Choosing Your Surgeon

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Questions you must ask!

After deciding on an operation the next most important decision is to choose the surgeon in whom you can put your trust. This is as important as your decision to have an operation and needs to be considered very carefully. It is a mistake to choose your surgeon on price alone. Questions you should ask should include:

Is the doctor a fully trained registered Plastic Surgeon

A doctor will need to do at least an additional 7 years of full time surgical training and have passed a stringent examination to achieve the FRACS, or equivalent, in order to be registered as a Specialist Plastic Surgeon in Australia.

Dr Stephen Chan graduated from Medical School in Adelaide and then trained for another 7 years in Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth attaining his FRACS in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is a registered Plastic Surgeon.

How experienced is your surgeon? Has he performed many operations or will you be one of his first patients?

There is no substitute for experience. Dr Chan has been performing cosmetic surgery for 20 years and his skill has been built over a long period of time.

Because of the demand for cosmetic surgery in his practice he has reluctantly had to give up other surgery to focus entirely on cosmetic surgery. This however has the advantage of him devoting his time in refining his techniques in cosmetic surgery.

Is your doctor well versed with different techniques or does he do the same operation for everyone?

Because Dr Chan practices only in cosmetic surgery he realises that every patient is unique. Over the years he has developed variations to every operation so that he can individualise the operation for his patients.

At your consultation, Dr Chan will listen to you very carefully, examine and explain the problem to you and he will discuss with you the options open to you. He will guide you as to which approach is most beneficial.

If Dr Chan feels that an operation may not be beneficial to you he will also advise you accordingly.

Does your doctor teach other doctors?

Dr Chan is involved in training aspiring young doctors in the science and art of cosmetic surgery.

He attends conferences in Australia and overseas frequently to update his knowledge and skills. He has given papers on the techniques he has developed for his practice. At the annual meeting of The Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons 2001 he won 1st prize for his lecture.

He also lectures to the nurses who look after his patients so that they understand his patients and the operations. In this way he ensures that his patients will receive good care and achieve the best possible outcome from their surgery.