3 Tips for Avoiding Complications and Optimizing Plastic Surgery Results
Plastic surgery can accomplish many amazing things, but as technology advances and surgical techniques grow more refined one goal continues to remain at the forefront of all of our efforts: patient safety. In fact, a comprehensive survey based on more than 400,000 plastic surgery procedures performed by board-certified plastic surgeons in accredited surgical facilities found that the rate of serious complications was less than one half of one percent. Still, patients are often understandably apprehensive before undergoing a surgical procedure and many ask what they can do to help ensure that things go smoothly. Here are three things that we recommend to help avoid post-surgical complications and optimize your plastic surgery results.
Do Your Homework
There is a lot of information out there, and only by sifting through and evaluating it all can you truly be prepared and know what to expect. Specifically, make sure that the doctor you choose is really board certified in plastic surgery and that he or she will be performing the procedure at a licensed and accredited facility. While anyone with a medical degree can call themselves a “cosmetic surgeon” and perform cosmetic procedures, true certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is a rigorous process that requires years of additional specialized training and thousands of hours of hands-on surgical experience. Further, board certified plastic surgeons usually have privileges at accredited surgical centers and/or hospital ambulatory surgical facilities, giving them access to the tools and equipment necessary to address any potential complications quickly and effectively.
Manage Your Expectations
In the rare event that patients are dissatisfied with the outcome of their plastic surgery, it is most frequently due to a difference between what the patient expects and what the plastic surgeon is realistically able to achieve. Take the time to thoroughly discuss the specifics of your surgery in detail with your surgeon during your plastic surgery consultation, and be completely honest and frank about your expectations. Listen when you plastic surgeon makes recommendations or explain to you the limits about what can be accomplished. A reputable plastic surgeon will not be afraid to tell you if a particular outcome is unrealistic or a procedure is ill advised, and their detailed understanding of anatomy and physiology allows them to more accurately judge the viability of specific cosmetic procedures on different individual body types.
Follow After-Care Instructions
After any surgical procedure, patients are routinely given detailed instructions covering all aspects of their recovery, ranging from diet and exercise restrictions to the care and cleaning of surgical incisions. Failure to carefully adhere to these post-surgical guidelines is perhaps the greatest contributing factor to post-surgical complications. Before the day of your procedure, you should make sure that you fully understand what needs to be done. Keep up with your prescribed medications and plan to attend all of your post-operative check-ups. These meetings with your surgeon are the best way to ensure that everything is going as planned and to catch any rare problems that may develop, so that they can be addressed before they have a chance to become serious.
Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. has been one of the premier centers for plastic surgery in the southeast for nearly fifty years. Our seven board-certified plastic surgeons are committed to helping patients achieve natural looking plastic surgery results in the safest and most comfortable environment possible. If you are interested in learning more about how you might benefit from any of surgical and non-surgical plastic surgery procedures we offer, please contact Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C. at one of our Atlanta, Alpharetta, Cumming, or Newnan offices to schedule a consultation. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest plastic surgery news.
