Scheduling a Consultation and Surgery

Whether you are local to Southern California or traveling from out of town, our patient coordinator Vicki Koplow is the direct liaison for all patients. If you are traveling from out of town for surgery, rest assured that Vicki understands the many details which must be taken care of to make the experience pleasant and convenient. The consultation process usually starts with an email or phone call to Vicki. You may also fill out the request form below. Instructions on how to properly take photos and upload them are found in the Photo Upload page of the Resources category.

Vicki will then schedule a telephone or Skype consultation between you and Dr. Teitelbaum. He will listen to what you want and determine a surgical plan. Vicki can then discuss pricing and scheduling with you. While Dr. Teitelbaum usually can ascertain what a patient wants to do from the virtual consultation, the plan is obviously only tentative until he sees you in person, which he always wants to do a day or two before the scheduled surgery. When you return home, your care will continue via ongoing telephone calls, emails, or Skype conversations.

Is there a fee for my consultation?

Many plastic surgeons who offer complimentary meetings actually pass you off to a "cosmetic consultant" or patient coordinator, or they may spend only a few moments with you.

As Dr. Teitelbaum schedules a large block of time for each prospective patient, and will always take as much time as you need to discuss your desires and your concerns, he does charge for the consultation and the fee is applied to surgery. There is usually an array of surgical options available, each involving different costs, risks, recoveries, scars, and results.

It is Dr. Teitelbaum's goal to explore these issues as thoroughly as possible, so that you can make a truly informed choice about what you want done. Whether you have the surgery done with Dr. Teitelbaum, by someone else, or not at all, you will be sure to leave with a dramatically enhanced understanding of your situation.

Scheduling A Surgery

Dr. Teitelbaum requires a consultation with all patients before performing their surgery. But if you have a specific time frame in mind, contact Vicki Koplow and she can tentatively place you on the surgery schedule.

If you are from out of town and unable to travel ahead of time for a separate consultation, she will arrange either a telephone consultation or consultation via Skype. In these situations Dr. Teitelbaum will want to see you the day before surgery so that he can examine you and go through everything again. There are times that patients have significant choices to mull over before surgery, options that cannot be determined until the in-patient consultation. When Dr. Teitelbaum anticipates these situations, he may ask you to come to town several days before surgery to give you time to think through your choices.

Local patients should make an appointment to see Dr. Teitelbaum in person for a consultation. He suggests that you make your consult as far in advance of your surgery as possible to allow ample time to receive your laboratory tests, X-rays, and other necessary preoperative clearance items, as well as to be sure that there will be availability on the schedule during the period you wish to have your surgery. It also gives you a chance to meet Dr. Teitelbaum on multiple occasions to ask him questions about your surgery.

Scheduling a Consultation and Surgery

Is there a fee for my consultation?

Scheduling A Surgery

Schedule a Consultation