Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

A GP referral is required to consult and proceed with cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. GP Referrals are now a requirement with AHPRA guidelines for cosmetic and medical procedures. Please visit this link for more information.

A referral is not required to book a consultation, however, you will need to obtain a GP referral prior to attending your consultation. If you do not have a valid GP referral at the time of your consultation, you will not be able to proceed with your appointment and we will have to reschedule your consultation.

Referrals allow our surgeons to bulk bill any consecutive visits to our clinic, and to qualify for any medical rebates from Medicare.

A referral from a GP is valid for 12 months and a referral from a specialist is valid for 3 months.

To book a consultation with Dr. Richardson, please call our clinic on 07 3268 3774 and our patient care team will be able to book your appointment for you.

You can also request a consultation with Dr. Richardson via our contact form.

To book a consultation with Dr. Rughani, please call our clinic on 07 3268 3774 and our patient care team will be able to book your appointment for you.

You can also request a consultation with Dr. Rughani via our contact form.

Following your consultation, you will be guided by your surgeon to our private Patient Consultation Hub where you will be assisted by one of our friendly Patient Liaisons who will further discuss your procedure with you, go through next steps and what’s involved, and answer any additional questions you may have.

You will receive your formal, personalised quote for your procedure following this consultation. Our dedicated Patient Liaison will sit down with you and step you through all of the associated fees, health fund information, hospital information, organise any subsequent consultations, discuss surgery timeframes and pre-operative planning with you, and detail the next steps to ensure that you are clear and informed on what is involved.

Patients are also welcome, and encouraged to schedule extra consultations if you feel that you have more questions for your surgeon and would like to further discuss your procedure to cover any aspect of your surgery before deciding to proceed with a procedure. Patients sometimes find that they have follow-up questions after their initial consultation, so scheduling a second consultation can help with giving you all the information you need in order to make an informed decision. Subsequent consultations are something that we encourage as we want our patients to feel comfortable, confident and well informed before proceeding with any kind of plastic surgery, and we make every effort to organise these for you in a timely manner that best suits both your timeline and your surgeon’s availability.

All additional consultations with your surgeon for your procedure within 12 months are bulk billed, including pre-operative consultations, phone consultations and all post-operative consultations (with a valid GP referral).

All surgical procedures require a 7-day cooling off period from the date of your second consultation before a surgery date can be secured and booked. This provides appropriate time for you to consider your procedure and risks before committing to proceed with surgery.

Patients seeking a medically-deemed surgical procedure, such as breast reduction surgery, are able to book their surgery following their first consultation.

Skin lesion patients may book their procedure immediately following their consultation upon advice from their surgeon.

Following your required consultations, patients can generally proceed with surgery as early as 6-8 weeks following their consultation.

Depending on the nature and urgency of your case, you may be able to proceed with surgery sooner. This is discussed on a case-by-case basis with your chosen surgeon.

Dr. Richardson operates at North Lakes Day Hospital, South Brisbane Day Hospital, Westside Private Hospital and St. Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital. These are all fully-accredited day hospitals with Queensland Health.

Dr. Rughani operates at Northwest Private Hospital, North Lakes Day Hospital, Herston Private Hospital, as well as the Royal Brisbnae & Women’s Hospital (RBWH). These are all fully-accredited hospitals with Queensland Health.

All plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery carries risks and should be considered seriously. With any invasive surgery, complications and adverse reactions can occur so it is important for patients to understand the risks involved and what you can do to minimise or prevent them.

Patients can minimise the possibility of complications arising by consulting a Specialist Plastic Surgeon for their procedure as they are properly qualified and accredited to perform invasive surgery.

It is important to remember that every patient has a different and unique anatomy, individual limitations and specific expectations, and not everyone is a suitable candidate for cosmetic surgery. At Brisbane Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery, we encourage patients to thoroughly discuss their motivations and personal circumstances with your chosen specialist plastic surgeon when considering a surgical procedure to ensure you can make an informed decision.

Yes, we offer face-to-face, phone and online (via ZOOM) consultations with our specialist plastic surgeons. Face-to-face appointments are available at two convenient locations:

• Hamilton Clinic: Suite 9, 33 Racecourse Road, Hamilton, Brisbane QLD 4007
• North Lakes Clinic: North Lakes Specialist Medical Centre, Suite 507, 6 North Lakes Drive, North Lakes QLD 4509

For more information or to book a phone or online consultation, please contact our friendly team.

A cosmetic or reconstructive consultation with Dr. Richardson is $350. This will cover you for all subsequent pre and post-operative appointments within 12 months of your initial consultation.

A cosmetic or reconstructive consultation with Dr. Rughani is $300. This will cover you for all subsequent pre and post-operative appointments within 12 months of your initial consultation.

A Skin Lesion/Skin Cancer consultation with Dr. Milap Rughani is $250.

Your surgeon’s fees are due no later than two weeks prior to your surgery date, unless otherwise advised.

You will receive a separate invoice to pay for your anaesthetist and this will come via email directly from your anaesthetist 1-2 weeks before your surgery. You will pay your hospital fees directly to the hospital on the day of your surgery, unless otherwise advised.

Following full payment of your surgeon’s fees, you will receive an itemised receipt to claim any rebates, if applicable. You are not able to claim any rebates until after you have had your surgical procedure.

We understand that surgery is a serious investment, and it is important to understand your options. No medical practitioner in Australia is allowed to directly offer payment plans for surgery, however, there are many external medical finance companies such as Total Lifestyle Credit (TLC) that are available to assist patients in funding their surgical procedure.

Patients may also opt to organise their own payment plan with us, where they pay for their surgical procedure in payment instalments leading up to their procedure. These instalments can be arranged to suit your personal preference and circumstances, with accounts to always be paid in full no later than 2 weeks prior to your planned surgery. Patients can also seek outside assistance with finance companies if you choose to arrange this yourself.

We do not encourage patients to access their superannuation for elective cosmetic surgery – although in some circumstances, superannuation may accessed to fund procedures that are listed on the MBS (i.e. procedures that attract an item number), at the discretion of the Australian Taxation Office.

Contact our friendly team to learn more about our accepted payment options.

Dr. Rughani is a Specialist Plastic Surgeon with an interest in skin cancer excision procedures, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery.

Consultations are available with Dr. Rughani for the following procedures:

• Skin Cancer Excision
• Head & Neck Surgery
• Scalp Reconstruction
• Scar Revision
• Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)
• Abdominoplasty
• Brachioplasty (arm lift)
• Thighplasty (thigh reduction)
• Liposuction
• Body Contouring

An extensive list of Dr. Rughani’s surgical procedures can be found on his website.

Breast implants have a limited lifespan and at some stage you may require additional surgeries to replace, upsize or downsize, reposition, or you may decide to get the implants removed entirely. Generally, it is recommended that breast implants are replaced every 10-15 years.

The time that it takes for a breast implant to reach the end of its lifespan varies between patients and some may even last up to 20 years without needing to replace them. It’s all a case of monitoring the shape and appearance of your breasts and scheduling regular check-ups.

Recovery following breast surgery, such as breast augmentation, reduction mammaplasty (breast reduction), revision breast augmentation (breast implant removal and replacement) and mastopexy (breast lift) is typically 6 weeks.

The recovery period and timeline will vary between patients.

Generally, patients with sedentary duties/low impact, office jobs can return to work around 1-2 weeks following surgery depending on how they are feeling.

Patients with more active jobs that require more movement should take between 2-3 weeks off work depending on their recovery and comfort levels.