Pratt Plastic Surgery
Friday, October 31, 2008
Cosmetic Surgery Risks
All surgery carries risks, and cosmetic surgery is no different. However, if you work with a welltrained, talented cosmetic surgeon with lots of experience who puts an emphasis on safety, these risks can be minimized. Every cosmetic surgery procedure has its own unique risks, so that breast augmentation risks are very different from liposuction risks. However, the potential risks possible with virtually all cosmetic surgical procedures include:
- Infection
- Bleeding/Hematoma
- Fluid Collection/Seroma
- Numbness or loss of skin sensation in operated area
- Delayed Healing
- Unfavorable cosmetic result due to pronounced or unusual scarring, asymmetry, and uneven skin contour
- Allergic Reaction
- Risk of Anesthesia
Fortunately, in the hands of a well trained, detail oriented cosmetic surgeon, the majority of these complications are either very rare, easily remedied, or both. But when you are choosing a cosmetic surgeon, make sure to talk to every candidate about surgical risks specific to the procedure you are considering. The skill of your surgeon, staff, and their preparedness for dealing with cosmetic surgical risk are significant predictors of your likelihood of an unfavorable outcome.
Another significant predictor of risk is your weight. If your Body Mass Index is at or close to ideal, the chance you will suffer a significant complication following surgery can be reduced to one fourth that of a morbidly obese person. Smokers also see a significantly increased chance of complications, especially infection, hematoma, and slowed healing.
After choosing the right surgeon, one of the best things you can do to decrease your likelihood of problems related to your cosmetic surgery, is to follow all your surgeon's pre- and post-operative instructions to the letter. And if you experience anything during your recovery period that seems out of keeping with what you were told to expect, make sure to contact the doctor's office immediately.
Some practices will avoid a thorough discussion of risks because they believe it will scare away potential patients, but at Pratt Plastic Surgery, we know that the first step to reducing risk is understanding risk. We won't take you on as a patient until we are sure that we can work together as a team in obtaining a successful, problem-free outcome. To learn more about the potential risks of cosmetic surgical procedures and how to minimize them, schedule a cosmetic surgery consultation with Dr. David F. Pratt in the Seattle area today.
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