Before a patient even sets foot in a cosmetic surgeon’s office for a cosmetic surgery consultation, they need to do a self-evaluation of whether they should have a cosmetic surgery done or not. Prospective patients who ask themselves these questions are often more mentally-prepared for their operation and have a more successful recovery experience. Whether a prospective patient wants to have a facelift done or they are looking into a rhinoplasty procedure, it’s essential to evaluate their current situation and decide if now is the right time.
Do I have realistic goals and expectations for the surgery?
Understand that an expert cosmetic surgeon can improve your appearance, but they cannot create you into an entirely different person. Instead, their goal is to provide every patient with natural-looking results, allowing you to look like a better version of yourself.
Am I emotionally prepared for the experience?
When you look in the mirror and see the improvements that have been made, you need to understand that it will be an emotional experience. It is important that patients choose to have a cosmetic surgery during a calm, secure time in their life. Experienced cosmetic surgeons typically advise patients to avoid having plastic surgery immediately after large life changes, such as a death in the family, divorce from a spouse, or after moving to a new place.
Am I prepared, financially, for the surgery?
Cosmetic surgery is typically an elective surgery; therefore, most insurance plans will not cover the procedure. Patients need to understand the various costs involved with any type of cosmetic surgery, including the fee for the surgeon, the facility fee, the fee for the anesthesiologist, and the fee for the complexity of the operation.
Do I have support from family members or friends?
Most patients will need to have an individual take care of them after the operation for at least a few days. It is important that you know who your caretaker will be before you decide to have a facelift procedure. In addition to needing someone to help you with your physical needs, you may also need to rely on your family and friends for emotional support during this time of change in your life.
Is this the right time?
Make sure you are at a place in your life or your calendar year where you can take a couple of weeks off of work and other obligations to rest and recover.
Do I understand the impact of the long-term results?
Most cosmetic surgery procedures do not produce results that last forever. However, recognize that you may need to have follow-up work several years down the road in order to maintain your new look.
Which cosmetic surgery will be most effective?
For some patients, the best choice when it comes to cosmetic surgery is the tried and true route. Despite other advancements in technology and surgical techniques, the traditional facelift procedure is still a reliable and successful option for patients to choose from at most cosmetic surgeons’ practices. The traditional lift provides patients with dramatic results, often taking up to 10 years off of their face and removing any lines and wrinkles that have formed as the patient has aged. Expert cosmetic surgeons’ personal revision rates for this procedure are extremely low, and it remains one of the top surgery choices for prospective patients.
Board-certified facial plastic surgeons who have been serving cosmetic surgery patients have come to know what patients are looking for out of their facelift procedures. They recognize that patients want to appear young and beautiful but also natural. As a result, they work hard to avoid some of the common side effects that less experienced surgeons are not cognizant of, such as bunching skin at the hairline and pulling the eyelids too tight. Once the surgery is complete, his patients are amazed by how natural they look and how much younger they appear.
During the traditional facelift procedure, the cosmetic surgeon will perform two important steps. The first step is to remove the excess skin from the face. As gravity takes its toll and people age, their skin will start to lose its elasticity. This causes there to be more skin on the face than is necessary, and this extra skin will droop down. After the excess skin is removed, the cosmetic surgeon will tighten the facial muscles in order to achieve natural-looking results that will last for a decade or more. Patients can expect to spend 4-7 days in recovery and are prescribed oral pain medications to help them manage their pain levels.
Understanding the Personal Choice of Cosmetic Surgery
It is important to note that while the facelift will eliminate many of the symptoms of aging, it cannot stop the aging process from continuing into the future. Patients will find that in 8-10 years of having the surgery, they will start to see the signs of aging reappear on their faces again. At this point, patients have the option of having a revision facelift in order to achieve the original results once more. This is a personal choice, and patients who are interested can set up a free consultation with the surgeon.
Patients should take time out for self-reflection and ask themselves all of these questions. It’s important to be honest with yourself and to truly take the time to formulate your answers. Once you have decided that this is the route you want to go down, then it’s time to set up your free cosmetic consultation with a board-certified cosmetic surgeon. They will determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure and subsequently craft a custom surgical plan for you. For more information, contact the surgeon’s office today.