You might be considering cosmetic surgery to improve your looks. You might end up pleased with the results, but there are potential down sides to consider before getting your procedure done.
What is cosmetic surgery?
Cosmetic surgery, also called plastic surgery, refers to procedures that are intended to improve the appearance of one’s face or body. Reconstructive surgery, which can be similar, replaces or repairs body parts that are missing or disfigured due to trauma, surgery such as for cancer, or birth defects. But cosmetic surgery’s only goal is to make you more attractive.
Kinds of cosmetic surgery
There are a number of kinds of cosmetic surgery, which involve removing, adding to, or stretching body tissues. These include:
- Botox
- Injectables
- Facelifts, nose jobs, lip augmentation
- Breast implants
- Breast reduction
- Liposuction
- Skin removal after weight loss
Let’s look at these. But first, consider the risk vs. benefit, and the risks of surgery in general.
Risk vs. benefit
With any surgical procedure, no matter how minor, there are potential problems that could come up. The risk has to be weighed against the benefit. In the case of reconstructive surgery, the choice is often clear-cut; surgery can make a huge difference in quality of life. But with cosmetic surgery, it can be more difficult to weigh risks and benefits. Information in this article can help.
Risks of surgery
Cosmetic procedures range from a quick in-office injection to major surgery with general anesthesia. As with any surgery, there are risks.
If anesthesia is used, there is a chance of an adverse reaction. These reactions, though rare, can be serious. An allergic reaction to anesthesia, antibiotics, other medications, or materials injected or implanted can occur, and can’t always be predicted.
Any surgery carries with it the risk of infection. In cosmetic surgery, especially facial surgery, nerves are sometimes cut, with results ranging from long-term pain to a drooping eyelid or sagging side of the mouth.
The doctor’s skill can vary, and even with no other adverse medical effects the result might not be what you wanted. The doctor can’t always anticipate such things as the formation of keloid (bumpy) scars, or differences in pigmentation. You might end up disliking the results so much that you’ll wish you had your old face or body back. Do plenty of shopping around to find the best cosmetic surgeon for you.
Any surgery involves a certain amount of time spent healing, with associated pain, swelling, and bruising. You’re going to look worse before you look better.
Cosmetic surgery can be expensive. Although reconstructive surgery is often covered by insurance, cosmetic surgery rarely is.
Botox
Botox is a potent bacterial toxin that is injected to erase forehead wrinkles and frown lines, which works by paralyzing the nerves that work the associated muscles. Even if the procedure works as it should, the effects wear off within months and the injections need to be repeated. Problems with Botox injections include drooping eyelids because the nerves to the eyelids were affected, or vision problems. Local or systemic allergic reactions can also occur. With those muscles paralyzed, you can’t frown even if you want to, and your face might feel stiff and strange.
Injectables
Injectables are used to fill in wrinkles and lines from the inside. A substance called hyaluronic acid is most often used, but one’s own fat can be harvested from elsewhere and injected, and natural (from cows) or synthetic collagen can be used.
The effect lasts for anywhere from a few months to a year or two. Problems with injectables include redness, bruising, swelling, pain, itching, and infection.
Lip augmentation is usually done by the injection of a filler, often one’s own fat, into the lips. Since the lips are so sensitive, this can be quite painful. The fullness of the lips will go down as healing progresses, so the doctor will usually overfill the lips, resulting in a swollen fish-lips appearance for a while. Since the desired effect is temporary, there is only a relatively brief window of ideal appearance between fish-lips and reverting to your normal appearance.
Facelifts
With age and gravity, parts of the face inevitably sag, with jowls or baggy eyelids. The effect of a facelift can be approximated by stretching the skin with your fingers; surgery makes these results more permanent. After the facelift your face will gradually, over years, settle back to where it was. This is why many people who get facelifts, or for that matter many cosmetic procedures, go back again and again for more of the same.
Breast implants
Breast implants are usually made of silicone gel or salt water in a plastic sac, and they are inserted between the nipple and the underlying muscle through the side under the arm. Fibromyalgia, joint pain, immune suppression, and chronic fatigue have been associated with these implants, which often have to be removed in order to recover. The sacs may rupture and silicone may migrate throughout the body, causing lumps in odd places as well as systemic illness. Some studies have shown that a majority of women have adverse health effects attributed to the implants. Another issue is that breast examination for tumors is hampered by the implants, so a cancer that would otherwise be detected by feel or mammogram might not be discovered until it is too late.
Implants can be placed in other parts of the body as well, with similar side effects. Popular implant sites include the cheeks, the rear end, the chin, and the pectoral area of a man’s chest.
Breast reduction
Breast reduction is usually considered to be a cosmetic procedure, for men as well as women, but if there is a medical indication such as back or shoulder pain from supporting very large breasts, insurance might cover it. Breast reduction is a major procedure; tissue is permanently removed and the nipple relocated, and skin is removed and tightened to lift the breasts. As with breast implants, the results might not be optimal. The breasts might not match, requiring further surgery. A vertical scar is usually visible under the nipple. Since milk ducts are severed in the surgery, breastfeeding is usually not an option afterwards. Nipples can permanently lose sensation.
Liposuction
Liposuction is the removal of fat, via a suction device inserted under their skin, from problem areas, such as saddlebag thighs. Although some people fantasize about having their fat suctioned out so they don’t need to diet, best results are obtained on people who have reached their ideal weight.
Liposuction removes both fat and the underlying fatty structure. The good news is that if you gain weight, you probably won’t gain it back in the liposuctioned areas. The bad news is that the fat has to go somewhere, and you might find that an area that wasn’t previously a problem; you might trade saddlebag thighs for a tummy pooch that you didn’t have before.
The bottom line
The rejuvenating effects sought with cosmetic surgery can often be obtained by improving your health and diet and by detoxification diet and other detox procedures, as discussed in the book Detox or Disease by Dr. Kellas and Dr. Dworkin, available at CAM. Glowing, less-puffy facial skin and a better-proportioned body can result from taking care of yourself from the inside.
Women especially are taught from an early age that their value lies in their appearance. Changes in self-esteem, as well as societal changes, can result in a person who is satisfied with her or his looks without surgery. But if you choose surgery, be realistic in your expectations, and do your research.
