faq's

• Every procedure and individual is different, although many plastic surgery procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, our clinic priortises comfort and care across all treatments.
• More extensive procedures may require a one or two night stay. You will be advised of these details during your initial consultation with our surgeons.
• Your comfort and safety is of utmost importance. With this in mind, Mr Bialostocki and his team, have chosen to work with the highly trained theatre staff at Tauranga’s Grace Hospital.
• All sedation and general anaesthesia is performed by our qualified specialist anaethetist, Dr Justin Imrie.
• Individual plastic surgery procedures carry different levels of discomfort. Regardless of the surgery or treatment you are having, safety and comfort preferences are carefully considered and help to determine what type of anaesthesia will be used.
• Topical anaesthetic is typically used for minor and non-invasive surgeries. Minor invasive surgeries usually require an injected  local anaesthetic. For invasive or involved surgeries, general anaesthetic is dominantly used.
  Post-operative pain is assessed on an individual basis and you will be monitored closely to ensure the appropriate level of pain control is prescribed for you. Most facial cosmetic operations have minimal post-operative discomfort.

• In accordance with New Zealand law, you are not permitted to drive for 24 hours following a general anaesthetic or any procedure involving intravenous sedation. Our team recommend you organise someone to drive you after any local procedure and certainly for any procedure done under sedation at Grace Hospital
• For breast operations, abdominoplasties and TRAMS, we strongly advise patients not to drive for at least two weeks post-operatively.
• In order to assist return to normal activities post-surgery, patients are encouraged to begin a slow walking routine two days after their operation. More vigorous aerobic activities are not permitted during the first two weeks. This is because rigourous exercise can increase the risk of bleeding, swelling and bruising. The majority of patients should also avoid contact sports  for four-to-six weeks.
• Many patients need to know how long it will be until they can return to work, in order to carefully schedule their surgery.  Every procedure is different and there is a lot of variability between individuals – influenced by job type, which recreational activities you enjoy and so forth. During your initial consultation with your plastic surgeon, our surgeons will provide guidelines for your expected recovery time.
• Our nurses are available to discuss your post-operative care and recovery with you at any time. We understand concerns do arise and welcome your enquiry. Please call the plastic Surgery nurses on 07 578-5350 or email on plastic.nurse@davinciclinic.co.nz

• Mr Bialostocki's focus is on safely achieving optimal aesthtic outcomes for all patients undergoing cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures. Best results mean scarring is kept to a minimum. Each time the skin is cut, with either a scalpel or laser, a surgical scar results. The position of the scar, the healing process of each individual and the degree and tension placed on the scar influence the quality and appearance of it.
• Personal, familial and racial factors can influence types of scars and these cannot be controlled by Mr Bialostocki.
• Mr Bialostocki makes every effort to keep scars to a minimum. He generally positions them  in the natural lines and creases of the skin.

• For most procedures, scars fade over time and become barely visible.
• Keloid scars are genetic and generally occur in darker skin people. Typically they will grow larger than the original scar, and can be sensitive, itchy and red. Despite the most meticulous surgery techniques, they can occasionally take up to a year to become apparent. If these scars are re-operated on, there is ~80% chance of recurrence. Often non-surgical techniques are offered for treatment, such as steroid injections which work to reduce scarring symptoms such as itching.
• Hypertophic scars typically occur because of some interruption to the normal healing process i.e. infection, excessive wound tension, the wound opening up and needing to heal itself, and some burn scars. Irrespective of your genetic background, if the scar is re-done, and you have avoided the sub-optimal healing factors, these can heal normally.
• ACC will fund revisional surgery on scars if there is a functional improvement expected. Revision for purely cosmetic reasons is unlikely to be covered by ACC, however Mr Bialostocki can assess you and if appropriate, make an application on your behalf.

• Ideally, Mr Bialostocki likes to see patients at least one week prior to their surgery date.
• Our clinic does not recommend long-haul i.e. international travel/flying within two weeks of surgery taking over 90 minutes.
• Patients flying to see Mr Bialostocki  for surgery outside of New Zealand are at an increased risk of clots in either leg or lung, and this complication can be serious or even life threatening  (long flights and surgery are both risk factors for clots, and both together multiply this risk). While it is possible to have surgery done during a visit to New Zealand, every caution to prevent clots will need to be taken. This includes starting on a low dose aspirin before your flight to New Zealand, wearing a very good quality calf-compression stocking, making sure you are well hydrated the entire duration of your flights and visit to New Zealand, and remaining as mobile as is practically possible. During and post-surgery our staff will ensure you stay well hydrated, provide sequential calf compressors and a thrombo-embolism prevention stocking, and assist you with mobilisation as soon as you are able. You will need to stay in the Tauranga region for approximately two weeks post-surgery, before it is safe for you to depart on a return long-haul flight. Please note that you will also be required to stay longer if you experience unforeseen complications.
• As part of your assessment, we may ask for you to send clear, high resolution photos of yourself to Mr Bialostocki in advance. Our staff will advise you of the required angles and background to use. We will also email our pre-operative questionnaire for you to complete and scan back to us.
• We request you advise our plastic surgery nurses as soon as you confirm your arrival date so they can arrange for you to see both Mr Bialostocki and ouranaethetist, for consultation soon after your arrival. Our nurses will also pencil you in for a possible surgery date one week after arrival. This way secures a slot if both you and Mr Bialostocki are happy to go ahead with surgery at the time of consultation.This built-in delay between your arrival and surgery will reduce your risk of clots after the procedure, and allows our team time to make sure we can procure the correct size implants (if you are undergoing breast surgery) etc. chosen at time of consultation.

From Mr Bialostocki personal and specialist point of view, medical tourism overseas is not recommended. There are many qualified and skilled surgeons operating overseas, however unfortunately, we see numerous complications when patients return to New Zealand. Some complications can be treated but others i.e. poorly placed incisions, cannot be reversed. When patients with complications and unsatisfactory outcomes, following surgery overseas, meetwith Mr Bialostcocki upon returning home, they are charged our normal consultation and surgical fees, with any overseas cost savings wiped out. Normally, most complications resulting from any New Zealand plastic surgeries are managed at minimal or no additional charge.

ACC has made it clear they will not cover overseas medical treatment for procedures carried out by surgeons not of an equivalent qualification and standard to that which is expected in New Zealand. No insurer will cover an unsatisfactory cosmetic outcome.

“I would strongly recommend you have a consultation with a New Zealand plastic surgeon before you commit to overseas procedures, so you are aware of what the state of the art techniques and outcomes are." – Mr Adam Bialostocki MBCHB (OTAGO), FRACS (Plastics)

• Should you require several treatments at once, firstly, we recommend making an appointment for a planning consultation so we can carefully schedule your time for treatment and avoid delays to either yourself or other patients. There is no charge for such a consultation with either our nurse injectors, or our appearance doctor. You can also make an appointment to see Mr Bialostocki for a full assessment and discussion of your particular concerns and wishes, and all options available to you, at a standard consultation charge.
• For first time Botox® (Botulinum Toxin A) patients we recommend a one hour appointment (for consultation and treatment).
• For initial dermal filler consultation and treatment, we set aside an hour-and-a-half (though this can take up to three hours if you are receiving multiple treatments during the one session). Our staff will advise you of timing when you call for your appointment.
• Topical anaesthetic or injected local anaesthetic (if requested) is included in the cost of your treatment.

• Any procedure or treatment performed by Mr Bialostocki at Da Vinci Plastic Surgery Clinic is weighted with privacy at all times. As a condition of employment, our staff are bound by strict confidentiality requirements with regard to all medical records.
• Rest assured your medical file will not be released without your consent, except under circumstances where it is required by law.

Yes, melanoma is one of the most serious skin cancers – New Zealand has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world.

• The word ‘plastic’ derives from a Greek word meaning ‘moulding’ or ‘giving form’. Plastic surgery does not involve the use of plastics during surgery.
• Reconstructive surgery is performed to improve function and/or minimise disfigurement which has occurred as the result of an accident, disease or birth defect.
• Aesthetic or cosmetic surgery is concerned with improving a person’s appearance by reshaping facial or bodily features.
• Minor cosmetic and reconstructive procedures are performed at Da Vinci Plastic Surgery Clinic, 727 Cameron Road, Tauranga. More significant procedures are performed at Grace Hospital, Oropi, Tauranga.
• Liposuction and elevation or muscle-tightening procedures can be a little uncomfortable i.e. breast augmentation or abdominoplasty. This discomfort has been compared to that experienced after a C-section.