Your surgical journey with Avery Plastic Surgery

Deciding you want a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure and then finding the right Plastic Surgeon and team to support you through that journey can be an exciting and also an overwhelming experience.

There are often a lot of questions at the beginning. For instance, how do I find out more about my surgeon? And what is involved in making my potential surgery a reality?

The aim of this article is to elucidate your surgical journey with Avery Plastic Surgery, so you know exactly what to expect. To do this we have divided your surgical journey with us into 7 steps:

Researching Dr Avery
Booking a consultation with Dr Avery
Your consultation with Dr Avery
Your plastic, cosmetic, or reconstructive surgery
Your recovery
Your post-operative consultation
Life after surgery

Step 1: Researching Dr Avery

When researching your surgeon, firstly it is important to make sure they are appropriately qualified. Dr Avery holds the protected term Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. In order to be able to call himself this, Dr Avery undertook extensive training within New Zealand and Australia, culminating in becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS). This means that his training was completed in accordance with Australasian standards. Dr Avery is also a member of the ASPS (The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons) and ASAPS (The Australian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons). Both of which have stringent membership criteria.

How do people find Dr Avery? We find that many of our patients come to us via friends or family who have also had a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure by Dr Avery (i.e., word of mouth).

If this is not the case for you, then you can get a good idea of Dr Avery and Avery Plastic Surgery by browsing our website (https://www.averyplasticsurgery.com.au). On our website you will find more information about Dr Avery’s training and expertise with plastic surgery (including all cosmetic surgery procedures), and you can read about our team and what role each member will have in your journey. There is also information about the various procedures Dr Avery performs and a clinical image gallery where you can view before and after photos of previous cosmetic patients who have consented for us to display their results.

Our Facebook and Instagram pages will also help you to form a holistic understanding of who Dr Avery is as a Plastic Surgeon, and our values at Avery Plastic Surgery as we all help to support you through your surgical journey from start to finish.

Step 2: Booking a consultation with Dr Avery

To book a consultation with Dr Avery you can complete the ‘contact form’ on our website and one of our administration team will call you back. However, telephone is the most efficient way of booking your consultation because appointments come and go in Dr Avery’s diary very quickly. Dr Avery also spends much of the week operating so his consulting days do not follow a consistent Monday through Friday pattern.

Our administration team and our Practice Manager (Alex Miguel) are always available to answer any questions you might have about your surgical journey or the procedure(s) you are considering.

The time from making your appointment to your consultation can be up to one month, and a 50% deposit ($100) is taken at the time of booking. If time is of the essence we will do our utmost to find you a slot with Dr Avery as soon as possible. Allow 45-60 minutes for you consultation and some time before the consultation to check in with our administration team.

Once you have booked your consultation, a medical history form will be emailed to you to be completed and brought with you to the consultation.

You might like to think about any questions you have for Dr Avery at the consultation, whether you will attend alone or with a friend/loved one, and when the space needed for recovery from your surgery might fit into your life.

Then you can relax and wait for your consultation.

Step 3: Your consultation with Dr Avery

Your consultation with Dr Avery will take place at Avery Plastic Surgery, which is located at 31-33 Watt Street, Newcastle 2300. Arrive a little early if you like, to allow some time to check in with our administration team and hand over your medical history form. Enjoy some bottled water or a cup of tea, and browse the art displayed on our Practice walls, all of which is by local artists and for sale on behalf of them.

Your consultation with Dr Avery will take place in a private space where you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have about the procedure(s) you are considering. Dr Avery will talk with you about what to expect from the procedure(s), the risks associated with surgery, and any lifestyle changes required before surgery, such as abstaining from smoking. It is an opportunity for you to ascertain whether the surgery can realistically achieve what you are hoping for and what the recovery process will be like for you. There will also be an opportunity to have some pre-surgery photographs taken, so you will be able to compare these with photographs taken after surgery, which will help you to fully appreciate your results.

After meeting with Dr Avery our Practice Manager (Alex Miguel) will talk with you about your individualised quote and discuss the dates that are available for your surgery.

We think it is important to allow you space to process the information provided during the consultation, therefore we do not book your surgery on the day of the consultation.

While you continue to ponder surgery, our team is always available for any further questions that might have popped up after the consultation.

Once you have had an opportunity to think and confirm in your mind that the surgery and Dr Avery is the right decision for you, then you can telephone the team and book in your surgery date. At this time a deposit for surgery is taken to hold your date, which our Practice Manager will have already explained during the quote process. Written information will then be sent to you with details of where to go and what to expect.

Step 4: Your plastic, cosmetic, or reconstructive surgery

Dr Avery only operates at accredited hospitals, Lingard Private Hospital and Charlestown Private Hospital. You will have been sent your check-in (admission) paperwork with information about where to go, and the hospital will telephone you the night before with a time to arrive and when you should finish eating and drinking prior to your surgery.

It is important that you have arranged someone to take you into the hospital and someone to pick you up once discharged. Your length of stay in hospital will depend on the procedure(s) you are having. Typically, once you have checked in at the surgical ward you will be given a hospital gown to wear and ushered into a waiting area until your surgery.

As you transition into theatre for your surgery you will meet with Dr Avery and your anaesthetist, and the hospital staff will go through the consent procedure with you. Then it’s off to sleep and Dr Avery does what he has done for most days for the past 15 years – Operate.

When you wake up in the recovery room a hospital recovery nurse will monitor you, and ensure you are comfortable and your pain is under control. When you feel up to it, you will be served light refreshments and Dr Avery will visit you to see how you are feeling and answer any questions you might have about how your operation went. There might also be a little something waiting for you to help with your recovery, but we will keep that a surprise.

Step 5: Your recovery

Your recovery starts when you wake up from your surgery and will largely depend on what procedure(s) you have had.

Your stay in hospital can range from day only through to a few days. Resuming normal activities and return to work can range from a few days to a few weeks. Dr Avery will talk to you about an individualised recovery plan that is right for you. Pain relief is also individualised according to the procedure(s) performed and your pain tolerance levels.

You might be required to wear surgical garments to help protect and support your surgical site. These are worn at all times other than showering, and for most patients ideally for a continuous period up to six weeks. The garments help minimise swelling and provide support to the areas of the body operated on, helping attain a smooth and even result. They can also assist with pain relief.

Dr Avery will provide recommendations for your rest and recovery after you leave hospital.

Step 6: Your post-operative consultation(s)

During the first four weeks following your procedure you will have one or two post-operative consultations at our Practice in Watt St. Most first post-operative consultations are with our Registered Nurse Melissa Stevens, who has assisted Dr Avery since he started working in the Hunter region 6 years ago. Your wounds will be checked and your dressings changed. Any questions you have about your recovery will be answered and there will be time to enjoy a cuppa with the team or take another wander around the art.

Once your wounds have healed, Nurse Melissa and Dr Avery will confirm how to manage any scars in order to optimise their long-term appearance. At eight weeks following your surgery, you will have a consultation with Dr Avery to review your recovery and determine how close you are to achieving your long-term surgical result. Your post-surgical photographs will be taken for you to review, and if you consent they will be used in a respectful way to help other people considering the same procedure decide whether or not to proceed.

Step 7: Life after surgery

Surgery has been completed and you are fully recovered. What does life look like now?

We imagine that’s a question you might have asked yourself a lot before deciding to have surgery… What will I look like after surgery? How will I be different? How will life be different?

Only you can answer those questions.

Surgery can be exciting and at the same time it can remind you of your vulnerability. Talking about aspects of ourselves we would like to improve can be daunting. Being put to sleep and trusting ourselves over to the hospital and medical staff can be scary. At Avery Plastic Surgery, we hope to have walked alongside you in a way that is respectful and holds integrity. We hope that by acquiring knowledge and understanding of what to expect, your surgical journey became predictable and safe over your time with us, and you felt supported and empowered throughout the process. We hope that your informed expectations were met and you felt our team were with you for every step.

Once you have finished recovering, which can take up to a year for some procedures, we hope you feel refreshed, and can reflect back on your surgical journey as a positive one.

We always like hearing from our past patients, and sharing your stories and images of life after surgery.