Plastic surgery is becoming increasingly common as procedures that were once meant to help those with deformities and other skin damage are adapted for other purposes. While technically, plastic surgery refers to surgery dealing with natural problems or damage, the term has become synonymous with cosmetic surgery and vanity surgeries such as nose jobs, facelifts, lip alterations and breast alterations. In either form, plastic surgery carries significant risks of serious side effects.
Infection
Whenever the skin is broken and internal tissues are exposed to foreign matter, there is a chance that the body will become infected with malicious bacteria. Doctors use sterilized tools in clean environments, but even the best preparation can't eliminate all chances of infection. Additionally, incisions, cuts, sutures and staples that can be left behind after plastic surgery present an avenue for infection to attack the body. Normally. an infected surgical site can be treated effectively with over-the-counter medications or antibiotics.
Scarring
An inevitable part of making holes and cuts in the skin is that they leave scars behind, an ironic fact for a type of surgery meant to promote beauty. Surgeons try to hide scars by performing surgery laparoscopically (through a small incision in the skin) to limit how noticeable the scar will be. Some procedures done in the nose or mouth can be completed using only incisions made out of sight. Still, despite a surgeons' best efforts, many procedures such as breast implantation and reduction can leave scars that are noticeable when viewed from a certain angle.
Nerve Damage
Another risk of plastic surgery is that procedures can cause nerve damage. If a surgeon nicks or cuts nerves while completing a surgery, it can cause a partial or total loss of feeling in certain parts of the body. For instance, in a breast implantation surgery, it is possible for the nerves leading to the nipple and areola to be damaged, which can lead to a loss of sensation during sexual activity. While nerve damage is a fairly rare complication, its effects are often permanent.
Allergic Reactions and More Serious Side Effects
When someone undergoes surgery, she is given various medications for pain and swelling. These may cause an allergic reaction in the patient. The severity of allergic reactions can range anywhere from mild coughing and fever to the development of hives or death. Plastic surgery is carried out under general anesthesia, which is known to carry a slight chance of putting the patient to sleep so that he is unable to be revived. So limiting the number of general anesthesia procedures one undergoes is wise. Surgery can also lead to a rare type of infection, called toxic shock syndrome, which carries a fairly high mortality rate.
Surgeries Often Don't Go As Planned
One major risk of plastic surgery is that the results are never guaranteed. A doctor can speculate how the surgery will make the patient look after swelling and bruising subside, but the result is often different than what the patient planned. For example, a facelift might leave the patient feeling as though her skin looks too artificial, a nose job might leave the nose crooked, and breast implants might be larger or smaller than anticipated. This often results in further surgeries to fix the problem. resulting in wasted money and more exposure to other risks.
Tags: plastic surgery, breast implantation, general anesthesia, leave scars, might leave