Visiting Us

Before Your First Consultation

There is generally a short delay to obtain a consultation as our practice is busy. 

If you are coming to see Dr Kennedy regarding a cosmetic issue, you must have 2 consultations and a 7 day cooling off period before booking surgery.  You must bring a referral for any type of consultation with Dr Kennedy or Dr Wiper. 


Interstate and Country 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.

Obtain a referral from your general practitioner

This applies to all procedures, cosmetic and plastic.  If your surgery has an item number, there will be a Medicare and health fund rebate.

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.

Weight loss

Risks of surgery and anaesthesia are smaller if your Body Mass Index (BMI) is not greater 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.

 

Health and wellbeing

Cosmetic procedures are elective and so you have to be fit and well.