The Doctor Will See You, And Your Party, Now

You can choose your friends, and you can choose your breasts, but you can’t choose your friend’s breasts. Or can you? When having cosmetic surgery procedures such as a tummy tuck or necklift Beverly Hills women often go in alone, and though there are no hard numbers on how many underwent surgery together with a friend, doctors interviewed for this article had no difficulty citing examples of me-and-my-pal office visits, or of friends who went through an operation together as a way of supporting each other.

Some women have even found surgery buddies on the Internet, a friend to compare information with and to give each other courage before going in for a facelift Beverly Hills plastic surgeons say. In a medical field that popular culture, especially television, portrays as offering consumers the goodies of a bazaar (“I’ll have those lips, and these breasts and a stomach like that, please”), it is hardly surprising that patients feel comfortable asking a friend to help select a nose. Friends help you choose eyeglasses, don’t they?

But Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeons and other experts caution that there are drawbacks: taking a friend to a consultation can lead to competition for the attention of the doctor, who may become distracted. And plastic surgery really isn’t like buying new shoes — there are serious medical risks. Plastic surgeons say they have seen a buddy monopolize the conversation to such an extent that the prospective patient didn’t receive the information she needed. Some have heard buddies spout what she perceived as untruths born of competition — “You don’t need lipo” or “I don’t see a line on your face.” Yet she and the doctors interviewed also point out that there are benefits to having a friend with whom to chat things over or even go through Beverly Hills liposuction surgery with, to help share the cost of the recovery room and a nurse. In certain situations and with appropriate behavior from friends, the buddy can ease the fear and tension of consultations.