Understanding the risks and complications of plastic surgery

Plastic Surgeon Houston

                                                                                                         

Introduction

Patients interested in undergoing plastic surgery to improve the appearance of their bodies or to correct certain features that have imperfections or are not harmonious to the rest of the anatomy should know that each and every plastic surgery procedure entails certain risks and complications.

Often, these risks can be reduced when choosing a board-certified and experienced plastic surgeon; however, not all risks can be avoided. Following the recommendations of the plastic surgeon for pre- and post-operative care will also help the patient minimize the risks and avoid certain complications, but not all of them.

In this article, we will discuss the risks and complications associated with plastic surgery and the necessity to understand them before scheduling the procedure.

Different types of risks and complications associated with plastic surgery

Any surgical act involves certain risks that arise from the act itself. These risks are associated with all surgical procedures, whether performed for aesthetic or medical reasons. These include risks related to anesthesia, post-operative risks, and the risks of getting unsatisfactory results after the procedure.

Risks associated with anesthesia

After you have decided to undergo plastic surgery, the surgeon will advise you to have a consultation with the anesthesiologist that will assist with your surgical procedure. It is the anesthesiologist’s responsibility to make you aware of the risks related to the anesthesia during the consultation and also to discuss with you why some risks might be increased by your current medical condition. Keep in mind that in all cases, it is the plastic surgeon’s decision about what anesthesia should be used. Generally speaking, many procedures nowadays can be performed with the use of local anesthesia with sedation; however, if the procedure is quite long, the recommendation will be to use general anesthesia that is more comfortable for the patient and safe to undergo.

You should know that the general anesthesia is now safer than ever and it won’t take years off your life as urban myth suggests. However, patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia can experience side effects such as nausea, vomiting, rashes, and others.

To minimize the risks associated with anesthesia, make sure to avoid eating and drinking at least six to eight hours before your procedure and follow the medical instructions about pre-operative care to the letter.

Post-operative risks

The surgical act entails the sectioning of blood vessels in a vast majority of cases. This means that bleeding can and will occur. The plastic surgeon will do his best to reduce the amount of bleeding, and you should also know that special techniques have been developed over the years with this specific goal in mind. For example, tumescent liposuction is often performed and preferred by plastic surgeons nowadays exactly because it limits the bleeding that occurs during and after the procedure.

To prevent the risk of excessive bleeding, the plastic surgeon will advise you to take some blood coagulation tests before scheduling the procedure just to make sure everything is fine and the risks are minimal. Moreover, certain medication such as aspirin and other anti-inflammatory pills should be avoided for at least two weeks before the procedure’s date as they could trigger excessive bleeding. If you are experiencing excessive bleeding after surgery, make sure to get in contact with the plastic surgeon and ask for advice.

The risk of developing an infection after plastic surgery is another aspect to discuss. The risk is high during the procedure and for the next 24-48 hours. After this, the risk decreases exponentially. When the procedure requires the use of an external prosthesis such as breast or butt implants, the risks are increased as deep tissue infection can occur (an infection in the pocket where the implant was placed). An experienced plastic surgeon will take all the necessary precautions to avoid the risk of deep tissue infection. The usual technique is to clean the implants with an antibiotic solution before the implantation and also to give the patient antibiotics through the IV during surgery. Deep tissue infection is a serious complication that might require the removal of the implants if antibiotics treatment doesn't give the desired results.

Generally speaking, infection is more likely to occur if the surgical incisions are positioned in areas where bacteria can proliferate easily or in areas difficult to keep clean and dry. For example, a high risk of developing an infection is associated with butt implant surgery due to the placement of the incisions in the intra-gluteal fold. The risk of infection occurring after minimally invasive procedures such as liposuction and fat transfer is low.

The patient should be aware of signs of infection. This means that high fever, intense pain, redness and swelling in the areas of the incisions or pus coming from the incision site should make you call your surgeon or doctor immediately. The treatment for infection is antibiotics. However, many plastic surgeons will prescribe antibiotics for five days post-op with a preventive goal. If this is the case, make sure to take the antibiotics as per doctor’s orders.

If an infection occurs, it can trigger another complication associated with plastic surgery, which is bad scarring. The scars are one of the costs the patients need to pay for getting the aesthetic improvement they desire. There is no surgical act that can be performed without leaving behind a scar. The scars left behind are often small, fine, white lines that blend well with the surrounding skin tissues when the cicatrization process is over. It can take up to one year or more for the scars to fully mature and heal.

For most patients, the scars left after plastic surgery are well-concealed in the natural folds of the body and barely visible. However, if the patient has a predisposition for abnormal scarring, keloid or hypertrophic scars can occur that can lead to an unsightly appearance of the scars. Bad scarring can also occur if the patient doesn’t follow the instructions for post-operative care, but in this case, the scars will just be bigger or have an asymmetric shape.

When external prostheses are used during plastic surgery, there are potential complications that come as a result. For example, if breast implants are used, the patient can expect to develop complications such as capsular contracture or rippling and wrinkling of the implants.

Another significant risk of undergoing plastic surgery is getting unsatisfactory results. This risk can be reduced by choosing an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon, but it can’t be completely eliminated. Achieving good results after plastic surgery is a combination of factors that starts with choosing the right plastic surgeon, but it is not only related to this.

During the pre-operative consultation, the patient must make sure that the plastic surgeon understands exactly what results are desired from the procedure. Communicating clearly and openly with the plastic surgeon will reduce the risks of getting unsatisfactory results. Also, it is essential to make sure you understand what the plastic surgeon says about the results to be expected. This is especially important in the case of major plastic surgery procedures such as breast reductions when the patient needs to be in perfect understanding with the plastic surgeon, otherwise the patient might end up with breasts that are still too big or too small compared to expectations.

Conclusion

A plastic surgery procedure is any type of surgical act performed with the purpose of modeling the patient’s body in order to improve physical appearance. Commonly performed plastic surgery procedures are liposuction, tummy tucks, breast and butt augmentations. Patients interested in getting plastic surgery should know that all procedures are associated with risks and potential complications that can occur during or after surgery.

Most of the risks and complications associated with plastic surgery are common to any other surgical procedure such as excessive bleeding, incisions and deep tissue infection and bad scarring. An important risk when considering plastic surgery is getting an unsatisfactory result.

Some of these risks can be avoided by choosing an experienced board-certified plastic surgeon and having the procedure done in an accredited medical facility. However, there is no way to completely eliminate them as they can also be triggered by a predisposition of the patient, not following post-operative instructions, or other factors.

Make sure to find out all the details about the risks and complications associated with the procedure you are interested in before scheduling your surgery.