I am hoping to have a lower face and neck lift.

Your questions answered by our surgeon, Lucian Ion, FRCS(Plast)

Asked on 23 January 2012

Question

I am hoping to have a lower face and neck lift. Although I have seen 4 reputable surgeons, I am still not sure any of them is the 'right' one.

All of them are on the specialist register and 3 on BAAPS. However, this does not tell me how proficient they are in a particular speciality, I.e. they may be good at BA but not at face lifts.

I have asked how many procedures (face lifts) they carry out a year and was told by each round about 50 . I have no idea if that is enough to be considered an experienced surgeon in face lifts.

Does BAAPS not divulge these figures?

That would be very helpful in choosing a surgeon for particular procedures.

Answer

The are many aspects related to the decision regarding your treatment. Face lift surgery can be carried out in several ways, and each technique has its strengths and weaknesses, that you need to appreciate when you make your choice.

Because of that, numbers on their own do not tell the full story. I would suggest that you carry on with the surgeon that you felt most comfortable with, and if neither of them made you feel comfortable regarding the treatment you can either continue to see more surgeons or decide against the treatment altogether.

It would also help to see photographs of some of the results obtained by the surgeons you have consulted with, to give you an idea regarding what you may expect.

You also need to appreciate that surgery cannot be brought down to a zero risk level, irrespective of the technique or surgeon involved.

Mr Lucian Ion FRCS(Plast)
129 Harley Street
London
W1G 6BA