Is Plastic Surgery Safe?

Risks and Benefits of Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery is a surgical procedure where medical professionals tend to enhance a person's appearance or restore function by repairing, reconstructing, reshaping, or improving a specific body part. It is commonly used to address issues like birth defects, injuries, or various medical conditions.

There are several types of plastic surgeries that one can undergo for different purposes. Certain procedures are performed to meet aesthetic requirements, whereas others are done for medical purposes. Plastic Surgery can be further categorised into two types:

Reconstructive Surgery

These procedures aim to restore the normal function of a body part or correct deformities. The most popular reconstructive Surgery that people opt for is as follows:

• Breast Reconstruction: This procedure is performed after mastectomy.
• Burn Surgery: Under this Surgery, experts try to mimic natural skin by restoring the skin in the area of damage.
• Cleft Lip and Palate Repair: This Surgery corrects congenital facial abnormalities.
• Hand and Limb Surgery: This also involves rectification of congenital defects and repair of injuries.

Cosmetic Surgery

This type of Surgery is performed to achieve a desired aesthetic that will enhance their appearance and impact their self-confidence. Here are some popular cosmetic surgical procedures:

• Breast Procedures: Breast augmentation, breast lift
• Facial surgeries: Rhinoplasty (nose job), facelift, eyelid surgery
• Non-surgical treatments: Botox or derma fillers
• Body contouring: tummy tuck or liposuction

Risks of Plastic Surgery

There are various complications that one might experience during the procedure or in the healing process. Consulting a seasoned medical expert for this task is advisable:

Scarring

Scarring of the skin during the healing process, despite skilful surgical techniques, is natural. However, there are two types of scars that can form after Surgery namely: hypertrophic scars (raised, thickened scars) or keloids (overgrown scar tissue).

The healing process for every individual is different on the basis of skin type, genetics, and post-operative care.

Infection

The wounds and incisions after Surgery are the most sensitive parts for catching an infection. Post-operative care is crucial to avoid bacterial growth or abscess formation. Proper consultation must be taken during this time, and any suspicious symptoms must be immediately addressed.

Nerve Damage

Nerves might stretch, cut, or compress during the surgical process, leading to temporary or even permanent tingling sensations, numbness, or muscle weakness. However, in most cases, these conditions are temporary and heal over time.

For instance, after undergoing breast augmentation surgery, the patient might experience a change in nipple sensation.  

Blood Clots

Certain practices during and post-surgery, like lack of mobility, extension in time taken for Surgery or under certain medical conditions, can lead to blood clots. These blood clots can increase the risk of getting deep vein thrombosis.

However, if the clot reaches the lungs, it can be life-threatening. Therefore, it is important to ensure regular movement and take blood-thinning medications and other safety measures seriously.

Anaesthesia Complications

During Surgery, medical experts resort to injecting anaesthesia for a smooth, painless surgical experience. However, if the patient has some underlying medical condition, they might experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or other allergic reactions.

In some rare conditions, they might even experience issues with breathing, irregular heartbeats, or even waking up during Surgery (anaesthesia awareness)      

Benefits of Plastic Surgery

There are long-term benefits of having plastic surgery as well. Let us discuss a few of them hereunder:

• Health Benefits: Several plastic surgery procedures help correct deformities and improve physical health. For example, breast augmentation can relieve discomfort from uneven breast size, while rhinoplasty can improve breathing and nasal function.
• Improvement in Appearance: The surgeries that are done to correct aesthetics significantly improve the physical appearance of a person.
• Psychological Benefits: After Surgery, many patients feel more self-confident and share positive word of mouth, leading to growth in the plastic surgery industry.

Whether you are aiming to improve your looks or seeking transformative reconstructive Surgery, Plastic Surgery can be incredibly beneficial. However, being aware of the risks will help in deciding whether going under the knife is safe or not. 

Why is it Called Plastic Surgery?

The word "plastic" originates from the Greek word plastikos, meaning to shape or mould.

Origins of the Term Plastic Surgery

Let us go back in time to the ancient text that mentions the practice of plastic surgery:

• 1600 BC: Ancient papyrus scrolls mention primitive nasal reconstruction surgeries, hinting at early forms of plastic surgery.
• 1213 BC: Egyptians continued this practice for corpses while preparing them for the afterlife. Some evidence shows that Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II underwent an insertion procedure. In this process, bone and seeds were put into his nose to retain their shape after death.
• 600 BC: There are texts that mention Sushruta, an Indian physician and a pioneer of modern-day surgical operations and techniques. His surgical compendium by  Sushruta Samhita provides principles and step-by-step guidance on plastic surgery.
• 100 BC to 5th Century AD: During this period, Romans were actively participating in the reconstruction of the ear. Aulus Cornelius Celsus, a medical enthusiast, describes plastic surgery practices using skin from another area of the body to restructure facial deformities.
• 15th Century AD: The Sushruta Samhita made its way into Arabic and eventually reached Europe. In Italy, surgeons Gustavo and Antonio Branca took it a step further by trying out rhinoplasty, using skin taken from the forearm.     

Modern Day Plastic Surgery

Before it became a common choice for everyday people, plastic surgery had to work hard to gain acceptance throughout the early part of the 20th century. With globalisation on the rise and information flowing more quickly than ever, plastic surgery has become a hot topic. Nowadays, medical professionals are using these techniques not just to tackle the visible signs of ageing but also to help people feel more youthful. Plus, there has been an increase in its use for enhancing physical appearance and for treating burns and deformities.

Around the 1960s and 1970s, research and development in this industry introduced a new substance, silicone. In 1962, Dr Thomas Cronin put this silicon into application to create silicone breast implants. It has now become one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures.

Non-surgical Plastic Surgery

By the end of 1990, plastic surgery procedures did not require creating an incision to achieve certain aesthetics. The introduction of non-surgical procedures like injectable fillers and laser treatments gave plastic surgery more traction, leading to its commercialisation. Hair treatment and surgical procedures for hair fall under the surgical procedures category.

Popular Types of Plastic Surgery Procedures

There are numerous surgeries focusing on resolving different issues. Plastic surgery has three types: cosmetic, aesthetic, or reconstructive. Let us know more about the procedure that is common among plastic surgery enthusiasts:

Facial Surgery

It includes all the surgeries done to the face like rhinoplasty (nose job), blepharoplasty (eyelid reshaping), rhytidectomy (facelift) and otoplasty (ear pinning or ear reshaping). It also includes procedures like Botox injections, dermal fillers, and laser services targeting hair and tattoo removal.    

Breast Surgery

The surgery relating to breasts is carried out for multiple purposes, such as cosmetic reductions, corrections, and augmentations. Surgical procedures relating to breasts involve mastopexy (breast lift), breast augmentation (enlargement), breast reduction, and correcting asymmetrical breasts.

Tummy tuck and Liposuction

The liposuction procedure involves the removal of fat from areas like the stomach, thighs, buttocks, and others. Meanwhile, in lift surgery, medical professionals perform excess skin removal and tightening procedures to deal with sagging skin. The areas where lift surgery is common are the face, neck, and stomach. Some common procedures are brachioplasty (arm lift), body contouring, and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck).

Why Do People Get Plastic Surgery?

There are multiple reasons why a person chooses to get plastic surgery done. This could be due to correcting some birth deformities and conforming to societal beauty aesthetics. However, here is a list of 6 reasons for undoing plastic surgery:

1. Correcting an Imperfection:

One might feel that their body does not meet their expectation, and they undergo plastic surgery to make it appear perfect. This could be in case of a birthmark, scar, or deformity. The need to opt for surgery arises from regularly observing a body part or a certain area of themselves that they find bothersome.   

2. To Boost Self-Confidence:

Each individual has an image of themselves and what they desire to look like. In pursuit of this desire, this look seems achievable by getting plastic surgery to change appearance. It boosts the self-confidence of the person because of the improvement in either their health or appearance. Undergoing surgery can help you achieve face symmetry, a smaller nose, fuller lips, sharper cheekbones, and alter the shape of your eyes.   

3. Conforming to Societal Standards:

The rise of social media and constant consumption of "perfect" pictures have led to the creation of facial and body standards. To conform to those standards, people are resorting to surgeries to change their features. There is a pattern of constant comparison with airbrushed models, creating a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).

4. Young Appearance:

Ageing is a natural process. However, not everyone appreciates the way in which it changes one's appearance. Medical experts try to mimic features of a youthful face through plastic surgery. This is achieved by having fuller cheeks, plump skin, an angular jawline, and a firm neckline. Procedures such as facelifts and Botox injections are given to such patients.

5. Feel Better about Themselves:

There are cases in which the individual has experienced some traumatic experience, and for them, plastic surgery is a way to go back to their normal lives. Acid attack and burn victims often opt for this procedure to gain their self-confidence. This process also helps heal from a traumatic experience and move forward.      

6. Enhancing Physical Appeal:

Achieving an appealing physical appearance could be to look younger, thinner, or have a more symmetrical face. Alteration of birth defects by medical professionals is a common practice.

Things to Keep in Mind

If you think that you are cosmetically aware and considering changing your appearance, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Know Your "Why": Before deciding on plastic surgery, take time to understand the real reason behind your desire for it. Are you doing it to genuinely boost your self-confidence, or is it driven by a need to conform to societal beauty standards? Being clear about your motivation is the first step toward making an informed and healthy decision.
• Find a Seasoned Expert: Plastic surgery has some serious complications. Therefore, choosing an expert who is both well-qualified and experienced because surgery is an art. Don't fall into the trap of "the more expensive, the better, rather refer to getting recommendations, or you can reach out to someone personally to get some reference.
• Reflect on Your Desires: You have to understand your desires better before being able to communicate them effectively to an expert. You cannot go to the surgeon asking for "better skin" or "smaller breasts". Instead, try to elaborate on the look that you are trying to achieve.
• Surgery is not Magic: Medical professionals start the improvement over baseline and not a shortfall from a perfect outcome.