Q: How long between consultation and plastic surgery?

How long patients take, and the waiting periods surgeons favor

A:Often months. Patients rarely decide after one appointment. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) writes that they "may meet with two or three surgeons" and "spend months researching their options," and some return for a second consultation with the same surgeon before they feel ready. A surgeon the society interviewed reports that some patients even return a year or two after the first consultation.¹

Some surgeons want a set waiting period. In a 2023 survey of plastic surgery society members in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 281 of 364 respondents (78.9%) felt there should be a cooling-off period, a set gap between consultation and surgery, with its length varying by procedure. The paper cites guidance for a consultation at least seven days before surgery, and it proposes at least 10 days, preferably 14, for breast augmentation specifically.²

Because the decision-making period can be long, practices can inadvertently stop following up with patients sooner than they should. Marketing vendors typically schedule follow-up for up to three months, with additional information and an offer to answer any questions.³ In our experience, a patient still unscheduled at 90 days is recorded as a loss. For more about how one practice lifted its consultation-to-booking rate from 25% to 38% with a follow-up sequence, see our second consultation review.⁴