4 Steps for Cosmetic Surgery: Let’s Begin
August 23rd, 2012
13.8 million people had surgery cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in the United States in 2011, according to he American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). For all of the procedures involving actual surgery, these four universal steps are followed. In this series, I will describe each of the steps in doing cosmetic surgery. Let’s start at the beginning.
Step 1: Skin Incision.
The first step in all cosmetic surgery is to cut the skin. Whenever the skin is incised through its full thickness, a permanent scar is left. By permanent, I mean the scar will never completely go away, but as cosmetic surgeons, we are trained in ways to minimize the appearance of scars. So, before the surgery starts, a surgical plan is designed and typically drawn on the skin, similar to the diagram of a football play you might have seen on TV. Careful placement and design of the incision are crucial steps to minimize leaving a visible scar, which will continue to fade substantially with time.
This initial surgical plan represents the aesthetic design aspect that is the cornerstone of all cosmetic plastic surgery. Of course, with purely elective cosmetic surgery, I have the luxury of time to plan and execute an aesthetic design. This is not always the case in a hospital setting when critical surgery is necessary.
Please check back next time for Part 2 of this series.
Mel’s Blog: My New Flat Tummy
August 13th, 2012
I am now 7 weeks post-op following my abdominoplasty or tummy tuck surgery and I love my stomach! The swelling isn’t completely gone yet, but so far the results are fantastic. I’ve NEVER had such a flat stomach in my whole life. I haven’t really changed sizes much, but my clothes fit very differently.
I decided to share my experience because I never thought that this was possible. I always thought that cosmetic surgery was out of my reach. Hollywood moms do this…not Midwestern moms! Well, this Midwestern mom sure did and it was worth it. Losing all of the extra weight that I wanted to lose before surgery worked out great, because now I feel like my tummy tuck was the finishing touch. Most of the people in my life don’t really notice a huge change, but I feel completely different. For the first time in my life, I don’t think about my stomach.
THAT made the whole thing worth it!
Thank you for sharing this experience with me.