I'm considering plastic surgery. What kinds of ...

It's important to find out exactly what the procedure that you opt for entails; this includes what kinds of preparations need to be made before a procedure, what needs to be done after the procedure for fastest healing time, if there is a less invasive option for a cosmetic procedure that you are interested in, what the recovery timing is, etc. That should be a start. Also, it's important to make sure the doctor who performs the procedure has experience and has done the procedure before.

I have written a book "Save Your Face" in which I devote a chapter-chapter 10- How to choose a plastic surgeon.

Briefly:

1. Choose a plastic surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery-there are many doctors who call themselves plastic surgeons who have never had one day of training in surgery or plastic surgery

2. consult 2 board certified plastic surgeons before you decide

3.Trust your "gut feelings'-is the surgeon respectful and nice to you, do they look you in the eyes, are tehy warm and caring, is their staff honest and caring, are they pushing you to sign up-a very bad sign- would you trust bthis doctor and staff to help you if you had a problem

4. Ask to see pictures of the doctors results-make sure they are his/her results and not photos they have purchased from a society

5. Ask the doctor if he/she is comfortable with your problem-how many times do they do this procedure 

6. Ask what can go wrong-get full answers and asses how comfortable the doctor is answering these questions

7. asses the professional demeaner of the doctor-does he/she act like a doctor or a "movie star"

This is a partial list. In my book I publish "Red Flags" which should make you get out of the doctors office as soon as possible.

Visit my website saveyourface.com fo much more information.

Dr Seckel 

Here's a great plastic surgery checklist from Dr. Robert Kotler, an doctor who posts at realself.com

He writes: Once you have a list of prospective cosmetic surgeons, make a few two-minute calls. You could save hours and hundreds of dollars. The following checklist will be your outline for a productive, efficient phone inquiry.

Here are his first 3 questions to ask:

Is the doctor board certified? If the answer is “yes,” which specialty
board? The American Board of ___________________________.

Did the doctor serve a cosmetic surgery fellowship?

Does the practice conduct cosmetic surgery only?

Time out. If, so far, you don’t have at least two “yes” answers, say: “Thank you, good-bye” and go on to the next doctor on the list. That practice was not for you.

....

I think before asking questions to the surgeon, you should educate yourself well on cosmetic surgery, procedures, effects and more. This knowledge will help you ask constructive questions to the surgeon. You could also consult experts like Dr. Greenberg at  http://www.greenbergcosmeticsurgery.com/ who discusses the surgery details at length with the patient in order to make the patient aware about and comfortable with the surgery.