The consultation journey

The consultation

You are seen in the rooms for an unhurried appointment. Dr Hoffmann takes a full medical history, examines the area concerned, and measures it. He will explain what the surgery can realistically change, what it cannot, and which alternatives exist — including doing nothing. Bring your questions written down; nothing is rushed.

• How long: allow 45 to 60 minutes in the rooms.
• What it costs: R 1 200, payable in cash on the day — the rooms do not have card facilities for consultations.
• Bring: your ID, medical aid card and membership number, a written list of every medication and supplement you take, details of previous surgery or anaesthetic problems, and your questions.
• What you leave with: a clear account of the options, and the measurements on which a plan will be drawn.

The plan

The plan is drawn and measured before anything is booked: technique, incision placement, and the trade-offs each choice carries. Most patients take this away and decide in their own time; a second consultation is welcomed.

• How long: the quotation usually follows within a few working days.
• What it costs: no charge to receive the written quotation.
• You receive: the surgical fee, the anaesthetist and hospital estimates, and the theatre date options.
• Decide in your own time. There is no deposit and no obligation until you confirm a date.

Theatre

Surgery is performed under general anaesthesia at an accredited facility with a specialist anaesthetist. Dr Hoffmann marks the planned lines on the morning of the operation, with you standing, before any sedation.

• How long: the operation itself is one to three hours depending on the procedure.
• Where: Netcare Sunward Park Hospital, Centurion Day Hospital or Life Brooklyn Day Hospital.
• Admission: you fast from midnight, arrive a few hours before the list, and either go home the same day or stay one night for observation and pain relief.
• Arrange in advance: someone to drive you home and to stay with you the first night.

Recovery and review

You leave with dressings, prescribed pain relief, and clear written instructions on activity, driving and returning to work. Follow-up reviews begin in the first week and continue through the months in which swelling settles and scars mature.

• Time off work: typically one to two weeks for desk work, longer for physical work.
• Reviews: first week, then at intervals through the healing period — included in the surgical fee.
• Driving and exercise resume on instruction, not on how you feel.
• The definitive result is judged late — at six to twelve months, depending on the procedure — not in the first few weeks.

The risks discussed before any date is confirmed

All surgery carries risk, including bleeding, infection, scarring, anaesthetic complications and the possibility of revision. These are discussed individually at consultation. Results vary between individuals, and no result is guaranteed.