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.
Facelift Before a Cruise?
November 7th, 2011
My husband and I are going on a cruise for New Year’s, is it too late to get a facelift?
Modern facelift techniques have a relatively short recovery period, so most patients are out and about in six to seven days after surgery. However, the initial swelling and healing period following the surgery lasts for about 6 to 8 weeks. Assuming you are a good candidate for surgery, having the surgery now provides adequate recovery time for recovery before traveling.
It is important to remember a couple of things. First of all, it is never wise to plan elective surgery too close to a big event because there is often significant stress involved. Adequate preparation time for surgery and recovery help alleviate this added stress. We have several of my patients who wrote blog diaries about their own experience having a facelift. Use our Search Feature at the bottom right side of the page to read them, some include actual surgery footage.
Secondly, it is your responsibility to follow before and after instructions carefully for facelift surgery. A smooth recovery often rests on patients following doctor’s orders following surgery. The detailed instructions that I give to my patients are designed to reduce the risks of complications and offer the best insurance for a speedy recovery. Finally, completing facelift surgery at least 6 to 8 weeks before any big event, will enable you to look and feel your best. Allowing plenty of time for recovery assures a natural and rejuvenated look, so you will look and feel great in time for the New Year’s Eve toast on the ship!
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