cosmetic surgery risks and complications

Cosmetic Surgery Risks

Risk Factors Which are Common to All Operations

Right here, we deal with those post-operative complications that may occasionally happen with any kind of surgical procedure. Problems, which are unusual, specific or even unique to a particular procedure, are discussed in more detail within the relevant post.


The human body is an extremely complex entity. Despite our recently available knowledge, we are, nevertheless only scratching the surface of our understanding of the numerous intricate systems of its functions and behavior.


We have reasonably limited understanding and for that reason limited control over the complex process of healing that starts after we “down tools”. We depend on the elaborate biological, immunological and physical systems to interact in a controlled as well as synchronised method to heal the body’s tissue and give an acceptable cosmetic outcome with the least scarring or tell-tale signs of surgical treatment.


We anticipate our bodies to complete all this regardless of the degree of the physical attack inflicted through the surgery. The complex system of the process of healing is usually the patient’s closest friend. If just about all goes in accordance with the surgeon’s plans, an area which has been operated on, will heal rapidly with the minimum of swelling and bruising, leaving a thin scar, hardly visible to the naked eye.


However, the opposite can take place, through no fault of the doctor, and the operated area can become excessively bruised with long term pigmentation, continual swelling or even thickening of tissues along with a very noticeable disfiguring scar. And at worst, the post-operative overall look might be more disliked by the individual than the pre-operative one. Modification surgery may be needed in an attempt to enhance the final result. Fortunately this doesn’t occur very often in experienced hands but, whenever it does, this understandably leads to the patient as well as the surgeon, having cause for concern.


As mentioned previously, every surgical treatment carries a risk, even if carried out by the world’s best doctor. It is therefore important for anyone who is considering cosmetic surgery to ensure they are fully informed of the potential complications that could occasionally happen. This will reduce the disappointment and psychological trauma should anything go significantly wrong.


Anxious patients may not be happy to take the risk of undergoing cosmetic surgery once they have been advised of all the feasible consequences. Patients who are slightly more courageous, might be perfectly happy to go ahead however. Either way it is the patient’s decision, and an honest surgeon has a duty to provide a balanced account of all the possible dangers that can arise. In traditional surgery, the surgeon might try to convince a patient to have a procedure, because he believes it’s in their best medical interests to go forward. The benefits and advantages to their physical health may well over-shadow any dangers. However, this is certainly not the case in cosmetic surgery. By definition, it’s not medically crucial nor important. Thus the individual alone must choose whether they wish to potentially put themselves through the risks of the procedure. A few patients find it hard to translate statistical probabilities in to factors that affect their own decisions on a daily basis. For example, individuals who truly understand their chances of winning the lotto, don’t waste their money on a lottery ticket in the first place!


The majority of the cosmetic surgery risks and complications that can occur, only happen to a very few, ill-fated patients. Certainly, cosmetic surgery is actually safer and much more predictable compared to conventional surgical treatment, mainly because the patients tend to be healthy — or ought to be — prior to the operation. Severe post-operative problems are uncommon and, when they do happen, further surgical treatment will often correct or improve the result.


To be able to appreciate the reason why cosmetic surgery risks and complications are unpredictable or even indeed happen in the first instance, we should appreciate that each human being, as an individual, has a unique genetic or hereditary profile. The genetic profile ultimately regulates our health and exactly how we respond to a given group of outside stimuli or influences. It also regulates the way the healing process responds and reacts. Flaws can occasionally occur in the actual healing process and may predispose to a poor outcome.


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