Plastic Surgery Risks You Need To Know

Scarring is one of the most common risks that people considering plastic surgery should be aware of. Most surgeons will try to hide incision lines in places where they aren’t noticeable, like under the crease of the breast in breast augmentation plastic surgery and in the hairline in facial plastic surgery, but most surgeries will still result in permanent scarring.

Bleeding, infection and hematomas are possible after surgery, but if these complications are caught early on they can usually be treated.

Infection - Infection can occur in procedures such as liposuction where, though the incisions are small, internal wounds are very large. An infection can spread rapidly through the body and must be treated immediately. Infections are rare in plastic surgery, because it usually requires the patient is healthy to begin with. Be sure to hire a certified surgeon and the clinic where the surgery will take place is clean and sterilized.

Nerve injury -  Each time the skin is cut; small nerves are injured. While in the hands of experienced surgeons, the risk is reduced in 1 of 1000 facelifts damage can be permanent and devastating.

Hypertrophic Scars - Hypertrophic scars are thick, red and unsightly. While scarring is inevitable in any surgery, an experienced surgeon knows where to cut so the resulting scar will be minimal or imperceptible. Surgeons often look for scars from previous operations to see how that particular patient’s skin heals.

Numbness - Temporary numbness or loss of feeling at the site of an operation is fairly common with face lifts and tummy tucks, though it’s rarely permanent. Numbness after breast surgery is the most common. Loss of sensation in the nipple occurs from 10% to 70% of the time, depending on the type of operation. The highest risk attends breast reduction, in which the nipple and areola are totally removed and reattached as skin grafts.