Body Cosmetic Surgery in Search of the Perfect Body

In Search of the Perfect Body

Wise preparation and careful aftercare can do much to speed healing and minimize the damage caused by cosmetic surgery and to boost your chances of achieving the result that you want. So prepare your body for cosmetic surgery by taking the following steps: lose weight if you need to; stop smoking; limit alcohol, cutting it out entirely two weeks before the operation; supplement your diet with vitamin C twice daily two weeks prior to surgery arnica four times daily from one week before and echinacea extract before and after surgery; avoid aspirin two weeks before and three weeks after surgery In addition, rest your body before and after surgery; and use extra virgin olive oil on damaged skin to relieve pain and reduce scarring.

Evaluating High Tech Treatments

What does cosmetic surgery achieve? Lifts don’t ultimately defy gravity: the average life expectancy of a face lift is 10 years when you’re in your 40s and only five if you’re in your 60s.

Cosmetic surgery wont stop your partner leaving if he’s already decided to do so; neither will it make you look 20 years younger or stop the clock. However, cosmetic surgery will help you to age at your preferred pace.

Listed below are the most common signs of aging that can be treated by cosmetic surgery together with the range of high-tech options for dealing with them. Some of these are “para surgical” solutions. For example, collagen injections for lips and lines; botulism toxin injections for frown lines; laser surgery for lifting and peeling treatments; chemical and fruit acid peels for badly sun-lined skin.

Drooping Face – six types of face lift for specific zones. Plus brow lift, lid lift and lower lid reduction brighten the eye area.

Lines and Wrinkles – lasers, chemical and AHA peels clarify skin and ease wrinkles. Botulism toxin injections paralyse frown muscles and smooth lines. Collagen injections and Gore-Tex implants smooth wrinkles around the mouth.

Double Chin – liposculpture removes fat from immediately below the skin.

Turkey Neck – face lift “tightens” any loose skin.

Neck Rings – a face lift, plus a chemical or AHA peel may soften, but not erase rings.

Sagging Breasts – breast reduction shrinks them; uplift moves them up the chest wall.

Small, Flat Breasts – implants augment or reconstruct after mastectomy.

Flabby Arms – arm reduction takes up slack skin, but scars are obvious.

Wrinkly Hands – skin removal is largely unsuccessful. Laser and chemical peels remove age spots, help smooth and slightly tighten loose skin.

Sagging Stomach – abdomlnoplasty or “tummy tuck” removes stretched muscles, loose skin and excess fat. Liposuction removes fat from pot bellies.

Drooping Bottom – a buttock lift raises their profile, but scars show in time.

Lumpy Hips and Thighs – liposuction removes excess fat from “love handles” and “saddlebag” thighs.

Varicose Veins – laser treatment, vein stripping and sclerotherapy offer varying success.

Fat Knees and Ankles – liposuction reduces fat in these zones.

BREASTS / IMPROVING YOUR BUSTLINE:

Breast Reduction

Suitable for: Heavy, pendulous breasts which are painful or embarrassing.

Involves: Cutting away part of the underside of the breast and repositioning the nipple, The scar circles the nipple, then runs downward from the nipple to the underside crease and along the crease itself in an anchor shape. Breasts scar more than any other zone.

Risks: Lopsided breasts; nipples placed unnaturally high. Nipples may become temporarily numb and very occasionally infected, resulting in removal. Breastfeeding is affected if milk ducts are damaged during surgery.

Recovery time: One or two nights in hospital and two to three weeks off work. Breasts stay bruised for about 12 weeks and you need to wear a support bra.

Breast Uplift

Suitable for: Drooping breasts and downwardly mobile nipples after pregnancy and breast-feeding. Advisable only after you have finished having babies.

Involves: Pulling the breast tissue further up the chest wall, reducing the underside skin and repositioning the nipple. The breast then looks pert, but there is no increase in size. If breasts end up looking too small, the surgeon may suggest implants.

Risks: Scarring similar to breast reduction; the vertical scar may initially be so tight that it pulls the breasts flat and square before it relaxes to allow a more naturally round shape – in up to six months. Loss of sensation in both breast and nipple.

Recovery time: As for reduction.

Breast Augmentation

Suitable for: Breasts that have shrunk or drooped after pregnancy. Naturally small breasts. Reconstruction after mastectomy.

Involves: A small incision is made in the armpit or around the aureola (coloured nipple surround). Keyhole surgery is also now used and scarring is tiny. Implants are inserted either in front or behind the chest wall, depending on the natural shape of the breast and the fullness, shape and feel desired.

Risks: Lopsided breasts; loss of nipple sensation; burst implants; thickened internal scar tissue that forms around the implants and causes hard, painful breasts.

Recovery time: An overnight stay in hospital. Pain and soreness subsides within a week; you can drive after 10 days and exercise after three weeks. You must wear a support bra for a month.

HIPS, THIGHS AND STOMACH:

Liposuction

Suitable for: Women, under 40 whose weight is within 6.5 kilos (1 stone) of their ideal. Liposuction is a zonal fat removal operation: saddlebag thighs, love handles and pot bellies respond best. It can also reduce fat knees and ankles.

Involves: A rigorous operation. Small cuts are made in the skin and hollow canula instruments are inserted. Fat-dissolving saline plus adrenaline which parts tat from muscles is injected. But fat cells in the hips and thighs are quite tough and the surgeon has to ram the canula vigorously back and forth to scramble fatty pockets prior to suction. Lasers and ultrasound are also used to liguidize tat cells.

Risks: No more than 3 litres (5-1/2 pints) of fat should be removed in a single operation, or the patient could go into clinical and potentially fatal shock. Blood vessels may become damaged. Surface puckering may worsen if the skin is slack; ridging may occur it channels of tat have been obviously and unevenly removed. Ultrasound can burn skin black and leave it numb for up to a year after surgery.

Recovery time: An overnight stay in hospital plus 24-hour wearing of compression garment for at least three weeks. Up to 1.5 litres (2-1/2 pints) of fat can be removed without an overnight stay. Pain and stiffness is usual. Swelling takes three to six months to subside.

The tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)

Suitable for: Stretched muscles, loose skin and fat accumulation especially after pregnancies. The “apron” of skin or scarring after Caesarian section or hysterectomy. This operation should only be considered if you’ve finished having children.

Involves: A hip-to-hip cut above the pubic bone and around the navel, which is left intact. Liposuction removes excess tat, and skin and tat is separated from the underlying abdominal muscle, which is tightened. Surplus skin and fat is trimmed off and the new edges are sewn together. A hole is made for the navel which is pulled through and repositioned. A “mini-tuck” version using endoscopy is sometimes possible for women under 40.

Risks: Major pain and scarring. Your stomach may never seem smooth again. Nerve damage and numbness. Chest infection resulting from the opening in the body cavity during surgery.

Recovery time: At least one night in hospital. Pressure garment must be worn for at least three weeks afterwards. Swelling can take up to six months to subside. Scars can take 12 months or more to fade.