Reaching out to a plastic surgery office can be intimidating. At the Elston Clinic, it never is. Our goal is to make every interaction as comfortable and caring as possible. We want to wade into the waters with you, and find out how we can best help you achieve your goals. It's easy as 1, 2, 3.
Step 1: The Consultation
After you reach out to us by phone or through our website, one of our staff members will call you shortly after. We’ll confirm your contact info, and what procedures you are interested in.
Virtual consultation
All patients will have a virtual consultation with Dr. Elston that lasts around 15 minutes, which will be scheduled at the time of your initial phone call. We want to give you the chance to get to know us, before deciding if we are the right fit or not. If you decide not to proceed with our clinic, then we hope to be able to point you towards other magnificent surgeons in the region.
For patients in Washington State, this virtual consult is absolutely free. As we have gotten more popular, we are getting inquiries from patients out of state and out of country. While most of these patients are interested in moving forward, some are just looking for more information or a diagnosis. Unfortunately, we have limited availability for these slots each week and for patients outside of Washington, we do charge a non-refundable $100 fee at the time of booking. Should you choose to move forward with an in person consult as an out of state patient, the $100 virtual consult fee you paid will be deducted from your in person consult fee (so it's basically like it's still free).
In-person examination
If the vibes are good, we move forward with scheduling an in-person consultation ($250 for self pay lipedema, $350 for insurance reimbursed lipedema). You should plan for an hour of meeting our team and taking a quick tour of our office space so you’re just as comfortable in our place as we are. At this appointment, Dr. Elston will perform a preliminary examination, discuss your health history, and photograph the areas receiving surgery. We will also take the time to go over all expectations and concerns.
These in-person examinations can be performed virtually for patients out of state or country.
Package options
Once the exam is complete we will put together a package for you, typically containing multiple options for how best to address your surgical goals. The different options are there to help you pick what will be right for you with regards to the desired downtime, how surgically aggressive you would like to be, and how “future-proof” you want to make yourself. We recommend bringing either a close friend, a spouse/partner, or a close family member to the consultation to help take in information and act as a sounding board. This person can be included, or excluded from any part of the consultation, depending on your preference.
Refund/Cancellation Policy:
We understand that life happens and things come up. For prospective patients wanting to change a virtual consult that required a $100 deposit, as long as you let us know 24 hours in advance we're happy to reschedule the consult once. Prospective patients that need to reschedule more than once or who no call/no show for their appointment forfeit their $100 deposit.
For prospective patients in Washington state who have scheduled a free virtual consultation that would like to change within 24 hours or that no call/now show for their appointment will not be able to reschedule unless they pay a $100 deposit. This is not meant to be punitive, but only to put some skin in the game so we're not giving away valuable appointment slots to prospective patients on the waiting list.
For patients that have had an in person or virtual hour long consultation and paid either the $250 self pay or $350 seeking insurance consult fees, please note that these fees are non-refundable after your consult. The consult fee includes our staff's time in scheduling the consult, the hour of meeting with medical professionals specializing in lipedema, coming up with a customized treatment plan, crafting a letter of medical necessity (for insurance), crafting a surgical plan with diagnosis and surgical codes (for insurance), as well as ongoing administrative and logistical efforts to schedule and perform your surgery.
For those patients who have a consult and decide they want to pursue treatment with another surgeon, no shame! There are a lot of good lipedema surgeons out there and we're happy you found someone that is going to help you. However, the consultation fee is still non-refundable.
For those patients who have a consult and their insurance ultimately denies their surgery or recommends pursuing other treatment options prior to lipedema liposuction, this was not a decision made by our clinic. The consult fee in this situation is also non-refundable.
Step 2: Day of Surgery
Surgery can be performed in one of two locations: the operating room or in the clinic.
Surgery in the clinic
If you’re having surgery in the clinic, you will be able to eat or drink right up to the procedure (please limit caffeine intake so you don’t have to go to the bathroom during surgery). You will be given prescriptions for pain and anxiety that we recommend taking just before the surgery so they have some time to take effect.
We then prepare you for your procedure in our suite. We use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to help calm your nerves during the numbing process. After the numbing medicine has kicked in, just sit back and relax for a few hours while we work our magic. You will be awake and able to choose music, talk to Dr. Elston and the staff, and get to know us even better.
Once the procedure is over, we will discuss how everything went and show you how to care for the healing areas. Because we don't use heavily sedating medications, you’re able to walk yourself out of the clinic, without experiencing any nausea or grogginess. The numbing medicine lasts long enough to get you through the procedure and then you take your pain medication as prescribed during your recovery. As soon as we finish the procedure, we will review aftercare instructions with you and your spouse/caregiver, and then you're on your way!
Surgery in the operating room
If you’re having surgery in the operating room under general anesthesia (with a breathing tube), you will not be able to have anything to eat or drink from midnight until after surgery, except for sips of water with medications. You will arrive at the surgery center at your scheduled time to meet the anesthesia provider and nursing staff that will be assisting, and have an IV placed. You typically need to be present 1.5-2 hours prior to surgery to make sure everything is ready.
After your surgery, you will be in the recovery room for 1-2 hours while you’re waking up. so that we can make sure your pain is under control. At this time you will be given some light snacks and juice. When everything looks good, you will be cleared to go home where you will follow post-operative instructions and activity restrictions.
Step 3: Aftercare
Depending on the type of procedure performed, we will see you back in the clinic for a check-up within 1-3 days. For some cases like a facelift or larger breast cases, we want to see you sooner to remove drains if they were placed, and to make sure your pain is managed.
If something comes up or feels concerning, just give us a call, and we will be happy to get you in as soon as possible. We’re a low volume, patient-centric clinic and since we don’t jam-pack our schedule we can slot in patients when they have a concern, no sweat! Additionally, all surgical patients are given Dr. Elston’s phone number for emergencies.
Recovery
When you book a surgery, you are given instructions on how to care for your incisions, which we will review again after the procedure. After that, just follow your care instructions and restrictions, and you'll be on your way to recovery.
Returning to things like showering, exercising, and other activities are different for every procedure. We encourage all questions even if they’re embarrassing so you heal uneventfully and safely. Ask away!
Healing
With general healing after surgery, you will have some degree of swelling for weeks or months depending on the procedure. The scars take between 6 months and 1 year to fully mature, soften, and fade in appearance. For a while after the procedure, you will likely feel pretty rundown since your body is healing and consuming more energy than you’re used to.
Worried about what supplies you will need after your surgery? Don't worry - we take care of all of that. We provide all of the supplies you will need after surgery including scar gel, Arnica tablets for bruising, underpads for drainage after liposuction, and bandages. These are included in the pricing that you will be given during your consultation.
For those who aren't having surgery with us, you can still find our list of supplies we recommend that can be purchased at Amazon below.
We’re available at every step of the process. Never be afraid to give us a call, or schedule a follow-up.
Supplies
Washable underpads for drainage after liposuction: https://amzn.to/3Kfimtj
Disposable underpads for drainage after liposuction: https://amzn.to/3wRsu8D
ACE bandages for light compression and to hold bandages in place: https://amzn.to/3VckHeO
Disposable Fluff Gauze Rolls (Kerlix): https://amzn.to/44TpRQk