The Risks That Come With Plastic Surgery and What You Can Do About Them
Even with the most modern techniques and approaches, plastic surgery still isn’t without risk. If you’re considering a consultation for your chosen procedure, it’s likely you’ve come across some scary-sounding risks during your research. While it can be valuable to consider these, it’s important to discuss them with your board-certified plastic surgeon so they can be put in the proper context of your unique procedure. There are some risks that span each procedure, however, so here’s what to keep in mind as you schedule your consultation with Dr. Berman.
Anesthesia Risks
Any surgery that requires general anesthesia will come with some risks. Fortunately, we understand general anesthesia much more than we used to, so this risk continues to be much lower. In order to mitigate these risks, it’s important to discuss your full health history with Dr. Berman during your consultation so he can assess whether general anesthesia will be safe and effective for you. Also, you’ll be asked to take certain steps before your surgery to mitigate the chance of complications while you’re under general anesthesia. With these important steps, the risks of general anesthesia can remain low for your procedure.
Please understand that general anesthesia is often times safer for the patient than having the procedure performed under local, local standby, or IV sedation. Any type of administered drug can have secondary effects. Discuss those with your plastic surgeon. One thing is for sure: if you are put to sleep with an Endotracheal tube, or even an LMA (laryngeal mask airway) the Anesthesiologist (Dr. Berman only uses board-certified anesthesiologists) has control of your airway. That airway is vital to your safety and having a safe procedure.
The ability to give the patient anesthetic gases means that the gases can be “blown off and out” of your system much more rapidly than almost any drug given via the intravenous route. Those drugs are mostly metabolized by the liver and kidneys. So most of them linger in the body long after the anesthesia gases are long gone and “blown off.” Most anesthesia complications arise when there has not been a secured airway and there is a loss of an airway. Look at what happened with Joan Rivers. Talk with Dr. Berman about the SAFEST course for your surgery. Plastic surgeons do not want any anesthetic complications either!
Complication Risks
There are always possible complications that come with plastic surgery like infection, seroma, or scar tissue concerns like capsular contracture. These can usually range from mild to severe, so it’s important to know what signs to watch for during your recovery. They can be dangerous to your health in certain cases, so be sure to follow your aftercare steps as best as you can. The aftercare steps you’ll receive are specifically created to avoid complications and make sure your recovery is safe and successful.
If you have any questions, be sure to contact our office. Additionally, listen to your body– if something seems wrong, be sure to say something! Most of our patients follow our directions to a “t” and have an uneventful recovery. More times than not, it is the patient that disregards the recommended post-operative instructions that develop problems.
In particular, we performed a breast augmentation two weeks after the surgery and asked if she could jet ski. We told her not to do so because the bumping and tight clinging to the driver of the jet ski might jeopardize her healing. Well, she went jet skiing anyway. She developed a hematoma around her implant and needed to have emergency surgery to remove the large hematoma. So please ask your surgeon questions and follow their post-operative instructions. They want you to have a beautiful and safe experience as much as you do.
Risks of Unintended Results
Even with the best in 3D imaging, your results might not turn out the way you hoped. There can be a lot of reasons for this, like complications during recovery or choosing an inexperienced plastic surgeon. For this reason, it’s important to consider the possibility that you might require a revisional procedure down the road. It’s also important to select a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in your chosen procedure. Always check their gallery for before-and-after photos so you can judge their skills and have a good idea of what results you can expect. If their results look uneven, or unnatural, or they don’t have many photos of your chosen procedure, you should consider another plastic surgeon in your area.
Schedule a Consultation
The best way to mitigate risks for your ideal plastic surgery procedure is by selecting a board-certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Berman is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons and has over 27 years of experience in achieving excellent results with a compassionate and knowledgeable touch. To get started on discussing your procedure and how to make sure it remains safe and effective, contact our Boca Raton office by calling or filling out our online form.
Dr. Jonathan Ross Berman is a Boca Raton plastic surgeon who has been certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery with over 30 years of service experience specializing in Breast Augmentation, Rhinoplasty, Face Lift, Liposuction, and many other types of plastic surgery in Boca Raton, FL.
