Your Confidential Consultation in South Florida with with Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. F. Leigh Phillips

Your aesthetic surgery experience begins with a personal consultation. We request that you complete a new patient information form as well as a medical history so that we may more completely evaluate your entire medical status. While completing these forms, you will view the DVD about the procedure you are interested in having.

Next, Dr. Phillips will greet you in his private office, and listen to the details of your area of concern. Confidentiality is always respected, and you should feel free to discuss any areas of concern with your Dr. Phillips. A thorough understanding of your goals will greatly assist Dr. Phillips in formulating an individual treatment plan for you. This is intended to be a free flowing exchange of ideas, interests, desires, and concerns between you and Dr. Phillips. No questions are out of bounds. Dr. Phillips will give you his professional aesthetic opinion and treatment recommendations. Again, it is helpful for each patient to express personal and individual areas of importance. The beauty of our world is that everyone is indeed different.

In the final phase of your initial encounter Dr. Phillips will focus his physical examination to those areas where you desire improvement or change. Questions from the doctor at this point are intended to keep you focused on your goals.

At the conclusion of your consultation, you will be given an information package designed to underscore important points explained during the consultation and to provide additional information about proposed treatments. When you get home, relax and reflect on the first phase of your cosmetic experience. Read through the package, write down your questions, and then make plans to have points of emphasis explained to you by the doctor by telephone or in person.

Artistry, accuracy, and excellence underscore the effort by Dr. Phillips and his staff to achieve superior results for the individual who desires aesthetic improvement.

Preoperative Evaluation

During your second meeting you will be given preoperative orders to be performed by your Primary Care Physician. This includes a history and physical examination, EKG, labs and diagnostic testing based on age designed to insure your safety throughout the proposed operation. It should not replace your annual visit to your family doctor. You will be given specific instructions about your medications around the time of surgery.

Photography

The most accurate measure of aesthetic surgery is the photograph. Please be assured that absolute confidentiality is maintained. Preoperatively, specific standard medical views of your area of concern will be taken. The same views will be repeated several weeks after your surgery during follow up. One of the highlights of cosmetic surgery is reviewing your preoperative and postoperative photographs with your plastic surgeon.

Scheduling

When you have decided to proceed with your aesthetic surgery, the office will schedule your procedure. Most cosmetic procedures are performed in our office suite with our experienced staff and the benefit of a certified nurse anesthetist, insuring complete care, comfort, and safety. A non-refundable deposit of $1,000.00 reserves your surgery time. The remainder of your fee is due three (3) weeks in advance of your procedure.

Procedure

In the days preceding your cosmetic surgery, it is essential that you follow the doctor’s instructions to the letter. This may include avoiding aspirin and aspirin-containing compounds and cessation of smoking for a two week period prior to surgery. When you arrive for surgery, the nurse and anesthetist will greet you. An intravenous line will be established to provide you with sedative medications as necessary. Following surgery, again, your comfort level will be insured by a combination of oral and intravenous pain medications. Everyone recovers at his/her own speed, and your stay in the recovery suite will be as long as necessary to allow anesthesia to wear off. One to two hours is typical. Friends or relatives will then accompany you at your departure.

Postoperative Recovery

The postoperative period is crucial in achieving superior results from your aesthetic surgical procedure. Dr. Phillips will have discussed every detail of this period prior to the actual surgery. Again, individuality is respected. Many of our patients prefer to recover in the familiar surroundings of their home. We insist that each patient is accompanied on the first postoperative night. Detailed instruction sheets are given to you, and Dr. Phillips is always available should you need him. Specific nursing skills are not necessary for your assistance, but, of course, your partner or friend will need to help you with simple tasks and pain medications. A private duty nurse can be arranged if desirable at traditional hourly fees.

Dr. Phillips and his staff are available to address your concerns following surgery. Do not hesitate to call the office at (954) 344-4344. After hours, contact Dr. Phillips via the same telephone number. When prompted, leave a detailed message to include your name and telephone number and Dr. Phillips will return your call promptly.

Follow-up appointments are scheduled for suture removal and checking your progress. All follow visits are included in your surgical fee to see you through complete recovery. The office suite is specifically designed to protect your privacy, and the staff will make sure you are taken to the private waiting area in the early postoperative period.

As healing progresses, you will be referred to our patient care coordinator for assistance with looking your best during recovery. Facial aesthetic surgery patients will want to be particularly careful about sun exposure and use sunscreen as directed. Activities of daily living are usually accomplished during the first postoperative week. Participation in social events and careers requiring you to look your best may be planned confidently at one month. Aesthetic surgery is a wondrous experience and is amongst the most unique methods of self-improvement. Our goal is not to create a new you but to unveil the real you.