The Pros and Cons of Plastic Surgery

When considering undergoing elective cosmetic surgery, it is necessary to make the decision based on facts. Specifically, you have to be aware of the benefits as well as potential drawbacks of plastic surgery as even the most minor procedures can drastically change your life for the better or worse.

Listed below are the pros and cons of plastic surgery as well as other relevant facts about the medical procedure.

Pros

Enhanced Physical Features and/or Hide Imperfections

Contrary to popular notion, not everyone who considers plastic surgery opts for such a procedure because they wish to look perfect. Most people simply want to enhance what nature has bestowed upon them or perhaps hide certain glaring imperfections, such as a large nose, abundant belly, scars from an accident or so on.

Plastic surgery is a valid choice when it comes to improving one’s physical attributes or obscuring certain imperfections. Some procedures such as liposuction, rhinoplasty and tummy tuck provide almost instantaneous results and such results can be permanent.

Access to Modern Medical Equipment

Over the past couple of decades plastic surgery has evolved in terms of the quality of the medical equipment used. Liposuction for instance is no longer extremely invasive since there are other ways to remove fat from the body which does not involve using a scalpel. This of course translates to the reduced risk of postoperative complications and a much shorter recovery time for patients.

In fact, some outpatient’s procedures allow people to leave merely a couple of hours after the surgery (this applies to procedures that do not involve general anaesthesia and significant blood loss).

Pain is Minimal

All cosmetic procedures from Elanic are done with the aid of anaesthetics whether general or local. For procedures that take longer than four hours and involve actual cutting (rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty/tummy tuck, liposuction, etc) the patients are put under completely. In addition, postoperative care also involves the use of mild pain medication in order to manage any residual pain.

Cons

Exorbitant Cost

Since elective surgery is not covered by health insurance policies, patients have to pony up the money themselves in order to pay for the operation. This can be a problem for those who do not have enough in their nest egg to afford surgery especially procedures that run well into tens of thousands. Whilst there are certain instalment plans offered by plastic surgery clinics the monetary ramifications are still quite significant.

Not All Results Are Permanent

Many cosmetic procedures promise drastic positive changes in a person’s physical appearance. While this might be true, not all surgeries can guarantee long term effects. Liposuction for instance does not automatically prevent future weight gain. People who have undergone liposuction can very well gain back all the weight and more if they do not follow a reasonable diet and/or exercise plan after the procedure.

Possibility of Addiction to Enhancements

While this possibility is quite remote for most people there are those who have a higher propensity for becoming addicted to cosmetic procedures. This can be a major concern since plastic surgery addiction has physical, mental and monetary consequences some of which are irreversible. There are several documented cases of people who started out with a simple minor procedure and ended up undergoing a couple dozen more afterwards.

Tips on How to Decide Whether to Proceed with Surgery

There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to improve your appearance because doing so can bring about positive changes. Prior to deciding whether it is worth going through with the surgery, it is necessary to consider all the pros and cons especially ones that are listed above.

Here are some practical tips that can help you decide:

*Consider how the changes after the surgery will affect your life. If the potential rewards far exceed the potential drawbacks, then there is no reason not to have the surgery.

*Decide whether or not you are prepared to be disappointed. Many people do not realize that the results of the surgery might not meet their initial expectations. It is important to be prepared for this possibility in order to prevent depression afterwards.