- What qualifications
does your surgeon have?
He or she should actually be a surgeon. Many general practitioners call
themselves "cosmetic surgeon", but this is not a formal qualification.
If your Doctor claims to be a cosmetic surgeon he should be a member
of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, of which Dr. Hodgkinson
is a former President.
To become
a plastic surgeon with special qualifications in cosmetic surgery Dr.
Hodgkinson spent over eight years training at St. Vincent's Hospital
in Sydney, under the tutelage of Dr. Victor Chang, before being selected
to be trained at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in the United States. He
furthered his education for another five years in the United States
and including another six extra months in cosmetic surgery at Newport
Beach, California. Dr. Hodgkinson is one of the few surgeons in the
world who holds two degrees in plastic surgery, one from the Royal College
of Surgeons, Canada and the other from the American Board of Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgeons.
- Is your doctor
an expert in his claimed field?
Many doctors, including plastic surgeons, claim to have expertise in
cosmetic surgical procedures, but how do they justify this expertise?
If they have travelled overseas, have they just observed plastic surgery
or did an expert in the field teach them? How many procedures have they
done? Are you going to be the patient on whom they are doing their first
procedure or one of their first few? Do you really think it is possible
to learn how to perform liposculpture in a one to two week course? Of
course, it is not possible, and it is important for you to find out
whether your doctor is the expert he or she claims to be.
- Has your doctor
published medical journal articles in his area of claimed expertise?
Many doctors claim to be experts and yet have never published an article
or given a lecture on their specialities. Just because someone appears
in the popular press like New Idea or Women's Weekly, it does not mean
that their professional peers regard them as an expert. Dr. Hodgkinson
has published over 40 articles and given lectures and courses in plastic
surgery at the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons,
the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, International Societies
of Cosmetic Surgery, the French Society of Cosmetic Surgery and is an
invited guest at international meetings all over the world covering
various areas of cosmetic surgery.
- Does your doctor
teach other doctors how to perform the procedures?
If your doctor is teaching other doctors how to perform the surgery,
he is regarded as an expert. Dr. Hodgkinson is visited by many different
overseas plastic surgeons who want to learn his methods. He does not
allow these doctors to perform the procedures themselves, although if
they are qualified, he allows them to observe his techniques. Dr. Hodgkinson
also has teaching responsibilities to dermatologists and oral and maxillofacial
surgeons. He also has teaching appointments at a university level, not
only in the United States but also here in Sydney, at Westmead Hospital.
Dr. Hodgkinson is the Consultant Plastic Surgeon to the Skin and Cancer
Foundation at Darlinghurst and Westmead. He also teaches internationally
at general practitioners' forums on suturing techniques and wound care.
- Does your
doctor have a repertoire of techniques or does he only know one way
to perform one thing?
Dr Hodgkinson, because of his extensive experience, international connections
and exposure, training and ongoing education, understands an enormous
variety of techniques which he utilises to try and individualise the
result for each patient. For example, in breast augmentation he uses
every implant that is available and he inserts the implants through
all the popular incisions, and uniquely at this stage, can insert some
of the implants through the navel (umbilicus).
- Where does
your doctor perform his surgery?
Many doctors perform their surgery in a private hospital. Dr. Hodgkinson
has his own private surgical hospital - the Double Bay Day Surgery that
has two state-of-the-art operating rooms for general and local anaesthesia.
This licensed day surgical facility is equipped with the most up-to-date
plastic and reconstructive surgical equipment, utilised by no other
doctor than himself. There has never been nor will there ever be a case
of infection in his operating room. His fees are competitive, because
he is not covering any other surgical sub-specialty or any inefficient
doctor working in the facility. Take care! With inexperienced doctors
and doctors who are slow to perform their surgery, the extra time you
spend in the operating room will be charged to you. Often, the surgical
fee for the same procedure performed by Dr. Hodgkinson will be twice
as much if you are operated on by a different doctor in another private
hospital.
- Is the office
surgery that is suggested for surgery, a fully licensed facility?
Another thing to watch out for: many doctors perform surgery in their
offices, claiming their facilities to be licensed. It is advisable to
inspect this licence and also make sure that it is the appropriate licence.
Many licences are for local anaesthesia only and if you are losing consciousness
during your procedure, this is regarded as general anaesthesia and the
facility should be licensed for the doctor and the anaesthetist to perform
general anaesthesia.
- Will I receive
private health refunds for my cosmetic surgical facility fee?
Yes, at the Double Bay Day Surgery, if you have the highest cover, you
may well receive the benefit for your surgical procedure.
- What after
care will I receive?
At the Double Bay Day Surgery, you will be kept for two to four hours
after your surgery. You will either be escorted home with a responsible
adult with full instructions and back up from our staff or be provided
with a post-operative recovery nurse if so desired.
- Why do some
surgical fees seem so cheap?
There are many reasons why surgeons have cheaper fees. They may be learning
the procedures, or they are new in practice, and do not have the confidence
to charge a proper fee. Many of them are also trying to entice patients
to have surgery by cutting their fees. Our fees are fair and reasonable.
The extra savings we provide patients at our Double Bay Day Surgery
quite often more than make up for the difference between Dr. Hodgkinson's
fees and other doctors offering the "same" service.
We hope that the
answers to some of these common questions are helpful to you in making
a decision to have your cosmetic surgery by Dr. Hodgkinson at the Cosmetic
and Restorative Surgery Clinic and the Double Bay Day Surgery. If you
have any questions regarding the surgical procedures, please direct them
to our practice administrators or the patient care coordinator for the
Double Bay Day Surgery. |
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