About Dr Sophie Ricketts

Philosophy

The motto Beauty with Integrity in my practice emphasises my holistic and ethical approach to cosmetic surgery. As a specialist plastic surgeon I strive to achieve a balance between delivering aesthetic enhancements whilst adhering to ethical principles with the primary focus being my patient’s safety and well-being.

My practice ethos centres around the importance of personalised, natural results, professional conduct, comprehensive patient care as well as social responsibility. This motto signifies a commitment to excellence that is the tenet of my practice.

Ethical Practices

• Honesty: Providing truthful information about what is achievable.
• Patient Safety: Prioritising the health and safety of patients using the safest techniques and highest standards of care.
• Informed Consent: Ensuring patients fully understand the procedures, risks, and potential outcomes before making decisions.

Individualised Care

Personalised planning: Surgical recommendations are made based on each person’s individual anatomy, medical history, and circumstances.

Outcome considerations: The aim of treatment is to achieve results that are proportionate and appropriate for the individual, while recognising that outcomes vary and cannot be guaranteed.

Professional Integrity

• Ongoing Education: Continuously updating skills and knowledge to offer the latest treatments and techniques.
• Professionalism: Maintaining a high standard of professionalism, including respect for patient privacy and dignity.

Emotional and Psychological Support

• Comprehensive Care: Providing emotional support and counselling as part of the treatment plan, recognising the psychological aspects of cosmetic surgery.
• Realistic Expectations: Helping patients set realistic expectations, and ensuring they are seeking surgery for healthy, self-affirming reasons rather than to conform to external pressures.

Sustainable Practices

Environmental Responsibility: Implementing eco-friendly practices in the clinic, such as reducing waste and using sustainable materials where possible.

Community and Social Responsibility

• Giving Back: Engaging in pro bono work with Interplast, to offer reconstructive surgery for those in need due to injury, illness, or congenital defects in the Asia Pacific.
• Teaching: Teaching and mentoring specialist plastic surgery trainees in two busy Melbourne public hospitals; St Vincent’s Hospital and The Alfred.
• Advocacy: Promoting body positivity and challenging unrealistic beauty standards within the media and society.

Training

Dr. Sophie Ricketts
Specialist Plastic Surgeon, MBBS FRACS (Plast)

I graduated with Honors in Bachelor of Medical Science and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Tasmania. I relocated to Melbourne to begin my surgical training.

I completed four years of Basic Surgical Training at St Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne. I was then selected by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to train as a Specialist Plastic Surgeon. This training took me to many of the large metropolitan Melbourne hospitals including The Royal Melbourne, The Alfred, The Royal Children’s and St Vincent’s hospitals. Working with world leaders in the field of plastic surgery, I believe my training here in Melbourne was first class.

This Advanced Specialist Training, completed in 2010, gave me a Fellowship in Plastic Surgery through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. This is the highest qualification in Plastic Surgery.

Overseas experience

I then travelled to Canada to train at Toronto’s major trauma centre, Sunnybrook Hospital. It is here that I developed my surgical skills in rhinoplasty, adult craniofacial and trauma surgery. I also took some time away from the trauma to refine the skills I had learned during training in facial aesthetic surgery.

My time in Toronto allowed me to mature my surgical skills. I found that learning to manage facial trauma and facial bone fractures helped me achieve excellence in facial aesthetic surgery. I learnt the importance of the facial skeleton as the foundation for the face, its support of overlying structures, and the key elements of reversing the aging process.

Public hospital work

Twelve years after graduating from medical school, I returned to Melbourne to take up two busy city hospital appointments at St Vincent’s and the Alfred Hospitals and start my private practice. I was delighted to be invited to work at two complementary institutions. At The Alfred I help patients who have experienced trauma and St Vincent’s is where I reconstruct imperfections that are the result of cancer such as breast cancer, oral cancer and sarcoma.

Choosing your surgeon

There are two groups of practitioners that call themselves Plastic or Cosmetic surgeons.

One group are Specialist Plastic Surgeons with formal and lengthy surgical training as part of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS). They have the qualification FRACS (Plast) written after their name. I belong to this group.

The other group have a medical school degree and an interest in cosmetic surgery but have not completed training and fellowship examinations with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

If you are looking for a Specialist Plastic Surgeon trained in all aspects of discipline with the highest possible qualification, then look for FRACS (Plast) in addition to MBBS as their qualifications.

Patient coordinators

Meet Hayley and Michelle

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