Friday, December 5, 2008

Considerations to Make Before Having Cosmetic Surgery

By Amy Nutt

Cosmetic surgery is growing in popularity. As more and more procedures are becoming available, many with a much lower cost than previously found, people are running to surgery centers to go under the knife in an attempt to attain the beauty they desire. If you are considering cosmetic surgery, you need to make some careful considerations before deciding to go for it.

Consider Your Motivation

The first thing you need to consider when looking at cosmetic surgery is your motivation. What is it that you want to accomplish from the surgery? Are you doing it for yourself, or someone else? Do you think that having cosmetic surgery will improve your life in some way? Remember, there are serious risks to any type of surgery, so you need to understand exactly why you want to have the procedure.

Remember, there may be other, less invasive ways to improve your appearance. Many people turn to cosmetic surgery to change their body shape. Sometimes a change in wardrobe of lifestyle is all that is necessary to make improve someone?s appearance. This is far less risky and far more affordable option. On the other hand, you may be dealing with scars or excess skin after weight loss. In this case surgery may be your only option for dealing with your cosmetic issue.

Understand the Risks Involved

Cosmetic surgery is sometimes seen as surgery that carries little risk. Some cosmetic procedures are relatively low risk, but any time you go under anesthetic and the surgeon?s knife, there are risks involved. One risk is the risk of infection and blood loss. This can cause unexpected, sometimes life-threatening complications. Of course, this is rare, but it is a risk.

A far more realistic risk is that the surgery will not turn out as you expected. Cosmetic surgery can greatly improve your appearance, but it is a surgery and will leave scars. It cannot give you the body of a celebrity, no matter how skilled the physician is. Sometimes the surgery results are very different than you expected, and this can be discouraging after you have spent so much money on the procedure.

Have Realistic Expectations

You can avoid the risk of a poor result by having realistic expectations about your surgery. Talk to your doctor about exactly what you can expect to see after the surgery. Be sure you look at before and after pictures of the procedure you are considering. This will help you to see exactly what the results look like on real people.

Keep in mind that your results may not be immediate. Often the surgery will cause swelling and bruising. When you look in the mirror after the surgery, you may not like what you see. However, several weeks after the surgery, the swelling and bruising will be gone, and you will be able to see the results.

Learn How Long It Will Last

As you talk to your doctor and make the considerations necessary before having cosmetic surgery, make sure that you understand that not all procedures provide permanent results. Your body will continue to age, in spite of the procedure you have had done. Gravity can pull implants out of space, sun exposure can bring age spots back, and poor eating habits will pack on the pounds again. Find out how long you can expect the results to last, and learn what you will need to do to keep your body in its new shape longer after having cosmetic surgery.

If after making the necessary decisions, you have chosen to have cosmetic surgery, make sure that you choose your doctor carefully. Choose a skilled surgeon with a good reputation for the procedure you have chosen. This is not the time to go with the most affordable option. Cosmetic surgery can greatly improve your appearance and, in some cases, quality of life, but you need a skilled doctor to ensure the best possible result. - 16004

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