Is plastic surgery more dangerous than other surgical procedures?
Introduction
From what can be seen online and in everyday life, there are often two categories of people that are very vocal about plastic surgery. On the one hand we have people who believe that plastic surgery is no more dangerous than a walk in the park, and on the other hand we have people who tend to augment the risks associated with plastic surgery and make these types of procedures look like a real evil. The reality is very far from both these two myths. The truth is that there are risks and potential complications associated with any type of surgical procedure, whether it is performed for aesthetic purposes or not. At the same time, it is important to mention from the beginning that there are no additional risks associated with undergoing plastic surgery compared to other types of surgical procedures.
In this article, we will discuss the common risks associated with plastic surgery and other types of surgery, why it is dangerous to undergo plastic surgery abroad, and what to avoid at all costs when it comes to plastic surgery.
Risks associated with plastic surgery
As shown by the reports released by the American Society of Plastic Surgery, the risk of developing a complication after undergoing plastic surgery is less than 1%. However, there are general risks associated with undergoing any type of surgical procedure, such as:
– Risks associated with the use of anesthesia. Certain patients have hyperactivity during anesthesia or sedation. Cardiac arrhythmia and the obstruction of the respiratory ways are possible anesthetic complications, but the anesthetist has the means to prevent this situation or correct them if they happen. When waking up from the effects of the general anesthesia, the patient might vomit and aspire it. This is the reason why the recommendation is not to eat for a minimum of eight hours or more before undergoing a plastic surgery procedure.
– Excessive blood loss during and after plastic surgery. The plastic surgeon will fix this if it happens during the operation. When occurring post-operatively, the patient needs to contact the plastic surgeon or a member of the medical staff.
– Deep vein thrombosis is characterized by the clotting of a vein. It can occur when complex procedures are performed, especially on the abdomen or due to pre-existing health conditions. Anticoagulant medication might be prescribed by the plastic surgeon and patients are also advised to stop birth control medication a month before the procedure.
– Infection. After any type of sectioning of the skin, infections can develop. Some procedures have an increased risk of developing an infection while others have a very low risk. For example, butt augmentation with implants is a procedure where patients are advised to pay a lot of attention to the wounds post-op as infections can occur due to the location of the incisions in the intragluteal fold close to the anus.
Other risks that can occur after a plastic surgery procedure are skin and fat tissue necrosis (mostly in the case of patients who smoke), wound dehiscence, asymmetries, and achieving an unsatisfactory result.
Dangers of plastic surgery abroad
There are patients fascinated with the idea of undergoing plastic surgery abroad as they believe it will be a 2-in-1 experience: an exotic holiday coupled with getting the body they have always dreamed of. But this is not a correct illustration of reality, and there are considerable risks associated with undergoing plastic surgery abroad.
When undergoing plastic surgery in the United States, you get to choose and meet the plastic surgeon who will perform your procedure and also monitor you for several months after the procedure. When undergoing plastic surgery abroad, in a vast majority of cases there is no pre-operative meeting with the plastic surgeon and certainly no one to monitor your healing and cicatrization process post-op. This means that if abnormal scarring occurs, you will still need to see a plastic surgeon in the United States or take another trip to the country where you had the surgery. Either way, it is not the desirable course of events.
When undergoing plastic surgery abroad, you have no assurance about what will happen if complications occur. Moreover, it is difficult to find out the qualifications of the doctor or the medical staff involved in the procedure. Many patients undergoing plastic surgery abroad end up regretting their choice and undergoing revision surgery in the United States. We had patients getting butt implants outside the United States only to find out that they actually had breast implants inserted that eventually ruptured and leak.
There are plenty of dangers associated with undergoing plastic surgery abroad. Make sure you are aware of them and you are making an informed decision and not following myths and wishful thinking when it comes to your physical appearance and your health. Always avoid:
– Butt fillers that are available on the black market
If you want to get bigger buttocks, always make sure to see a board-certified plastic surgeon and not someone who used to be a doctor somewhere on another continent and now is doing illegal injections in hotel rooms or house basements. Each year, there are people who pay with their lives or their appearance getting illegal butt fillers injected into their buttocks in improper conditions. It is important to understand that when choosing to have silicone injected directly into your buttocks or any other substance that is not meant for butt injections, you are subjecting yourself to tremendous risks and you are playing Russian roulette with your life and your wellbeing. Even if you have friends or acquaintances that had silicone injected into their buttocks with no side effects, this doesn’t mean that negative consequences won’t occur over time.
If your reason for resorting to black market injections to augment your booty is the cost of the procedure, better check financing options and not gamble with your life.
– Liposuction where more than seven liters of fat are extracted
Liposuction is certainly not a weight loss method, and we can’t emphasize this enough. Liposuction is a body remodeling procedure that aims to reduce the thickness of the adipose layer in certain areas of the body where adipose tissue is resistant to diet and exercise. Keep in mind that the recommendation is only to undergo liposuction if you have a normal weight that has been stable for a minimum of six months; otherwise, the results can be ruined later on.
A responsible and experienced plastic surgeon will give you all this information and will also tell you another reason why liposuction can’t be used as a weight loss method. If we extract more than six to seven liters of fat in one liposuction session, the risks of developing a complication increase exponentially.
– Tummy tucks performed by inexperienced practitioners
There are patients who believe that practically anyone can perform plastic surgery as the aim of the procedure is an aesthetic one anyway. This is not true. It requires an experienced, talented, board-certified plastic surgeon to play out your tummy tuck if you want to achieve the best results possible. Also, keep in mind that just like liposuction, the tummy tuck is not to be treated as a weight loss method. The procedure aims to give the patient a firm and flat tummy by eliminating the excess of skin present on the inferior part of the tummy and strengthening the muscles of the abdominal wall with sutures. An experienced board-certified plastic surgeon will be able to guide you through the preparation period and also the post-operative period and ensure the risk of developing a complication is minimal.
Conclusion
Plastic surgery is no more dangerous than other surgical procedures. In the end, in determining the risks associated with certain procedures, there are multiple factors that play an active role. For example, the health condition of the patient, as well as the complexity of the surgical plan, and the experience of the plastic surgeon are very important when determining the risks associated with any plastic surgery procedure. At the same time, most of the risks that can occur after plastic surgery are the same as undergoing surgical procedures for health purposes. The risks are excessive bleeding, wound dehiscence, deep vein thrombosis, seromas, and hematomas, to name just a few. At the same time, the risks associated with undergoing plastic surgery are much more increased when considering having the procedure outside of the United States or performed by people who are not board-certified plastic surgeons.