Undergoing invasive cosmetic surgery is not a trivial matter - it is a major decision that should be made after serious consideration. When you've decided cosmetic surgery is for you, the actual surgical procedure is just a fragment of the process to becoming a better you.

At Toronto Cosmetic Clinic, we want each client to understand every aspect of the cosmetic surgical procedure they'd like to undergo. While we've tried to do this by providing an overview of all of the services available at our aesthetic medical clinic online, as well as offering a free initial consultation with our patient consultant to respond to any individual queries or concerns, we know that this may not be sufficient. That's why TCC gives printed documents that include information and a complete set of pre and post operative instructions related to a procedure to each client before they have surgery. On top of that, our knowledgeable staff and experienced doctors are always available for you, whether it be to answer a difficult question, talk about their own personal experiences (many of our own staff have personally undergone some type of cosmetic procedure) or even just to help settle your nerves. It's all part of informed consent.

Before informed consent became mandatory for all surgical procedures, surgery was performed with or without patient authorization. In many cases, if any type of consent was given, it was just the patient's signature on a generic form, although it was typical that no consent form was given at all. However, with growing concern of ethics, individuality and the protection of human rights, among other things, the idea of informing the patient and obtaining authorization prior to performing surgery or treatment became a priority. Despite some resistance from physicians, informed consent became a legal term that is now enforced by law in Canada and the US.

Consent is an ethical issue that protects the rights of an individual. It was in the 1950s that the term informed consent became an issue in the field of medicine.

To obtain informed consent for any type of surgery, the patient must be educated regarding the related specifics of the surgery in language that they can understand. Details may include the technical description of the surgery itself as well as its benefits and any alternatives that may be viable. The disclosure of risks is also necessary when obtaining informed consent - risks that may occur more frequently than others, so frequently in fact that they may be probable. Not every single risk is required to be detailed because it may overwhelm the patient and cause confusion. Any information presented must be truthful. If the patient is not capable of consenting, then a substitute must be determined capable and consent in their place. In either case, consent must be given voluntarily.

Without informed consent, the physician(s) performing surgery as well as the anesthetist and assisting nurse(s) are all actually committing a crime.

This is a brief overview of informed consent.