About this Episode
Thinking about getting breast implants? Hear the time-tested 3-step process for picking the perfect breast implant size, why Instagram is the place to find the best your breast augmentation “wish pics, ” and the advice we give for speedy recovery.
- Get the answers to the most common questions we hear at consultation, including:
- Above or below the muscle?
- What’s so special about today’s silicone implants (the “gummy bear”)
- Where incisions are hidden and how scars are minimized
- Risks and things you should know about ALCL
- What happens in 10+ years if your implants need replacing
- Cost of breast augmentation
- How to find the best financing or payment plan
For more info about breast augmentation surgery, to see Dr. Basu’s breast augmentation before and after photos, or to inquire about current special pricing on breast implants, visit our breast augmentation page.
Take a screen shot of this or any podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment to receive $50 off any service at Basu Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics.
Basu Plastic Surgery is located in Northwest Houston in the Towne Lake area of Cypress. To learn more about the practice or ask a question, go to basuplasticsurgery.com/podcast.
On Instagram, follow Dr. Basu and the team @basuplasticsurgery
Behind the Double Doors is a production of The Axis.
Transcript
Intro (00:03):
Welcome to Behind the Double Doors, the Houston Plastic Surgery Podcast with Dr. Bob Basu telling the stories of plastic surgery patients and bringing you behind the scenes to learn everything you need to know.
Dr. Bob Basu (00:17):
On today’s show, we’re talking about breast augmentation surgery specifically for women who are thinking about getting breast implants for the first time. So the most common question that I get from patients is what’s the right implant size for me to achieve my goals. Very important question. So I share with my patients that we use a time-tested three step process. First, we take meticulous measurements of the chest wall. I use a tape measure and a caliper to assess the patient’s chest wall with the breast height. And I take a lot of different measurements to get an anatomic understanding of what range of implants will fit well on an individual patient’s unique body type. The second method we use is an implant sizing process. So we have actually our patients pick the implants that achieve the look they’re shooting for. We have a special sizing bra. We have every single implant sizer available that matches up with any implant that’s legally available in United States.
Dr. Bob Basu (01:10):
And we have patients actually place implant sizes in a special sizing bra. Then we have them wear a form-fitting t-shirt over that. And in front of a very large wall mirror, they get to see the actual result that those implants are achieving on their frame. I encourage patients if there’s an outfit that they’d like to wear after their procedure, bring that outfit. So the implant sizing day is really important because it allows the patients to pick one or two implant sizes that are actually achieving the look that they’re shooting for. And we don’t discuss cup size because every woman knows that they may be a B cup at home, but when they walk into a certain store, the salesperson’s tell them their double D cup sizes are not standardized. And if I think a surgeon, that patient talks too much about cup size, that can definitely lead to a lot of miscommunication.
Dr. Bob Basu (01:54):
So we eliminate that miscommunication, or rather we have our patients pick one or two sizes that are actually achieving the result that they’re seeking. Now, the third way we help our patients and we empower our patients to pick the right size for them, our wish pics. In other words, I asked the patient to select photos from my photo gallery. We have over 250 plus of my private patient before after views. Now I ask my patients to pick after pics that they love, or if they see a model or actress where they love that result and they want to emulate the results, I encourage them to bring photos. I don’t care where they get the photos. I encourage them to bring wish pics, that demonstrate results that they would love to emulate. I would say that Instagram and the Internet has been the great equalizer because patients are finding results, not just from celebrities, but it can be from Instagram models.
Dr. Bob Basu (02:43):
It can be from friends that are posting photos. So it’s interesting where patients get wish pics from. I generally guide them to our website, to look at our galleries, but patients go to Instagram or other places to find photos. Like I said, we really don’t care where they’re getting the photos from. I just want them to bring me two or three wish pick photos that demonstrate the results that they’re trying to emulate. So what we do is we take the measurements that we take during the consultations, we take the one or two sizes that they pick, that they love the best in their sizing process. And we take their wish pics and we bring all three things together in the operating room to ensure they get the result that they’re shooting for. Now, I tell my patients, this really takes the surprises out of the process. They’re knowing which implants we’re bringing back for them.
Dr. Bob Basu (03:27):
Now I do tell them that in the operating room, they are giving me the flexibility to maybe go a millimeter size bigger or smaller, depending on what looks the best on their frame, the operating room, and what matches up the best with the wish picks that they’ve selected. So there’s really no surprises in this process. The patients are fully empowered to select the implants, that best achieve the result that they’re shooting for. It’s not just, we bring two implants to the operating room. We have a large room in our ambulatory surgery center that’s filled with implants to ceiling. In fact, because we do so many augmentations, we have one of the largest consignments of breast implants in Texas. And so we can take whatever implants we need to give the patient the best result. What we do in the operating room is of course, we look at what the patient selected and we create the pocket.
Dr. Bob Basu (04:17):
And I love using what’s called a dual plane pocket. Now there are different coverage techniques of implants. There’s above the muscle, there’s the traditional under the muscle. My preferred technique is a dual plane technique. Dual plane basically means that the upper two thirds of the implant are under the muscle, but the lower third of the implant is actually above the muscle. I know it gets very confusing. Above the muscle under, the muscle. Now I’m talking about dual plane. But the reason why I love doing the dual plane technique, it helps me to create that natural shape in a lot of different body types. And that’s true for patients that want a very conservative augmentation. And that’s true for patients that want a very, very full augmentation. But I tell my patients, if you go to my before after galleries, and like I said, we have close to 300 plus of our private patient before after breast augmentation results.
Dr. Bob Basu (05:06):
If you go through all those before after pictures, and you’ll see a lot of different body types, some patients are going very conservative. Some patients are going bigger, going home. Everyone’s different. And then there’s everybody else in between. But if you go through my photo galleries, hopefully you will see the common denominator of that natural teardrop shape. And that’s because in 99% of those cases, I prefer the dual plane technique because it achieves the beautiful shape the patients love in a lot of different body types. The other advantage of the dual plane technique is on women that have very mild sagging. I have found that the dual plane technique helps to lift up the breast a little bit more than the two other or the other traditional techniques. So it can potentially give a mini lift without having to do a lift. Now, of course, if the nipples are pointing down to the floor, we have to talk about lift to dual plane’s not going to help lift those breasts.
Dr. Bob Basu (05:59):
But for patients that have mild sagging, they can often eliminate the need to do a lift with just my dual plane technique. Asymmetries are very, very common. And I’m thinking of my last patient just last week, when she came in for a consultation, she was very tenuous, didn’t even know if we had anything to offer her because she felt she had a severe asymmetry. And what she had was what’s called a tuberous breast on one side. And what that means is that one side developed very conically. The breast looked like a cone almost. And the other side had developed a little bit more normally. So she had a significant asymmetry. And what I told her is, “Guess what? You’re normal.” We see different degrees of asymmetries and 70 to 80% of patients that I see for consultation. Asymmetries make you normal.
Dr. Bob Basu (06:49):
Now, obviously she wanted to make that asymmetry better. And that’s why she came to us. So we developed a treatment plan to achieve her goals, and she did great. I made a huge improvement and she was just so enthusiastic about result even when she was swollen. It was such a huge difference. Of course, those results got better. And when I told her after first of all, a visit is if you’re happy now, wait to see your results in four or five weeks when your swelling goes away. And so she got happier and happier with the results. So asymmetries are very, very common. This can involve placing two different implants. This can involve doing some form of a lift or other interventions to make the breast shape look better. This is part of the discussion that occurs during the consultation, but there are some limitations whenever there is asymmetries.
Dr. Bob Basu (07:31):
And here’s the reason why. If one breasts were say five CC’s larger than the other breast. Well, the gummy bear implants that we use typically come in at about 20 to 25 CC increments. So there’s a 300. The next increment up is a 325cc implant. The next year increment up is 350 and so forth. Well, if one breast were just five CCs larger than the other breast, well legally in the United States is a 300cc implant. The next increment up is 325. There is no 305 CC implant. So we have to figure out the operating room what’s the best combination of implants to achieve the best chance of symmetry. That patient that has a 5CC differential between right and left breast may need the same implant in which case one breast will be a wee bit fuller than the other, or she may benefit from two different implants.
Dr. Bob Basu (08:15):
So to simplify things, the saying we have in this business, because the gummy bear implants come in, prefixed volumes is we cannot get exact identical twins, but really, really close sisters is what we’re shooting for. There are two major categories of implants and there are the old school saline implants, and there’s the new generation silicone gel, which I will refer to as the gummy bear implants or cohesive gel implants. So the saline implants, they’re both good options. But the saline implants are essential as saltwater bag. The bag is made of silicone. The filling material is saltwater saline or sterile saline. With the silicone or gummy bear implants, it’s the same exact shell as a saline implant, but the filling material is a cohesive silicone gel. Now both are good options and we offer both to patients, but I will tell you that in my practice, and we have a very busy breast implant practice, I will tell you that my patients gravitate towards the gummy bear implants.
Dr. Bob Basu (09:12):
I will tell you that 99.9% of my augmentations are done with some form of a smooth gummy bear implant. And here’s the reason why. My patients are typically moms and professionals. And everyone’s different in terms of what they want in terms of size. I have plenty of patients that want to go big or go home. I have plenty of patients that want to go really, really conservative and very subtle. And then there’s everybody else that’s in between. But the common denominator of my patient population is they want that natural look and feel. And the overwhelming advantage of the silicone gel or gummy bear implants is I believe it helps to achieve a much more natural look and feel. They typically are softer. I think they’re lighter and there’s a much lower chance of rippling because with saltwater saline implants, if particularly, if you have really thin tissue, saline can tend to ripple.
Dr. Bob Basu (10:00):
So the other difference between saline implants and the silicone gel or gummy bear implants is what’s inside. So I keep using the term gummy bear, and that’s really a marketing term. That’s not necessarily a medical term. The correct term for those implants are they are cohesive gel implants. So both implants can rupture. The shell can rupture. And if you have a saline implant and the shell ruptures, well, the saline will leak out and your body will safely absorb that saline. Because remember our bodies are made up of two third saltwater saline. And so your body will absorb that sterile saline and you’ll pee it out. Then you’ll have a deflation and you’ll know that your breast is deflated. Whereas if you have a gummy bear or silicone gel implant, you can get a rupture of the shell. But the filling material is what’s called a cohesive gel.
Dr. Bob Basu (10:46):
In other words, if it ruptures the silicone gel just doesn’t leak out, it holds together. And this is where the marketing term gummy bear comes from. Think about the gummy bear candy, right? When you take a gummy bear candy and you break it in half, each half retains its shape, the filling material or the gummy bear candy doesn’t leak out all over your hands, right? Well similarly, if a cohesive gel implant ruptures, the filling material does not leak out. Now, what we tell patients is that if you have ultrasonic or imaging evidence of a rupture, don’t sit on that for another 10 years, just because you have gummy bear implants, get it changed out so you have a new implant that has proper integrity. And the good news is that the manufacturer that we prefer, Allergan with our Natrelle series, there is now a built-in warranty for ruptured implants.
Dr. Bob Basu (11:33):
And it’s actually a lifetime warranty. It’s nothing extra that our patients pay for. The warranty states that, should you have a rupture of your gummy bear implants for the lifetime of your implant, Allergan will replace your implant with a new implant at no cost. Now, of course, there’ll be some additional costs for the revision surgery, but at least the implants covered. And this is right. Because this is a really peace of mind for our patients, that they have a built-in lifetime warranty for their gummy bear implant. So I tell patients there are different incisional approaches for augmentation and which incision I’ll recommend for them will really depend on their anatomy. So the question is, where can I hide that itty bitty scar the best? So I’ll take a look at their anatomy, it’s part of the physical exam, the consultation. Usually, my preferred approach is to hide that little incision underneath their breast crease, but there are some scenarios where there are patients could be a very good candidate for a tiny incision, hidden at the transition zone of the aerial or pigment and the breast skin. Other alternatives include the transaxillary approach.
Dr. Bob Basu (12:35):
But again, there are different incisional approaches in which incision I’ll recommend for patients really depends on the anatomy. And the question is where can I hide the scar the best? So over time scars do fade, of course, with any plastic surgery procedure, even with a breast augmentation that requires a tiny incision. It is scar to achieve better form, but fortunately, if the scar is placed in the right spot, it can be hidden very quickly. And scars do fade over time. It can take eight to 12 months just for scars to fade away.
Dr. Bob Basu (13:05):
So the good news is breast augmentation typically takes me about 45 minutes to perform. So the procedure is under an hour it’s in and out surgery, which means it’s outpatient surgery. Our patients are typically in the recovery room for about a half hour to 45 minutes. And once they’re eating, drinking and they’re comfortable and walking, they’re discharged to home. And I tell patients that it is outpatient surgery, and they have the surgery in the morning, will be home in time for lunch and they can eat whatever they like after surgery.
Dr. Bob Basu (13:30):
The pain from breast augmentation is really dependent on the techniques that are utilized. What I can share with you for my patients is I tell my patients that they may have some soreness after breast augmentation for one to three days after surgery. Now the soreness can be easily managed with a pain pill here and there. Most of our patients are off of pain pills in one two three days after surgery. And they quickly transition to Tylenol. We visit with our patients the next day. And many of our patients are not needing any pain pills. Of course, pain varies from patient to patient, but I prepare patients that they may have some soreness for a few days after surgery. Most women who have a breast augmentation, let’s say on Thursday are back to a desk job, the following Monday.
Dr. Bob Basu (14:12):
And there are some restrictions after breast augmentation surgery. Even though you’re feeling pretty good a couple of days after surgery, we tell patients no heavy lifting or strenuous activity for about three to four weeks. What that means is that we tell patients no gym, no cardio, no weight training, no yoga. And you want to be very careful with intimate activity, got to give time for everything to heal. What we don’t want our patients to do is that they’re feeling great a week after surgery and then they decide, oh, I’m going to go to the gym. Well, if you get your heart rate or blood pressure elevated for prolonged periods of time, that can increase the risk of bleeding in your pocket, which could create what’s called a hematoma, which is a blood collection. Now, if you do get a hematoma you’ll know, because one breast will be a lot, lot bigger than the other and it’ll hurt.
Dr. Bob Basu (14:58):
And now I have to take you back to surgery to wash that out. Now, this is all avoidable. So what we tell our patients is take it easy. You’re not bedridden, but no gym, no heavy lifting. Give time for them to heal for about three to four weeks. Well, the results are instantaneous. And so of course I tell patients, you’re going to have swelling. When they look at their results the next day or the day after, I prepare patients that they’re going to have swelling so the results going to be bigger, and the breasts are going to sit higher than what they want to be and this is completely normal. Now to allay their fears or anxieties about this, what I love to do in the operating room is I take intraoperative photos of every patient surgery that I do. That’s part of the secure medical record.
Dr. Bob Basu (15:39):
But what I love to do particularly for breast augmentation is I like to take a photo of the end result with the patient in the upright positions. We actually convert the operating room table into a chair. We can sit the patient upright, and we look at the result intraoperatively. And before we put the compression garments on, we take a photo of the final result. Now that final result in the operating room, remember in the operating room, there’s no swelling yet, right? Swelling kicks in a few hours right after surgery. When patients come back for their first follow-up visit, I like to show them the immediate on table results. So if they’re discouraged with the swelling or bruising that they’re experiencing immediately after surgery, which is completely normal, we show them the end result photo from the operating room because that’s really the light at the end of the tunnel.
Dr. Bob Basu (16:23):
That’s what they’re going to see in a couple of weeks once their swelling is completely gone. And that photo really reassures our patients. So the study show that you should be able to breastfeed after breast augmentation. Breast augmentation does not hinder your ability to breastfeed. I think the more common question is what will my breasts look like after breastfeeding and kids? Well, that’s a really hard question to answer because I don’t have a crystal ball to predict how anyone’s breasts will change during pregnancy and after pregnancy. Do we have patients who’ve had augmentations, who’ve had three kids and their breast look great? Absolutely. Do we have patients who’ve had previous breast augmentation and they’ve just had one child and the breasts go down south and they’re hanging low and they’ve lost volume? Absolutely. So it’s impossible for me or anyone to look in the crystal ball and tell you how your breasts will look after breastfeeding.
Dr. Bob Basu (17:14):
There’s so many variables to consider. How many kids will you have? How much weight will your breasts gain, or how large will your breasts get through breastfeeding and breast engorgement? Some women’s breasts don’t really change during pregnancy. Some change massively. So there’s so many variables that go into how breasts will change during and after pregnancy that’s impossible for me or anyone to predict what’s going to happen. So what I tell patients is this, that if you have an augmentation, of course, you’re going to enjoy your results, but having kids or any major weight fluctuations can impact your breasts. And you may need revision surgery in the future. The old saying was implants need to be removed and replaced every 10 years. What I tell my patients is, that’s not necessarily true. In fact, that’s a myth and here’s what I tell them.
Dr. Bob Basu (18:00):
If that were true, all my breast augmentation patients from 15, 16 years ago, they all should be coming back for revision surgery, right? Because it’s been well beyond 10 years. Now, they come back for other things like Botox, but they’re happy with their breasts. So here’s the reality. What I tell my patients is if 10 years comes around and cosmetically, you’re happy with the way your breasts look and feel, you’re doing your well-woman exams, which means either monthly self exams and or mammograms or ultrasounds for breast cancer screening and from breast cancer screening, everything’s A-okay, then there’s no reason to have revision surgery just because it’s been 10 years. That’s unnecessary surgery. If however, in five, 10, 15, 20 years down the road cosmetically, you don’t like the way your breasts look or feel. Let’s say one side is now starting to feel firm, or it feels uncomfortable.
Dr. Bob Basu (18:49):
Maybe it’s sitting a lot higher, that could be due to scar tissue formation also known as capsule contracture, or let’s say you’re just unhappy with the volume you have. You want to go full or you want to downsize. The real reason for revision surgery is purely cosmetic. It’s not medical. The other consideration for revision surgery is let’s say you’re getting a well-woman exam through imaging. Let’s say you get an ultrasound for your breasts. And the ultrasound suggests maybe your implant is ruptured. Now we generally advocate for the gummy bear implants with the newer cohesive silicone gel implants. But even if you have those gummy bear implants, which tend not to leak, if you have a rupture of your gummy bear implants, don’t sit on that for 10 years, just because you have gummy bear implants. When you have time at your leisure, electively have that implant changed out.
Dr. Bob Basu (19:33):
So the bottom line is implants are very safe medical devices, but no medical device just like implants lasts forever. If you opt for implants, you may need revision surgery down the road to make your breasts look and feel their best. Breast augmentation surgery is a real surgery, just like any cosmetic plastic surgery procedures. So there are in some inherent risks with any surgical procedure. First patients need to be healthy enough for elective surgery. So we do review their past medical surgical history, any meds or allergies that they may have to make sure they’re medically safe to have an elective procedure. Fortunately, breast augmentation is a one hour or less procedure and it’s a fairly quick recovery. The second thing is expectations. It’s a very important for me to understand and for any surgeon to understand where the patient is trying to go. The worst thing that we can do is have a mismatch on expectations where the patient has a certain expectation and the surgeon simply cannot get the patient there.
Dr. Bob Basu (20:30):
Well, that leads to unhappy patients. It’s very important for us to communicate together so we’re on the same page and as a team together, working towards achieving an end result safely. So expectation management real, real important. I mean, there are some patients that come in that have a very, very petite frame and a tight skin envelope and they want these massive breasts and there’s simply not enough skin or even chest wall there to achieve that result. And so of course, all surgeons see patients that have unrealistic expectations. It’s important for us to communicate to those patients, what can be achieved and what can’t be achieved. The other part of expectations is some patients come in and they have severe sagging or loose skin, whether it be from weight loss or from having kids, or they’re just born with weak tissue. And sometimes an augmentation by itself will not achieve the result that they’re seeking.
Dr. Bob Basu (21:23):
And sometimes we have to have the discussion that they also need a lift to tighten up the tissue and lift up the breast. So all of this has done during the consultation. Again, it’s all about communication and understanding where the patient’s trying to go. I want all patients to know that breast implants are the most regulated scrutinized and studied medical devices in all of medicine, the entirety of medicine. So there’s a lot of safety data about these implants. First, these implants are very safe medical devices, but no medical device lasts forever. There are some concerns about scar tissue formation, capsule contracture, implants can rupture. So you may need revision surgery down the road. And we’ve touched upon that. Now there are two other things that we need to talk about, which I make my patients aware of. Number one, this rare condition called breast implant-associated ALCL.
Dr. Bob Basu (22:12):
This is a rare form of lymphoma. It is not breast cancer. And there’s also a concern about breast implant illness. Let me first address breast implant-associated ALCL is rare form of lymphoma. This is not breast cancer. This is associated with macro textured implants. Now I’ve never been a fan of macro textured implants. And fortunately I never put textured implants in for cosmetic augmentation. But basically there’s been a linkage between macro textured implants and this rare condition of lymphoma called breast implant-associated ALCL. This is not breast cancer. And it is very, very rare. The incidents or the rates of breast implant-associated ALCL are anywhere between one and 10,000 and one and 300,000. So it is extremely, extremely rare. Now, if you are listening and you do have textured implants, I do not want you to think you need to have these implants removed right away.
Dr. Bob Basu (23:06):
In fact, the FDA has said that you don’t need to have these implants removed. But there has been a recall of textured implants. They are no longer available for augmentation. Now, if you do have textured implants, I think it’s important for you to visit with your plastic surgeon, continue monthly self exams. If you feel something different, that’s the reason to visit with your surgeon and get a workup done. Continue doing well-woman exams, continue doing your annual mammograms. But if you’re feeling fine, there’s no masses that you’re feeling, there’s no reason to have emergent surgery for your textured implants. Now the good news is we only do the smooth round gummy bear implants. There are no reported cases globally of any cases of breast implant-associated ALCL and those patients that have smooth silicone implants. So this connection between this rare lymphoma has to do with the texturing of implants.
Dr. Bob Basu (23:58):
And fortunately, if you have smooth round implants, there’s no linkage whatsoever. The fact that there’s not a single reported case of a smooth round, smooth gummy bear implant or silicone implant linked to breast implant-associated ALCL speaks volumes. So these smooth implants are safe. And the other thing that I do mention to patients is this, a rare condition called breast implant illness. Now, this is a collection of symptoms, such as auto immune system, rheumatoid arthritis, brain fog, chronic fatigue, et cetera, that some folks, some patients feel is linked to their breast implants. Now, there are no studies to date that confirm causality. In other words, there’s no studies to date that confirm that breast implant causes this. However, as board certified plastic surgeons, we listen to our patients and there is a small percentage of patients that are concerned that their implants may be making them sick.
Dr. Bob Basu (24:55):
If you feel that you’re having health-related problems, it’s important to visit with a board certified plastic surgeon to learn about your options, perhaps consider implant removal. What I tell patients is that the data to date shows that if someone feels that they have, possibly may have this collection of symptoms, maybe linked to breast implant illness and they opt or move their implants. There’s a 50% chance that they might feel better, but there’s a 50% chance they’re not going to feel better. So basically we simply don’t know if there’s any link, but the good news is that our society is including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is studying this very, very closely. And I think soon we will have some more data and insight as to who may be at risk for breast implant illness or what might be causing this. So we don’t know everything. Obviously as surgeons, we’re always learning and we want our patients to be safe.
Dr. Bob Basu (25:51):
The good news is I tell my patients that the risk for breast implant illness is extremely rare and low, but it’s out there and we’re studying it. We’re learning about it and we continue to listen to our patients and give them options to help them. The other thing that’s important for patients to know is that breast implants do not hinder your ability to diagnose breast cancer. It is A-okay to do mammograms, ultrasounds or if necessary non-invasive MRIs to visualize a breast for breast cancer screening. So I encourage my patients remain vigilant about your breast health, continue doing monthly self-exams after augmentation on a regular basis on a monthly basis. Follow up with your well-woman exams. When you’re age 40 or older for, if you have a family history of breast cancer, age 35 or older, my recommendation annual or bi-annual mammograms as per your well-woman checkups and continue doing mammograms ultrasounds and self and remain vigilant about your breast health.
Dr. Bob Basu (26:45):
So the costs of breast augmentation alone vary by several different factors. Geography makes an impact, who your surgeon is and their experience level makes an impact. The operating room fees, the anesthesiology. Who’s doing your anesthesia. Is it a board certified anesthesiologist? Or is it somebody else who’s not an MD or DO. So there are a lot of variables that go into the total cost. The other variable, which I completely forgot to mention, which is very important is what’s the type of implant that’s being placed? Are they saline implants? What type of gummy bear implant is being utilized? So I mean, there’s a lot of different variables to determine the total cost of breast augmentation. Typically, the cost can range between 6,500 to 8,500 in the Houston marketplace. It can be more in other markets, can be a little bit less, but if you’re going to an experienced board, certified plastic surgeon who’s certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, that’s typically the range.
Dr. Bob Basu (27:46):
The worst thing that you can do is fall for a cheap deal, right? Because if it’s so cheap then what’s being cut, right? And I don’t mean to be blunt, but we all learned this when we were little kids, you get what you pay for. And if you’re getting a rock bottom deal for any cosmetic surgery, whether it be breast augmentation or anything else, you have to ask the questions what’s being cut because quality has a cost to it. So financing is a very, very common option for patients. And even if they have the cash, because interest rates particularly are so low these days, patients are opting for financing options so they can hold onto their cash. So we have our friendly patient consultants who are very experienced in helping patients find the right financing solution for them so that oftentimes procedure costs can be broken down into very manageable monthly payments.
Dr. Bob Basu (28:35):
And the financing options are very, very popular with patients. We do all of our surgeries in a state licensed to ambulatory surgeries and are not an office or are not an office procedure room. So our facility meets hospital great standards for ambulatory surgical care, as determined by the Texas Department of Health. We don’t cut corners on anesthesia safety. So my patients are at ease knowing they have an experienced board certified MD anesthesiologist, Dr. Firat who’s got 18 years of experience as an attending anesthesiologist.
Dr. Bob Basu (29:04):
And she’s been with me for almost a decade and she’s phenomenal. When you look at costs, when you’re finding a cheap deal, you have to be very, very suspicious. And unfortunately, a lot of non-plastic surgeons that are out there that are trying to run a business, they’re trying to cut deals to do surgeries and you have to remember this is a real surgery. And so you want to make sure quality and safety is taken very seriously. So I think the first step is to call or text our office at (713) 799-2278. Or visit our website at basuplasticsurgery.com or follow us on Instagram @basuplasticsurgery. You can send us a direct message through Instagram as well. Connect with us and start the dialogue and start getting educated about your options, what the procedure’s like to cost. Get all your questions answered, and then come visit us for consultation.
Outro (29:53):
Take a screenshot of this, or any podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment to receive $50 off any service at Basu Plastic Surgery. Basu Plastic Surgery is located in Northwest Houston in the Towne Lake area of Cypress. To learn more about the practice or ask a question, go to basuplasticsurgery.com/podcast. On Instagram, follow Dr. Basu and the team @basuplasticsurgery. That’s B-A-S-U plastic surgery. Behind the Double Doors is a production of The Axis. T-H-E-A-X-I-S.io.
About the Podcast: Behind the Double Doors
Dr. Basu’s aesthetic surgery podcast is called Behind the Double Doors: The Houston Plastic Surgery Podcast. On this podcast, Dr. Basu takes you beyond the doors of the operating room to learn about plastic surgery and non-surgical medical aesthetics. Hear from Dr. Basu and the team of professionals who support patients before, during, and after surgery and learn what really goes into taking care of patients and ensuring great outcomes.
Behind the Double Doors can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and anywhere else that you listen to podcasts.
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