In medical school I was taught that patients only hear 35% of what you tell them. In practice I think that’s absolutely true. I tend to spend a lot of time, during my consultations, educating patients on all areas related to breast augmentation. I think this is a good thing because patients are either not fully aware of everything related to breast augmentation or severely misguided by the Internet and in need of honest guidance. There is great deal of information to digest, as we have discussed during this series – simply too much information for one person to remember in detail after one consultation. Of course this is why I recommend meeting several times.
But many patients like the support that a friend or significant other can provide during a consultation. This is a very good thing because as I said, patients don’t always hear or remember everything that I tell them. Having a friend or significant other with you during the consultation adds another set of ears and thus increases the amount of information that is obtained. It’s also good for them to take notes while we talk thus increasing even more the amount of information gained.
In addition, these friends, if they understand your desires, can lend another set of eyes that can help determine the best breast implant. This is slightly more touchy because they must be able to put aside their own personal preferences for the sake of the patient. But a true friend or significant other can still be quite helpful when choosing the correct breast implant.
