Cosmetic surgery is a type of plastic surgery that aims to improve a person’s look. But, one should use it cautiously.
Cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly popular, with 15.1 million cosmetic operations performed in the United States in 2013, a 3% rise over the previous year.
Procedures for almost every area of the body are available. But you should not make a choice to have cosmetic surgery lightly. Because the results are often permanent, it is important to:
- Be sure about your decision
- Work with a qualified practitioner
- Have the correct motivation
A surgeon may refer a patient for counseling before surgery if they believe the surgery cannot solve an underlying problem or show signs of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
When objective evidence suggests that a person’s appearance is fine, BDD might cause them to think that something is seriously wrong with it.
Another type of plastic surgery is reconstructive surgery. It aims to restore function and give a normal appearance to a damaged area of a person’s body, such as after a mastectomy. This article will only discuss cosmetic surgery.
What Is Cosmetic Surgery?
Cosmetic surgery procedures, techniques, and concepts are entirely focused on improving a patient’s appearance. Aesthetic appeal, symmetry, and proportion are the key objectives. You can have aesthetic surgery on any part of the head, neck, or body. We consider cosmetic surgeries elective since they treat areas that function properly. Cosmetic elective treatments are performed out by doctors from a wide variety of medical fields, including plastic surgeons.
Types Of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures
1. Breast Surgery
Women May Do Breast Surgery To Improve Their Body Shape. Mammoplasty Procedures May Involve The Following:
- Breast augmentation, or enlargement, has traditionally been performed using saline or silicone gel prostheses but is now occasionally performed with fat grafting.
- It may be performed if the lady thinks her breasts are too tiny, if one breast is larger than the other, or if the breasts have changed due to pregnancy or breastfeeding. Some older women choose this treatment when their breasts begin to droop due to skin elasticity loss.
- Breast reduction can help relieve physical discomfort. But people more commonly use augmentation to improve appearance. Breast reduction may also reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who are susceptible to the disease.
- Mastopexy, often known as a breast lift, removes skin and glandular tissue from the breasts and rearranges the remaining tissue to make the breast look lifted.
Doctors can combine mastopexy with an implant depending on how much volume a patient has lost or wishes. While it is comparable to a breast reduction in that much more tissue is removed, major insurance carriers do not usually cover mastopexy since it is not deemed medically necessary.
- Abdominoplasty, sometimes known as a “tummy tuck,” reshapes and firms the abdomen. Doctors remove excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen to tighten the abdominal wall’s muscle and fascia. This may be suitable after a pregnancy or after a massive weight loss.
2. Other Body Contouring Procedures
Buttock Augmentation. Buttock augmentation enlarges the buttocks to improve their look. The surgeon will either liposuction fat from another area of the patient’s body or transplant fat from another part of the patient’s body. This is known as the “Brazilian Butt lift.”
Buttock Lift. A buttock lift, also known as a lower body lift, is a procedure that includes removing extra skin from the hips, buttocks, and thighs in order to tighten and raise them. In patients who have lost a huge amount of weight through bariatric or weight reduction surgery, these procedures are often combined with abdominoplasty.
3. Facial Cosmetic Surgery
Blepharoplasty, often known as eyelid surgery, is used to reshape the eyelids. The skin loosens with age, and there may be drooping or hooding of the upper lids and bags on the lower lids. The goal of eyelid surgery is functional, cosmetic, or both. It usually entails removing or repositioning extra skin and fat. And it may also require reinforcing surrounding muscles and tendons. Facial surgery can change the shape of the face or tighten the skin.
Rhinoplasty, commonly known as a “nose job,” is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon reshapes the patient’s nose to improve both looks and, in some cases, breathing. It may mean reshaping the tip of the nose and decreasing the bony hump on the upper side of the nose. Surgeons do not recommend rhinoplasty until the patient is at least 15 years old to develop the nose’s cartilage and bone fully.
Otoplasty, or ear surgery, tries to correct prominent or misshapen ears by suturing the ear closer to the head, reshaping the cartilage, or both. It is possible to treat one or both ears. Doctors most often perform it on children over the age of 5 or 6, as the ears have essentially reached adult size by that time.
Rhytidectomy, commonly known as a facelift, is a surgical procedure aiming to remove wrinkles and tighten facial skin to create a more youthful appearance. The incision is usually made in front of and behind the ears. And it extends into the hairline in the temple area. A doctor removes excess skin and pulls the skin away from the underlying facial tissue. After that, the doctor stitches the incisions.
Chin augmentation aims to increase the prominence of the chin and give a better balance of facial features. Depending on the measurements collected before surgery, doctors may do it at the same time as rhinoplasty.
4. Hair Transplantation
Those who have lost their hair may be able to regrow it through surgery. Hair transplant surgery is a type of cosmetic surgery that can help in the renewal of hair growth.
Doctors may take tiny hair follicle grafts from the back of the scalp, where the hair is denser. Then, they implant it through tiny incisions to the areas of the scalp affected by hair loss.
Patients may need many sessions to reach the desired results. The transplanted hair will fall out after 6 weeks. But new hair will grow in around 3 months.
Anyone considering cosmetic surgery should refrain from smoking or using tobacco products for at least six months before the operation, as they can interfere with wound healing.
Factors To Consider
Before deciding on cosmetic surgery, people should carefully consider their options.
Here Are Some Suggestions:
- Select a trustworthy surgeon and checking their credentials.
- After getting the surgeon’s advice, make your own decisions and resist being convinced to do anything you didn’t want previously.
- Gather complete information on the surgery and weigh all of the benefits and disadvantages ahead of time.
- Be aware of any risks and limitations, such as if this will need to be redone in 6 months.
- Find the best time, avoiding, for example, the time around a stressful event such as a job change, bereavement, having a baby, or moving house.
- Never seek cosmetic surgery to please or impress others.
- Do not go too far for treatment, or if you must, make sure the arrangements are dependable, especially if you are having surgery abroad.
- Avoid non-refundable deposits, and be ready to change your mind.
Side Effects
Complications are a risk with any surgery.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons advises patients to seek immediate medical treatment if they have any of the following symptoms during or immediately after surgery:
- Unusual pain
- Visual disturbances
- Whitish skin in the area of an injection site
- Stroke symptoms
You should discuss any decision to have cosmetic surgery with a primary healthcare practitioner, such as a family doctor.
