Monday, December 29, 2008

Plastic Surgery 101

By Ricardo Gibson

How realistic is it that a 45 year old celebrity looks like she is 25? It is not realistic at all. Although pictures in magazines can be brushed up, the real answer if often found in plastic surgery procedures.

Getting a cosmetic procedure used to be frowned upon, but many do it now without second thought. If you have a body area that you want improved, you might be considering it. If so, you probably have a lot of questions. Here are answers to some of the more frequent ones.

What does plastic surgery mean? Plastic surgery falls into two categories: reconstructive and cosmetic. Reconstructive surgery procedures are meant to heal the body due to trauma, growth, or illness. A procedure done after a mastectomy is a reconstructive procedure.

Cosmetic surgery is a procedure you decide to get voluntarily. Your ears stick out and you finally decide to do something about it. Feeling better about your appearance is not a medically necessary reason, so it is a voluntary surgery. In the world of medicine, voluntary surgery is referred to as elective surgery.

Surgery is still surgery regardless of whether it is for the removal of a tumor or excessive fat. There are benefits to both surgeries, but there are also risks. Do not just undergo surgery with the belief there is no risk. As with any surgery, things can go wrong.

Will the recovery time be long? The answer depends entirely on the type of surgery you have. A facelift is going to require two to four weeks of recovery time. Liposuction of your abdominal area will be much shorter, while a nose job can take a month for the bruises to go away.

Does plastic surgery hurt? Minor procedures like Botox injections do not. More significant procedures like a facelift will. The more trauma to the body, the more pain, swelling and bruising. Your doctor will prescribe you pain medication.

If I bring a surgeon a picture, will I look exactly like it afterwards? No. Everyone has different anatomical structures. Some of us have thin faces while others of us have wide ones. Your surgeon will tell give you a reasonable approximation, but that is all. You should look for improvement, not perfection.

What about the doctor behind the mask? A licensed plastic surgeon goes through a lot to reach their position. How about medical school and then five to seven years of post graduate training? The also continually keep up on new developments.

The cost of plastic surgery is also a bit issue with patients. The fees range widely depending on where you are and what type of procedure you are getting. Make sure to get a written estimate of the fee of the surgeon and any other costs as well.

As you can probably tell from the tone of this article, many of your questions are best answered by your doctor. The doctor should be willing to take the time to answer all of them. If not, find someone else. - 16036

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