Safety In Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic surgery is very fulfilling for the
patient and the Plastic Surgeon when it is done in a manner that is safe,
sound, and realistic. Here are “tips” to ensure a safe cosmetic surgery:
1. Know your doctor.
Too many cosmetic surgeries are done by non-qualified doctors. Check his
credentials. Try to know if he finished a formal residency training in
Plastic Surgery.
2.
Do not scout for the least expensive or the cheapest doctor. Give importance
on his academic and training background. Do not be swayed by his marketing
hype. Ask your friends and the previous patients about his quality of care.
3.
Beware of doctors who make astonishing promises, and who do not discuss
risks and complications.
4.
Be wary about doctors who “sell” a procedure for you. Do not allow any
doctor to force you into any procedure you do not want.
5.
Avoid controversial drugs, prosthetics and procedures that have no long term
studies and have not been proven to be safe. It is noteworthy to know if it
is FDA approved.
6.
Be skeptical about drugs or prosthetics that are the less expensive or the
so called cheaper versions. Take the quality of the drug or material into
consideration more than its cost. If undergoing breast augmentation, ask
about the maker of the breast implants.
7.
Do not allow yourself to be injected or undergo any medical/surgical
procedure in a beauty parlor or a similar facility.
8.
Make sure that the cosmetic center or clinic is equipped and certified.
Needless to say, there are cosmetic operations that are safer when performed
in the hospital. Inquire about the appropriateness of the operative setting.
9.
Be wary about clinics that are like one-stop-shops, where they do not give
attention to your medical history and medical problems.
10.
Avoid liquid silicon to be injected on your nose, breasts, or any part of
your body. The use of injected silicon has
been abandoned since 1975 because of its untoward results.
Plastic
Surgery Articles
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Her breast augmentation had resulted in
unsightly anatomic distortions and skin loss. She had to submit herself to
another plastic-reconstructive procedure on her return to the United States.
Of course, she was not the same person again. She felt mangled and
deformed...
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Cheiloplasty or cleft lip surgery
remains to be in the forefront of Plastic Surgery’s battle against physical
deformities with concomitant functional impairments. With proper timing of
surgery and diligent follow-up with the doctor, best results can...
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When a parent has cleft palate, there is a 2%
probability that the offspring will be affected. The same 2% probability is
expected for the next child when a sibling is affected without the parent.
When two of the children are affected, there is a 9% probability that the
next sibling...
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Liposuction and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) are
the most common forms of body contouring surgery. Each procedure has
specific indications, and subsequent advantages and disadvantages (including
possible complications...
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For the modern cosmetic surgeon, what is
forbidden or unethical is to compromise the safety of the patient just to
cut on costs or to gain profit; forcing patients on procedures they do not
want; concealing from the patient the possible complications of surgery;
using sub-standard prosthetics or implants; performing a procedure...
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Any form of surgery has its inherent risks and
possible complications, but suffice to say, there are margins of safety that
should not be compromised. Here are “tips” to ensure a safe cosmetic surgery...
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Plastic Surgery is of special interest. It is a
field where, literally speaking, results speak for themselves. Nobody can
hide a graft loss or a failed flap. An uneven eyelid or a twisted jaw is
obvious...Plastic surgeons cannot settle for anything less than the...
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Suffice to say that any
form of surgery has its inherent risks and possible complications, including
all forms of cosmetic operations has its inherent risks and possible
complications... you are in
better hands with the surgeon who is well
trained and capable of handling
complications... continue
reading |
Cosmetic - Plastic Surgery Terms
Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is recommended for patients
with redundant and flaccid abdominal skin, for those with excessive fat
tissue, abdominal muscular weakness, and with scar deformities in the
lower abdomen (striae of pregnancy). A large area of the lower abdomen is
removed (the full thickness of skin and fat is excised), the abdominal
wall tightened, the umbilicus reconstructed, and the remaining skin edges
sutured together. It is usually performed on women who are beyond their
reproductive years, and suffer the consequences of abdominal wall laxity
and redundant fat and skin after pregnancy.
Blepharoplasty or Eyelid Surgery addresses the complaint
of baggy eyelids. The eye area of the face plays a central role in the
expression of emotion, health, and aging. And the eyes show significant
changes as one gets older. The supportive underlying tissue around the
eyes weakens and the fatty tissues around the eyes protrude, resulting in
visible eye bags and swelling – a tired look. Facial rejuvenation is the
most common indication for eyelid surgery. Eyelid Surgery removes the
excess skin, the redundant muscles, and the protruding fat - offering a
more youthful appearance. Eyelid surgery restores the aging face.
Cleft lip is sometimes called the hare lip because of the
similarity to the animal’s divided upper lip. In the cleft lip there is a
vertical separation which usually traverses the full thickness of the upper
lip – the inner lining of the mouth, the muscle, and the skin. Depending on
the degree of deformity, cleft lip usually involves a disruption of the
nasal sill and the alveolus on the same side of the cleft. There are cases
when the separation of the lip is on both sides, or bilateral – the
disfiguring defect is more pronounced and harder to treat.
A
cleft palate may occur in combination with a cleft lip. Cleft
palate is an in-born separation of the roof of the mouth which puts a
barrier between the mouth and the nasal cavity. The palate or the roof of
the mouth has a hard and soft part. When you roll your tongue upwards you
can feel the hard palate. The soft palate is way at the back, it is integral
for speech. Affected children have hypernasal speech with difficulty with
certain words. Other impairments associated with cleft palate include:
maldevelopment and malpositioning of the teeth, difficulty of feeding, and
abnormal collection of fluid in the middle ear which may result to a chronic
ear infection. Cleft lip and palate surgery restores the anatomy of
individuals with in-born deformities.
Liposuction or Suction Assisted Lipectomy (SAL) is the
removal of fats under negative pressure using a cannula inserted
underneath the skin along the fatty layers through multiple small
incisions (yielding minimal scars). Liposuction is the most common form of
body contouring surgery. The body parts usually addressed with liposuction
are the abdomen, flanks (love-handles), arms, wings and back, and thighs.
Liposuction removes the stubborn bulges.
Mastopexy or Breast Lift is performed for women with
aging or sagging breasts for purposes of rejuvenation or enhancement.
Augmentation Mammoplasty, popularly known as Breast Augmentation, utilizes
an implant (saline or silicon) in order to enhance the breasts. With an
over-sized breasts that are severely droopy, usually causing back pains,
Breast Reduction (Reduction Mammoplasty) is recommended. A breast flap
surgery restores the lost breast after mastectomy because of cancer.
A
maxillofacial procedure restores a traumatic face from a
vehicular crash.
Nose Lift or Rhinoplasty is the surgical enhancement of
the nose. The two major parts of the nose that are given prime
consideration are the root or the “bridge” and the tip. Most Caucasians
undergo nasal reduction while most Asians, especially those coming from a
Malay ancestry, undergo augmentation or the so called “lift”. Most cases,
however, require remodeling of the nasal tip. Others also undergo trimming
of the over hanging ala. However, in Oriental Rhinoplasty, the general
attitude is simply to enhance the oriental features and avoid the pitfalls
of an obvious and unnatural look because of “caucasianizing” the elements
of the nose. Nose job recreates the nose.
Plastic Surgeons
are those who have formally finished a training program in Plastic &
Reconstructive Surgery, and perform cosmetic surgeries (on normal patients
who want body improvements or beautification) as well as reconstructive
operations (cases like burns, trauma, cancer defects, congenital
anomalies). Cosmetic surgeons are those who only perform surgery for
beautification.
A
skin graft heals the burn victim. |