Cosmetic Surgery: Unrealistic Expectations
December 14th, 2011
Who should have cosmetic surgery? So far, I have mentioned that physical health is a necessity before elective cosmetic surgery should be considered and that I require a current history and physical by an independent primary care physician before any patient is added to my schedule for surgery.
Let’s talk about patient expectations or why somebody is seeking cosmetic surgery to make a physical change. I evaluate patients on several levels. Patients with a good mental attitude, including healthy motivation are generally appropriate candidates for cosmetic surgery.
Unrealistic expectations or patients suffering from untreated body dysmorphic conditions do not make good surgical candidates and we can look to Michael Jackson to see why. They are frequently dissatisfied with the results, regardless of how they turn out and rarely see themselves in a realistic or accurate fashion.
A patient having surgery thinking it will save a personal relationship is never a good idea. Cosmetic surgery should not be done for someone else. The ideal motivation is driven by an internal sensitivity about a real physical feature, such as a hump on a nose or facial aging. Body changes or disfigurement may also be the result of illness, trauma, sun damage, pregnancy, genetics or birth deformity.
So healthy motivation and realistic expectations are the key factors in evaluating patients considering aesthetic surgery. Years of experience help me sort this out with prospective patients.
I find that healthy patients with appropriate motivation and realistic expectations make the happiest and most satisfied patients in my practice.
Who Should Have Cosmetic Surgery?
December 13th, 2011
Who should have cosmetic surgery? Evaluating appropriate candidates for cosmetic surgery includes several factors. My ultimate concern is for patient safety.
I recommend that patients with serious or uncontrolled medical conditions do not have elective cosmetic surgery. The risks of anesthesia and surgical complications are too great for a desired aesthetic surgery. I also require a current history and physical by an independent primary care physician. We frequently discover patients with undiagnosed hypertension in my clinic during routine consultation visits. Such conditions must be under proper control before surgery is even considered.
I strongly recommend that all tobacco and nicotine products be discontinued 4 weeks before surgery and abstained from for four weeks after. Smoking interferes with skin blood flow, healing and recovery. Certain procedures like tummy tuck and facelift can be prone to skin loss and terrible scarring due to a patient still smoking.
Excess weight also interferes with quality of result, as I have mentioned in a previous post. Extra subcutaneous fat interferes with skin tightening during body contouring surgery and there can also be an increased risk of infection after surgery. Finally, anesthesia complications are greater in patients carrying excess weight. I counsel patients to be within 20 pounds of their desired weight before considering cosmetic surgery.
Next time: Patients with unrealistic expectations.
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