Plastic Surgery FAQ

The questions Denver women ask most, answered by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Aline Rau

Here are answers to questions we hear most often at Amavi Aesthetic Surgery in Denver. From breast and body surgery to what happens at your consultation, what goes into the cost of a procedure, and what recovery looks like.

What happens before and during your consultation?

Your consultation is 75 minutes, one-on-one with Dr. Aline Rau. You'll talk through what's bothering you and what you'd like to change, and ask as many questions as you’d like.
After an exam, if one is needed, Dr. Aline Rau lays out the options that fit your anatomy and sets realistic expectations for each.
You leave with a personalized, all-inclusive quote and access to our private before-and-after gallery.
Read our guide to your first plastic surgery consultation for the complete picture.
Not necessarily. If you're not sure what to ask for, Jacove, our patient concierge, will help you narrow it down when you book. When you come in, describe what's bothering you or what you've been thinking about, and bring any wish photos you have.
Dr. Aline Rau listens before making recommendations, and as a female plastic surgeon, she relates to her patients’ goals. She will tell you whether the procedure you had in mind is a good, realistic fit, and whether another or additional procedure or treatment would get you the better result.
Yes, there's a $100 consultation fee, collected at booking.
Before your visit, you'll receive your intake forms by email. Please submit them no later than 2 business days before your consultation so Dr. Aline Rau can review your history in advance. Bring a list of your medications and supplements, along with any wish photos.
Yes. You meet Dr. Aline Rau at your consultation and pre-op appointment; she performs your surgery, and she sees you at every post-op visit.
Jacove, our patient concierge, handles your consultation scheduling and paperwork, and Amy, our practice manager, is with you at your pre-op visit, handles your pre-op paperwork, and schedules your post-op visits.
That continuity is a big part of the Amavi experience, and it's why patients tell us they felt cared for, from the first call to the last visit.

What do patients ask about breast surgery?

A breast augmentation increases breast size or restores lost fullness with a silicone or saline implant, or with your own fat.
A breast lift removes excess skin, reshapes the breast tissue, and moves the nipple to a higher, natural position, without adding volume. If your breasts sit where they should but are smaller than you'd like, you need an augmentation. If they've dropped after kids, nursing, or weight loss and the nipple sits at or below the crease, you need a lift.
If both are true, which is common, Dr. Aline Rau does both in one surgery.
Still unsure which you may need? Read our breast augmentation vs. breast lift guide.
Yes, with fat transfer breast augmentation. Dr. Aline Rau removes fat from your abdomen or flanks with liposuction and uses it to add fullness to your breasts.
The result is a subtle, natural-looking boost in fullness rather than a dramatic change in size. Implants remain the choice when you want a larger or more predictable change. Details are on our fat transfer breast augmentation page.
Most patients keep normal sensation, and many can still breastfeed, but no breast surgery can guarantee either. Temporary numbness in the first weeks is common.
Because pregnancy and nursing change the breast, Dr. Aline Rau recommends waiting until you're done having children before a lift or reduction. For augmentation, that's a judgment call you'll make together at your consultation.
No. Implants don't come with an expiration date, and there's no rule that says year ten means another surgery.
Breast implant revision is for a change you can point to: hardening, shifting, a rupture, a size that no longer fits your lifestyle, or simply wanting them out.

What do patients ask about body surgery?

Liposuction removes fat. A tummy tuck removes loose skin and repairs separated abdominal muscles. If you pinch your lower belly and it's mostly fat with skin that snaps back, liposuction will likely do it. If there's a fold of skin that rests over your waistband, stretch marks below your belly button, or a pooch that no amount of core work can fix, you may benefit most from a tummy tuck.
Many patients need both, and Dr. Aline Rau can perform them in a single surgery. Our liposuction vs. tummy tuck guide walks through the differences.
Most creations depart our studio within five business days; transit time depends on destination.
Yes, and it's one of the most common reasons patients come to us now. Once your weight has been stable for about six months, Dr. Aline Rau can remove the loose skin that diet, exercise, and medication can't.
Depending on what the weight loss left behind and where, that may be a standard tummy tuck, an extended one that wraps around the flanks, or an arm, thigh, or breast lift. Read about loose skin after GLP-1 weight loss.
A mommy makeover is a combination of procedures, usually a tummy tuck plus a breast lift, augmentation, or reduction, often with liposuction, done in a single surgery to reverse the changes caused by pregnancy and breastfeeding. Yes, wait until you're finished having children. Another pregnancy can stretch the skin and cause the repaired muscles to separate again.
Dr. Aline Rau may also recommend that you've finished breastfeeding and that your weight has been stable for about six months.

What should I know about plastic surgery costs in Denver?

It depends on the procedure, the approach Dr. Aline Rau recommends for you, and whether you're combining procedures.
At your consultation, Dr. Aline Rau builds your surgical plan, and you leave with a personalized, comprehensive quote for that exact plan.
Most creations depart our studio within five business days; transit time depends on destination.
Because the quotes rarely cover the same things. The biggest variables are the surgeon's training (a board-certified plastic surgeon with an aesthetic fellowship costs more than a physician from another specialty who added a short cosmetic course), where the surgery happens (an accredited surgical facility vs. an office procedure room), who administers anesthesia, and what's bundled in: garments and follow-up visits.
One number can be missing half of that. Before you compare, ask each practice what's included and who's doing what. Our guide to choosing a plastic surgeon in Denver lists the questions to ask.
Your quote covers the surgery itself, Dr. Aline Rau's fee, the surgical facility, anesthesia, your post-surgical garments and supplies, and every follow-up visit through your first year. Surgery takes place in an accredited surgical facility with a board-certified anesthesiologist. Prescriptions and any lab work your health requires are separate.
Insurance doesn't cover cosmetic surgery, and Amavi is a self-pay practice, so we don't bill insurance or provide paperwork for reimbursement.
We do offer financing through PatientFi. Checking whether you qualify takes a soft credit check that doesn't affect your score; there's no fee to apply, and payments are a fixed monthly amount with no hidden fees. Details are on our financing page.

What do patients ask about recovery and aftercare?

For most procedures, plan on being away from a desk job for one to two weeks. Liposuction and breast augmentation patients are often back within a week.
Tummy tuck and mommy makeover patients need two to three weeks, longer if your job is physical. Dr. Aline Rau provides a specific timeline during your consultation so you can plan your time off before booking a surgery date.
Driving: once you're off prescription pain medication and feel comfortable behind the wheel, usually within the first week or two.
Lifting: nothing heavier than a gallon of milk for about four weeks, and that includes your little ones.
Exercise: walking right away, lower-body workouts around week four, and full workouts, including core and chest, once Dr. Aline Rau clears you at about six weeks. Tummy tuck patients may be recommended to wait the full six weeks before any core work.
Every surgery leaves a scar, and Dr. Aline Rau plans each one to sit where clothing and swimwear hide it: in the fold under the breast, around the areola, below the bikini line, or inside a natural crease. Scars look pink and slightly raised at first, then flatten and fade over six to twelve months. We'll show you exactly where your incisions will be before you decide, and we'll guide your scar care.
We schedule your post op visits in advance. Depending on your surgery, we see you the day after or one week post-op, and at one, three, six, and twelve months, with extra visits whenever you need them. You also have 24/7 access to our team while you heal.
You go home with written post-op instructions that we've reviewed with you in detail, and your compression garment or support bra.
If you have a question or concern at any point in your recovery, we're a phone call away.

Still wondering about something?

Bring your questions to with you.

Dr. Aline Rau will listen first, tell you what's realistic, and build a plan around it. Your consultation is 75 minutes, one-on-one, and you don't have to decide anything that day.

Call us at (303) 381-0919 or complete the form below.