The Best Candidates For Cosmetic Surgery

Personality and behavior play significant roles in the success of an individual’s results. Personality says who we are. We might be perky or ponderous; at a given moment, you might be both. Generally, personality types who tolerate change well make the best patients. Extreme perfectionists, depressed people, negative people, and people with obsessive tendencies or controlling behavior tend to fare poorly.

So who are you? And how would somebody who knows you really well describe you? As you read through the following four groups who do well with cosmetic surgery – I call them aesthetic value seekers – see if you can spot a few similar traits. However, first grab a piece of paper and write down three or four qualities that you think describe your general demeanor. Do it now. Don’t try to wing it and keep key features in your head; actually write them down. Now write a sentence or two describing your basic lifestyle. How do you relax? Do you pay attention to your diet and cope well with stress at work? What things do you do to socialize? How do you typically interface with coworkers and the public in general? Make a few notes, then see if you can spot several shared traits with the following groups:

• "I’m okay." We all know people with a balanced self-image who tend to interact well with others, even if they are extremely reserved and quiet. Their daily lives are varied. Emotional outbursts are rare. They do not fear spending time alone, nor are they phobic about social gatherings. They are members of some community – a workplace, family, or the town in which they live. These types may be bothered by a physical characteristic that they would like to improve or change.

• "I’m okay, but…" The line between this group and the former is almost imperceptible; both share many similar traits. However, for this group, the bothersome feature gains psychological importance over time. Fat thighs, for example, keep them from going to the beach with friends. Occasionally, they may perceive rejection when there is none. This low self-esteem, however, does not govern their daily lives. After cosmetic surgery, the majority enjoy good results. Their adjustment may be slower; building confidence usually involves time.

• "I’m okay, but help!" Invariably this group is made up of teenagers or young adults. They have a particularly high awareness of an appearance flaw. These defects may be real or imagined. For some, their looks seem to have changed overnight. Protruding ears, a disproportionate nose, or bad skin begin to erode self-esteem. When teasing and ridicule ensue, the young person’s confidence may not adequately develop. Cosmetic surgery can prevent the emotional turmoil brought on – whether real or imagined – by the rejection of others.

• "I’m okay, but I love my corporate earning power!" For the most part, "baby boomers" refers to the sizeable demographic group born during the two decades that followed W.W.II. Despite their previous mantra, "Never trust anyone over thirty," a number of boomers have slipped comfortably into middle age. They are proud of their role in the sixties social revolution while enjoying 21^st century technology. These cosmetic surgery candidates achieved significant career success early on. Now an equal number are keen on staying at the top; they view cosmetic surgery as a tool to help extend corporate tenure. They wish to look polished, rested, and in shape. And in the wake of corporate downsizing, cosmetic surgery is their corporate survival tool.

Health and Lifestyle Considerations

There is no risk-free, easy surgery. Your general health and lifestyle dictate how well you heal, even more than a dream team of surgeons can. Be prepared for glitches. Possible complications include excessive bleeding, a severe reaction to the drugs, or infection. You may end up with a scar you never dreamed possible. Even with simple surgery, a blood clot can form and travel to the lungs. Statistically, of course, complications such as these are rare. But your general health and lifestyle deserve scrutiny.

Not everyone is an automatic cosmetic surgery candidate. Obviously, certain existing conditions – diabetes, lung disease, heart trouble, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions – can be unacceptable risks to some patients. A number of these variables can be carefully evaluated and accommodations can be made on an individual basis. It’s important to be completely honest with your doctor. Don’t withhold information or try to influence his or her decision.

Also, while some diseases or chronic conditions won’t prevent your having cosmetic surgery, your final aesthetic results may vary somewhat from the norm. Being overweight and out of shape place extra stress on your heart. Smokers and heavy drinkers have special considerations. No aesthetic surgeon will proceed with a prospect who smokes unless the person guarantees to abstain for two weeks (or longer, for persons undergoing face lifts) prior to the surgery. Abstinence must also continue for another ten days to two weeks postsurgery.

A vitamin C deficiency curbs the healthy production of collagen, the protein substance that begins production about four days after injury and clusters to fill in the defective area for weeks thereafter. It was observed in W.W.I. that wounds failed to close unless fresh foods containing vitamin C were eaten. Later experiments proved that the speed of healing and strength of scar tissue are directly proportional to the vitamin C intake. About 4,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily can take care of average healing needs.

Skin that has been exposed to radiation also heals poorly because small blood vessels are often damaged; these small vessels help carry white blood cells, antibodies, and other substances that promote healing.

Frequently we underestimate the effect that daily stress places on our well-being. Signs that you may be suffering more stress than you realize can be identified by answering "No" to one or more of the following questions:

• Do you fall asleep easily?

• Do you pay bills and deal with personal finances without feeling stress?

• If your job causes fatigue and creates stress, have you developed remedial ways to offset their toll, such as taking short breaks throughout the day or not bringing work home over the weekend?

• Are the things you truly value in life being realized?

• Do you generally feel good about your job, family, and friends?

• Do you have a stable, satisfying relationship with an intimate partner?

All of us probably have a fair idea about what constitutes a healthy diet and which routines invariably contribute to a robust and sound lifestyle. For the purposes of cosmetic surgery, certain foods, habits, and stress factors wield a great impact on your ability to heal normally. The following test helps you to evaluate your body’s lifestyle and healing capacity in very simple terms.

More than three negative answers to any of the following questions indicate that your current diet and low-level exercise routine may compromise final results and lengthen the normal healing period.

• Do you make exercise a part of your regular daily routine, such as taking the stairs rather than the elevator, or taking an after-dinner walk?

• Do you participate regularly in a sport such as swimming or golf?

• Do you restrict sugar, saturated fat, and salt in your daily meals?

• Do you drink less than five ounces of alcohol (no more than three drinks or four or five beers) weekly?

• Do you include healthy amounts of fiber in your diet and limit your intake of red meat to less than three times weekly?

• Do you limit your caffeine to the equivalent of two cups of coffee or less a day?

• Do you eat or drink out of boredom or in response to some frustrating situation?

Deciding What You Can Live With

There are many appearance concerns you may choose to live with. One of the most liberating epiphanies comes with the knowledge that some things you can change, and some you can’t. Many issues about looks are simply not worth the worry. In other words, fiddle, if you must, with those areas you can improve, and ignore the no-win situations.

To successfully embark on any changed behavior strategy, engage in a course of action that makes you feel good about yourself. When you’re having negative thoughts, act in a way that turns your bad feelings around. Treat yourself: Buy that Hugo Boss suit that really flatters your physique. Distance yourself from any circumstance, even highly critical people, that triggers bad feelings. Develop simple affirmations that you can easily recall and say them daily. Record your own tape of positive self-talk.

Write down personal goals and find ways, however small, to include some aspect of these aspirations in daily plans. Living your goals rather than dreaming them is the best way to achieve self-confidence!

Just The Facts

• Cosmetic surgery is a personal choice best shaped by realistic expectations that must be weighed against the risks

• Your individual level of satisfaction and general recovery is largely determined by your own hopes, personality style, self-esteem, lifestyle, and health issues.

• Take responsibility for developing a realistic agenda of what you want altered, and evaluate your decision in context with what top surgeons and other aesthetic medical experts recommend.

• Keep your hopes pragmatic and your desires practical.

• Cosmetic surgery is not for everyone; other options, including diet, exercise, psychotherapy, and accepting the terms of one’s appearance, can deliver equally effective results.

Average Nationwide Surgeon’s Fee, By Procedure

(There are additional fees for facility and anesthesia)

* Denotes use of endoscopy. (Source: American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons)

Smart Questions To Ask

Early on, the surgeon will ask you to describe what part of your appearance troubles you. As a dialogue begins, you’ll need to progressively cover most of the following issues. Here are some smart questions to ask:

1. Is my concern legitimate?

2. What are the most common ways to address this problem?

3. Which surgical approach do you recommend to specifically address this concern?

4. Why is one technique or procedure recommended over another? What is your area of expertise? (Remember that some doctors are simply better at certain procedures. Many top surgeons prefer the abrading technique to remove fine wrinkles rather than laser resurfacing. Lasers are newer, but they may present problems that may compromise some doctors’ expertise.)

5. Exactly what is likely to happen during the operation?

6. Where will the incisions be made?

7. What are the basic steps to completing this procedure successfully? (Even if your best friend just had a face lift done by this surgeon, don’t presume the technique used and the results will be the same.)

8. How often do you perform such procedures?

9. How long will the procedure take?

10. What type of anesthetic will be used and why? If general anesthesia is recommended, who will administer sedation? What side effects are associated with the suggested anesthetic?

11. Where will the operation be done? (If it will take place in the doctor’s office, ask to see the surgical suite. If it is a hospital, take time to investigate the facility.)

12. How much pain will I experience after the surgery?

13. What risks are associated with this procedure and how common are the complications? Have you ever had a patient experience these complications? How was the problem handled, and what negative results, if any, occurred?

14. Can I talk to any of your patients who had the same surgery? (Doctors feel an obligation to protect the privacy of their patients, but they should be able to provide some contacts and most doctors are willing to comply. Of course, you will be referred only to patients who had good results. Still, it can be helpful to speak to someone who has been through the surgery. Make sure the patients are recent candidates.

15. How long will it be before I can go back to work or be seen in public?

16. About how long will it take before the full effects of my operation are evident?

17. How obvious might it be to others that I’ve had surgery?

18. About how long will the improvements likely last?

19. What, if any, complications are likely to develop after surgery?

20. Are any medical tests required before the surgery? Which ones?

21. When may surgery be scheduled?

22. How involved are you personally after the surgery? Who normally removes stitches and so on? (It’s more important that a doctor sees you than whether he or she actually removes sutures. That task is often left to a nurse or assistant.)

23. What are your fees and what do they cover? What are your payment terms?

24. Will I get a written breakout of all costs?

References

*Reshaping the Female Body, Kathy Davis, 1995

The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf, 1991

Body Traps: Breaking the Binds That Keep You From Feeling Good, J.

Rodin, 1992

Survival Of the Prettiest, Nancy Etcott, 1999

Are You Considering Cosmetic Surgery?, Arthur William Perry & Robin Karol Levinson, 1997

Beautiful Again: Restoring Your Image & Enhancing Body Changes, Jan Willis & Denise Anderson, 1994

Considering Plastic Surgery?, John M. Finley, 1991

Coping With the Dangers of Tattooing, Body Piercing, and Branding, Beth Wilkinson, 1998

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery; A Patient’s Guide, Benjamin M. Gelfant, M.D., F.R.C.S.C., Hana Klco, 1998

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cosmetic Surgery but Couldn’t Afford to Ask: A Complete Look at the Latest Techniques and Why They Are Safe, Alan Gaynor, Douglas R. Zusman, 1998

The Face Book: The Consumer’s Guide to Facial Plastic Surgery, Susan T. Hill, 1997

Grabb & Smith’s Plastic Surgery, Sherrell J. Aston, M.D., 1997

A New Body in One Day: A Guide to Same-Day Cosmetic Surgery Procedures, Robert A. Yoho, et al, 1997

Nips & Tucks: Everything You Must Know Before Having Cosmetic Surgery, Diana Barry, 1996

Plastic Surgery: What You Need To Know – Before, During, and After, Richard A. Marfuggi, 1998

The Plastic Surgery Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know, Kimberly A. Henry, M.D., Penny S. Heckaman, 1997

Beauty and the Beam: Your Complete Guide to Cosmetic Laser Surgery, Deborah S. Sarnoff, M.D., F.A.A.D., F.A.C.P., Joan Swirsky, R.N., M.S., 1998

Your Inner Beauty: Discover and Express the True Beauty Hidden Within, Jill Freeman & Larry J. Freeman, 1996

Bodylove: Learning to Like Our Looks and Ourselves, Rita Freedman, Ph.D., 1990

*The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1943

* - Recommended reading - one of the more important writings on the subject matter

The Most Important Question to Ask

Before leaving, ask about an important, albeit unnerving, aspect to your surgery: If results don't match your expectations, or if your body responds differently from the norm, what consideration will be given to your situation and how will the doctor address any potential dissatisfaction?

A scrupulous surgeon will perform revisions in the first year after surgery without a fee. A minor revision may be all that's needed to make a good result great. Other surgeons may opt to reduce their fees, while others make no fee adjustments for revisions. (There may be additional fees for the use of the operating facility and the anesthesiologist.) But since there doesn't seem to be a set policy, discuss how your surgeon will handle this possibility. Clearly you don't want to create the expectation that you are a surgical accident waiting to happen. But do be sure you understand what remedial steps can be taken to address any concerns you may have once you've clearly passed through the long term healing stage.

Now is the time to discuss how expected and unexpected outcomes will be handled. You need to know the worst-case scenarios, not just the best.