Mia
If you are thinking about undergoing plastic surgery to improve your appearance, there are a few things you need to consider first. The following four questions (and follow-up questions) will help you make the right decisions as well as avoid any pitfalls.
1) How will I feel after the surgery? Will I be happy with my new look?
Before having any type of cosmetic surgery it is a good idea to spend time considering how you would feel afterward because cosmetic procedures can have important psychological consequences for patients and their bodies image. If you are a female candidate, it can be beneficial if you can discuss your plans with a female plastic surgeon, especially regarding cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. Sometimes, female candidates need the reassurance and compassion of their fellow female peers to better discuss their surgery plans.
Those considering cosmetic surgery should ask themselves if they have thought carefully about what they hope to achieve from the operation and how they would feel if their expectations were not met. Patients should be prepared for the possibility of feeling disappointed, sad, or depressed if they are not happy with the result.
2) Will I look worse after the surgery than what I wanted to fix?
Patients considering cosmetic surgeries need to be well informed about both the pros and cons of undergoing such an operation. Many people underestimate the potential risks involved in this type of surgical procedure. The above-mentioned questions are extremely important because sometimes having plastic surgery may lead to more problems instead of solving them. For example, you might end up looking worse than before your operation if you rush into it without doing research first. Cosmetic surgeries can cause serious side effects that can damage your health, in some cases even permanently. Therefore, you need to make 100 % certain about the decision before going under the knife.
3) Will my body image change after I have cosmetic surgery?
It is possible for a person’s self-perception to be altered after undergoing plastic surgery. Surgeries are designed to help patients feel better about their appearance, but it is not always the case when people develop unrealistic expectations towards this type of procedure. Patients should try to avoid placing pressure on themselves by thinking that they will automatically become more confident or happy with their new look when this may not actually happen. If you think that your low self-esteem was caused by your looks you might be wrong. However, if the surgery didn’t change anything for you it is important to consider that maybe you are not satisfied with yourself because of other reasons rather than how you look.
4) Do I have any medical issues that prevent me from having plastic surgery?
Cosmetic surgeries are usually safe but sometimes they may cause complications during the healing process or soon after the procedure even when performed by a qualified surgeon. Patients considering cosmetic procedures need to make sure that there aren’t any health risks associated with their decision. For example, it is very common for people who smoke before having plastic surgery to develop problems such as infection or bleeding due to their reduced blood flow that slows down the healing process.
It is best for patients to talk about their health history with a surgeon before having cosmetic surgery and make sure that there are no contraindications to the chosen procedure. Most importantly, it is important to understand that any surgical procedure can have risks associated with it even if performed by an experienced medical doctor. The only difference is that if you choose a highly qualified doctor who has many years of experience your chances of having problems will be significantly lower than when dealing with an inexperienced doctor.
Patients need to understand how long the recovery time for this type of surgery usually lasts so they won’t rush into making hasty decisions after being released from the hospital. This four questions guide should help you decide whether cosmetic procedures are worth all the hassle and how you should go about preparing for them.
