Plastic surgery and you - per heden esthetic surgery plastikkirurgi

6. Is only appearance affected, or is function also impaired?

A patient seeking nasal surgery may be suffering primarily from his appearance, but it is equally important to determine whether breathing through the nose is normal and that there is no risk that the surgery will impair its function.

7. Should artificial material be used, or should tissues be built up with the patient’s own body tissues?

A breast can be enlarged with a silicone implant, and the same technique can be used to construct a new breast after a breast cancer operation. But in some cases, e.g. if the breast has been exposed to massive radiation treatments, it may be better to construct a new breast using only fat from the patients own stomach (see p. 272), a method which is not suitable for an ordinary breast enlargement.

One of the advantages of artificial materials is that they are easy to obtain in any desired shape. Another is that they can not be resorbed. On the other hand, with foreign materials there is greater risk of infection, there are more problems with healing, and there is more uncertainty about the long-term effect. All these things, along with the patients own wishes, must be considered during the planning of the operation.

8. Should an operation be performed, and if so, when?

If the patient currently has an infection, the operation should probably be postponed to minimize the risk of complications. Refraining from operating on a “psychologically unsuitable” patient is another example. If a scar or an area previously operated on is to be treated, the operation should be postponed until the tissues have softened. Gillies, the father of plastic surgery, had words of wisdom here: “Don’t do today what can be done better tomorrow.”

9. General health

During the consultation it is also important to determine whether the patient’s general health is such that an operation can be performed with a minimum of risk. Some health conditions, such as untreated high blood pressure, heart defects or respiratory problems, should be investigated before surgery. People with diabetes should be made well aware of possible complications, and smoking

ers should usually stop smoking for a period prior to an operation. If a patient has smokers cough, for example, a major operation should be postponed until the cough has disappeared. Smoker’s cough is accompanied by a liberal supply of bacteria in the respiratory passages and thus increases the probability of infection. An attack of coughing after surgery can also split the sutures.

Older people may have poor blood circulation, and with some kinds of operation this increases the likelihood of complications. If it is unclear whether the patients physical condition will make the operation more hazardous, extra examinations are usually made beforehand. This may be an ECG, a lung x-ray, breathing test, etc. Sometimes the patient is also sent to an internal medicine specialist who decides whether the patient is in good enough shape for surgery. Naturally, aesthetic surgery is always secondary to the general health of the patient, and with cosmetic surgery that must always be borne in mind. No unnecessary risks should be taken for cosmetic operations. A reputable plastic surgeon will always tell the patient about the estimated risks in his or her particular case.