Tuesday, 10 April 2012

What Are The Dangers Of Plastic Surgery?

What are the Dangers of Plastic Surgery?

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Plastic surgery increases in popularity each day, it seems. More and more of us are opting for procedures to fix flaws or problems with our body (and we're opting for stranger and stranger procedures too! Click to read more about that), and yet many people seem to forget that plastic surgery often involves major operations and a long recovery time ? as well as a myriad of risks that are barely talked about.

So what are the dangers? What should we be aware of if we?re considering a plastic surgery procedure?

The danger at the forefront of most people?s minds is that of a botched procedure. We?re all familiar with the images of celebrities with ?trout pouts? after a bad lip implant procedure, or with breast augmentations gone wrong, leaving a woman with a comically lopsided or oversized bust. Plastic surgery procedures are expensive to begin with ? and fixing a mistake is extra cost and stress that nobody needs.

Source: vancouverlaser @ flickr

But what about the less talked about dangers? Bleeding is pretty common after any kind of surgery, including plastic surgery, but can sometimes result in complications. The accumulation of blood clotting under the skin can result in hematoma, which is a collection of blood within tissue. This not only looks like a very dark, unpleasant bruise but is also painful and can lead to infection, swelling and even skin death.

Scarring is also relatively common and in some cases, impossible to avoid. However, scars should heal ? and many more considerate plastic surgeons will hide the scars in less noticeable places (such as underneath the breast after a breast augmentation).

Fortunately the more serious risks of plastic surgery are much rarer, but should still be discussed: necrosis and nerve damage. Necrosis is a death of tissue when deprived of oxygen, and is only truly a risk in procedures such as face lifts, breast reductions and tummy tucks. Smokers should be aware that the risk of necrosis is greater for them.

Nerve death, meanwhile, is recognizable by tingling sensations and numbness, and can result in muscle weakness or paralysis. Nerve death is treatable with reconstructive surgery.

Though some of the risks described above are rare, it?s important to take care when choosing your plastic surgeon and procedure, and keep your health in mind at all times. Plastic surgery is a big choice to make, and should always be discussed at length with a professional who knows their stuff before any decisions are finalized.

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