1. Who will I see at my consultation?
This is important as some consultations with other surgeons are carried out by the treatment coordinator only and you meet the surgeon on the day of surgery.
Dr De Silva completes all consultations himself, as he wants to ensure that any procedure is the right one for you, not everyone needs surgery and some people are advised against having surgery. Dr De Silva offers a personalised service of care for all his patients, you will meet him at all your appointments.
2. What are the surgeon’s qualifications?
Some patients do their full research and some do not and ask us in the consultation room. It is important for patients to know who will treat them – Sometimes it’s a nurse treating for non surgical patients think they are coming to see the Dr. It is important to know if you doctor specialises in this area, if they are predominately a body plastic surgeon they may only complete few facial procedures a week.
Or there can be a situation where you meet one Dr at your consultation and another training Dr completing the operation, under the same umbrella.
More importantly with facial cosmetic procedures you want to ensure the surgeon is full trained and specialized in the field of procedures he provides.
Needless to say Dr De Silva completes all consultations and procedures himself.
3. Is the Surgeon and The Centre fully insured in case anything goes wrong? Why do you put this as no3 in terms of importance
This is extremely important – to ensure you are not seeing a cowboy Dr who just rents rooms and provides surgery.
What has happened in some clinics, you only see the surgeon on the day of surgery and if anything was to go wrong you cannot locate him especially when they are from abroad.
Needless to say Dr De Silva completes all consultations and procedures himself.
4. What is your experience in performing my procedure?
Ideally you need to see a surgeon who has 10, 000 hours of experience, this was defined as an expert in their field in Gladwell’s book Outliers. In terms of surgery this translates to nearly 8years depending on time spent in the operating theatre.
Dr De Silva qualified in 1999 and has working in purely facial aesthetic and plastic surgery for more than 10years.
5. Can I see before and after photos?
Many on website… we also show specific photos to patients in consults.
Yes, many 100s of photos on our website of past patients.
We also have video diaries and testimonials of patients, who talk about anaesthesia and recovery from surgery.
Video diaries can be particularly helpful for nervous patients as each day patients talk about their experience and recovery.
www.londonfacialplasticsurgery.co.uk/surgery-video-diaries
6. Do you feel I can give you the result I am looking for?
I always state that Dr De Silva has a care of duty towards you post surgery and his focus is always to ensure patients are happy and have realistic expectations. In cases where’s scars have not settled he does everything in his power to revise the scars etc. everyone heals differently.
Some patients we advise against surgery if we feel that we are not able to achieve the expectations from surgery or the potential downsides or risks outweigh the benefits.
7. Where will I have my procedure?
Some patients attend consultations in a fancy clinic in Harley Street, London Hotel, The Shard… and then their surgery is in another completely different place, a hospital outside London or sometimes overseas in Eastern Europe. This should ring alarm bells…
Dr De Silva all his appointments and surgery in central London at a custom built facility in the World Class Medical area of Marylebone, 23 Harley Street W1G 9QN.
8. What will my recovery be like?
Need to allow time for swelling, sometimes bruising, depending on the procedure most patients we recommend to have 2-3 weeks free of social and professional commitments.
9. How will any surgical complications be handled? What do you tell patients
In terms of complications we may have patients that need revision surgery especially for “turkey neck cases” – usually that is included in the initial cost so patients do not feel disheartened.
Sometimes asymmetry is difficult to treat – we can improve the area but not provide perfection.
These complications and potential issues that may arise we discuss in great details with patients.
The nature of all medical procedures there are always some risks, key is these are discussed and managed appropriately, Dr De Silva provides personalised care and will always be there for you during your recovery.
10. What procedures would you recommend to me to help achieve my concerns?
All procedures should be tailored to individual needs.
This is determined by your expectations, clinical signs and other factors e.g. previous surgery (Scarring present and change in natural anatomy).
Another important factor is mental health, and it is important not to have a facial procedure if you are major life event or heightened emotional state.
