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.
European Med Spa Series: Conclusion
October 25th, 2011
Med spas have existed in Europe for more than two hundred years, as we have discovered during our recent survey. Many of the early European thermal spas were originally developed to improve health and offer clients relaxation and a sense of rejuvenation in returning to their normal routine. Today, along with spas in America, the addition of anti-aging services seems to be front and center.
Although similar in approach, the spas are different. The main differences that I have seen appear to be in the subtlety of the results, which probably correlate with expectations. European women seem to focus on health, wellness and beauty, while American women likely buy into the media hype and glamorization of extreme youthful looks. There is an old saying for one to age gracefully, which I think can actually be achieved by more subtle nipntucks. I believe that by understanding classical aesthetic principles in cosmetic surgery and applying current technology, it is possible to achieve a natural and pleasing result. This result is more reminiscent of the rested and rejuvenated effect of the early European spas, that I aspire to provide to my patients.
Follow Us!
