Why we insist on a cooling-off period

Every week someone asks us to operate sooner. A wedding is coming, a flight home to Houston is booked, or a decision has been building for years and waiting feels pointless. We understand. We still say no, kindly, every time.

At Lumiere there are at least 14 days between your consultation and your surgery, and 21 or 28 days for larger operations. Nothing is paid in that time apart from the consultation itself, and no date is held with a deposit.

What the days are for

A consultation is a lot to take in. You hear about risks, scars, recovery and costs in one hour, often while nervous. Most people remember perhaps half of it. The cooling-off period gives you time to read your written plan at home, to talk it over with family, and to come back with the questions that only appear on the third night.

The best questions arrive a week after the consultation, not during it.

It is also time for your body. Smokers stop, blood sugar settles, and a cold or a malaria episode can pass without forcing a last-minute cancellation.

What happens if you change your mind

Nothing, apart from a short message to your coordinator. Around one in six people who plan surgery with us decide not to go ahead, or to wait. We treat that as a good outcome, because it means the decision was really theirs. Example figure for this demo.

Why we do not make exceptions

Exceptions grow. If we shortened the period for a wedding, we would soon shorten it for a discount or a busy month. Holding one rule for everyone, including returning patients and our own families, keeps the decision about you and not about a calendar.

If your timing is tight, the journey planner shows the earliest realistic date, and our coordinators will help you plan around it. Every result is personal and no outcome is promised. Surgery carries real risks, which your surgeon explains in person before you decide anything.