How do you know your procedure has been successful and you can move on, pleased with the decision you made?
Assessing the results of your procedure
Consider whether your surgery has successfully met the following criteria:
- Clear goals for your surgery have been set, and you have a good understanding of the planned procedure
- A good understanding of the normal outcomes of the operation, including recovery times and consequences of the operation – such as permanent scars and numb spots.
- You had well-informed, realistic expectations of the operation, consistent with your age, health, weight, medical wellness, individual anatomy and situation.
- You had a good patient experience, felt well looked after and well informed, before, during and after your surgery.
- You had a professional operative experience, with a high standard of surgery, and the result met the goals we had set before surgery.
- You had a high level of support in the event you had a complication, with every effort made to resolve it.
Developing realistic expectations
Surgery should be good – but is rarely perfect.
When you are preparing for surgery, it’s important to consider the following points:
- Take into account your age, weight, medical history, health context and particular body issues. A fifty year-old cannot look like a twenty year-old. You can only be the best YOU can be.
- Mentally prepare for the surgery.
- Remember that recovery takes time.
- Organise your life and commitments around the surgery and recovery.
- Appreciate there is quite a bit of time before you will see the final result.
- Practice good communication with your surgeon and support staff.
For our part, we will focus on:
- thorough preoperative consultations and planning for surgery.
- a good, professional operative experience.
- a high standard of care through the operative period.
- follow up and support after the surgery. • friendly and open communication with you.
Risks & complications
Most people who have plastic surgery are in good health, and the risk of life-threatening complications is low. Most complications can be resolved, and the long-term result is as good as it would have been if the complication hadn’t occurred. An example of this is an infection.
Some complications can permanently reduce or affect the quality of the result, for example a nerve injury where the nerve does not recover.