Before Your First Consultation
You will need a referral from your GP to see Dr Kennedy or Dr Wiper. There may be a short wait time for a consultation, generally a few weeks at most, however if you require an urgent appointment, we will do our best to accommodate you as quickly as possible.
Referrals for Cosmetic Procedures
From 1 July 2023, all patients seeking cosmetic surgery MUST have a valid referral from a GP or non-cosmetic specialist. This is a directive from AHPRA in response to the regulation of cosmetic surgery. We are unable to see you for a consultation without this.
Booking Surgery
For cosmetic surgery, due to the updated AHPRA guidelines, a surgery date can only be booked after you have had 2 consultations with Dr Kennedy, and gone through a subsequent 7 day cooling-off period. After this, a surgery date can be booked.
For skin cancer procedures, surgery wait times can vary, and will be assessed during your consultation.
Interstate and Regional Patients
Dr Kennedy and Dr Wiper offer consultations by phone or video chat but you must also have 2 face-to-face consultations prior to cosmetic surgery.
Generally patients are required to stay in Brisbane for one week after surgery.
Cease Smoking
Nicotine causes contraction of the muscle in the blood vessels supplying the wound thus reducing the flow of oxygen to the healing tissues. This delays healing and can cause such severe complications as skin and graft loss, and wounds that split open. Anywhere there is less oxygen and nutrition to the tissues, infection is far more likely to occur. Smoking also affects the lungs and your fitness for anaesthesia.
It is imperative that cigarettes be ceased for 5 weeks prior to procedures where there is either significant undermining, tension on the skin or critical outcomes involved. This includes facelifting, breast reduction and breast lifting.
Certain types of blepharoplasty, browlift and facial skin cancer removal can be undertaken while somebody is smoking but other versions of these same operations require absolute cessation.
Lower lid blepharoplasty in a smoker is much more likely to result in infection, ectropian (pulling the lashes down), the cheek and stiffness of the lower lids.
If a facial skin cancer requires a skin graft or a skin flap repair then these manoeuvres are more likely to fail when someone is smoking.
Healthy Weight Range
Risks of surgery and anaesthesia are reduced if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is less than 30. You can use this handy BMI calculator to calculate your BMI.
Mental Health
Make sure that you are coming for surgery because you want to, not because there are external stresses on you.
General Health and Wellbeing
Cosmetic procedures are elective, and so you have to be fit and well to undergo surgery and recovery well.