimplant inserts or ‘sizers’ and simulation software. While none of these provide a perfect replication of your expected outcome, together they help you choose an implant size and shape. Implant choice is made by you, the patient, within the recommended range. We ask patients to make this decision four weeks prior to their chosen surgery date, to ensure we have plenty of time to order their implants and have them available at hospital, on the day of surgery.

Step 6: book your surgery

The government requires women to have two consultations, followed by a mandatory 7 day cooling off period, before booking breast augmentation surgery. Once this cooling off period has passed, if you wish to proceed with scheduling a date, our patient support team will accept the surgery deposit and commence the bookings process. Any additional preoperative appointments, as well as your postoperative appointment schedule, will be prioritised in our diary to ensure you receive as many appointments with as you require, both before and after surgery. We ask patients to book surgery only when they have read and understood all information provided, and have raised all questions or concerns with us, so it is important not to rush!

Step 7: prepare for your surgery

A good clinical partnership between patient and surgeon is the best way of ensuring a successful surgical journey. Both surgeon and patient have key roles and responsibilities. When your surgery is scheduled, you will receive an email containing everything you need to prepare for your recovery period. Aspects such as taking adequate time off work, quitting smoking, consuming nutrient-rich foods, arranging for someone to care for you after surgery and organising your life around your procedure for some time, are integral to a good outcome. Complications can occur due to early pectoral activation, including displacement or rotation of implants, or failure for the implant pocket to form in the correct position, which can require further surgery to correct.  Three to six weeks prior to your surgery, we complete a Surgery Preparation Checklist, ensuring no stone is left unturned! This is then emailed to you, providing another opportunity to ensure you have made all necessary preparations for your operation and recovery. Please enter your postoperative appointment schedule (provided at the time of booking surgery) into your personal diary; we know our patients are busy, and it is important to ensure appointment attendance is prioritised. We also recommend taking advantage of our optional complimentary therapies for swelling and scar healing, by also pre-booking these prior to your procedure. Leaving surgery preparations to the last minute can negatively impact your recovery and results, so please use the all resources we provide, to plan well in advance!

As a patient, is there anything I can do to improve the chance of my results meeting my expectations?

When it comes to having any surgery, the best outcomes are born from an honest, effortful and transparent clinical partnership with your surgeon. This begins with a thorough preoperative consultation process, which includes pre-reading the information provided at the time of booking your consultation. In our practice, we provide this essential information at the time of scheduling your first appointment. This covers the risks, alternatives, benefits and recovery involved with breast augmentation surgery, including everything from incision line and implant placement through to postoperative work and lifestyle restrictions. Our consultation process is conducted on the basis that this patient education information has been read prior to the initial consultation, which provides an opportunity for patients to then ask questions about the information it conveys.

The next step towards a successful outcome involves honestly discussing any work, family or lifestyle factors that may impact your surgery – for example, whether or not you smoke or vape – or how long you can take off active duties at work to allow your implant to settle correctly. Where we have seen implant positioning or placement issues become a problem in the past, in most cases, the patient’s work or leisure activities have involved use of the pectoral muscle in the early healing phase, or even travel in the weeks after surgery, all of which can require lifting above the 2kg limit, and impact long term surgery results.

Prioritising your preparations for surgery is also integral to your result, for example, good preoperative nutrition, pre-booking infrared light and lymphatic drainage massage sessions, organising your home environment to accommodate for your limited movement, organising for someone to stay with you after the surgery and having someone to drive you to your first postoperative appointment. We might sound like a broken record , as these are all things that our preoperative documentation repetitively outlines, but this is because it is so important to read all the information provided before surgery!

By reading the patient education material provided, being honest with your surgeon about any aspects of your recovery that may impact your healing, following their recommended preparation steps and taking a positive approach to your recovery, you can influence not only how your surgical journey unfolds, but also the outcome of your procedure.

Postoperative breast augmentation care and pain relief

After surgery, your anaesthetist will prescribe antibiotics, muscle relaxants and a heavy pain relief drug. It is important to tell us if you have any allergies, reactions or previous addiction/misuse of these types of medications, so they can provide the safest possible pain relief plan for you. In our experience, high levels of pain are not usually reported by patients after breast augmentation surgery, when they follow their post op instructions and take the pain relief and muscle relaxant medications as prescribed in the first week after surgery.  At that point, they usually then transition onto lighter, over-the-counter pain relief. Your anaesthetist provides their contact details on the day of surgery, so you are able to reach them if you experience breakthrough pain or require additional e-scripts to remain comfortable. 

Your postoperative instructions are sent to you via email, prior to your surgery, as well as a hardcopy provided in your postoperative care pack. These include an emergency after hours number to contact, should you need to reach us outside normal clinic hours for an urgent concern.

Your standard postoperative appointments are pre-scheduled for 1 week, 6 weeks and 12 weeks after surgery, but we encourage you to book as many as you need – along with all of our postoperative care and scar treatments for 12 months after surgery, these are completely complimentary – because we know they work, we really want to incentivise patients to use them!

How do I choose the right surgeon for my breast augmentation?

When planning your breast augmentation journey in Brisbane, it is essential to select a qualified specialist plastic surgeon that frequently performs the procedure, using best practice safety measures and high quality silicone implants that carry long term warranty provisions.

As the best surgeon patient relationship is one that provides support long after your breast augmentation is completed, it is also helpful to understand the ethos that underpins patient care in your clinic of choice.

Why Choose Dr David Sharp as Your Breast Augmentation Surgeon?

• Expertise: Dr Sharp performs breast augmentation surgery many times, every week. And although he is highly experienced, he never stops learning; attending professional development events, conferences and collaborating with other plastic surgeons to ensure his patients receive the very best skills. 

• Specialist qualifications matter: The Medical Board of Australia recommends that patients undergo cosmetic surgery with qualified surgeons. Dr Sharp is a specialist plastic surgeon, having undergone 14 years of medical and surgical training. He is also a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. 

• Patient-Centric Approach: From your initial consultation to your final follow-up appointment, our compassionate team is focused on your unique needs, making sure that you are informed and comfortable throughout the process. We know what it feels like to be in our patients’ shoes and the excitement and nerves that come with a surgical journey. 

• Safety Measures: We practice and operate from high quality, accredited facilities that follows stringent safety protocols to mitigate risks and complications. Our supportive team stays up to date with best practice, clinically recommended post operative techniques and products, ensuring you receive diligent care.

• Implants that are proportionate to your body shape: Our primary goal is to provide outcomes that sit in harmony with your overall body proportions. We also use fat grafting alongside implants to augment the breasts’ contour. 

• Ongoing Support: We cultivate strong, long lasting surgeon/patient relationships that extend beyond the surgery, focusing on comprehensive aftercare and satisfaction.

Choosing to undergo breast augmentation is a significant step. We are committed to providing you with reliable, evidence-based information, allowing you to make a confident decision. While breast augmentation surgery offers many benefits, it is essential to be well informed and have realistic expectations. Read on to learn more about what to expect!

before and three months after breast augmentation surgery with Dr Sharp using 400cc ergononomix implants.

Please click here to view our full clinical photo gallery, featuring hundreds of before and after photos from Dr Sharp’s breast augmentation patients in Brisbane.