To Pay or Not To Pay...
How hung up should we be on free consultations?

While it may seem that your surgery is the most important part of the plastic surgery process, your initial consultation is actually the most crucial step. Of course, the procedure and its results are the reason you're doing this; it's what matters. But, without several consultations involving a good dialogue between you and the doctor, you cut your chances for achieving the final product you desire.

Some research should be done on sources like this one, or through word of mouth, but once you make your cuts outside the office, schedule several consultations with different doctors. This is your chance to interview the doctors in person and determine who is best suited to your needs. It's an imperative apppointment, and one that can lead you to amazing success.

Attending several consultation that all cost money, though, can add up to a pre-surgery sum that you hadn't planned on. Luckily, many doctors provide free consultations, either as regular practice or as promotional offers.

If they don't free consultations, ask if the cost, or any portion of the cost, of the consultation will be applied to the procedure. If you learned of the doctor through a friend who was a previous patient, mention that -- it might get you a discount or a FREE pass.

If they do offer free consultations, ask if there will be any initial fees for skin or allergy tests.

As long as the doctors that spark your interest are offering free consultations, go for quantity. It certainly can't hurt. However, if there remains a doctor about whom you've heard great things, or whose qualifications greatly impress you, it might be worth your while to spend a little extra now in order to get a top doctor on your team and reap the benefits later.

In general, importance should be placed mostly on doctor qualifications, your ability to communicate with him or her, and the comfort level between the two of you. Free consultation vs. consultation fee aside, you must consider your goals, your instincts about the doctor, and the potential rewards for making the right choice.