| You've
scrimped and saved to pay for cosmetic surgery. You put yourself - literally
- in the hands of a surgeon, and hoped for the very best. But then, when
the bandages came off, you were horrified.
 What now?
"Most botched plastic surgeries can be revised," says Michelle Copeland,
D.M.D., M.D., A board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. "But
before you even consider having revision surgery, it's important to be
sure that what you're looking at is the final result - not just the final
results of the surgery, but of the healing process, too." In fact, says
Dr. Copeland, most surgery patients look awful when the bandages come
off. Your body is likely to be swollen and bruised from the procedure,
and scars may still be bright red. It takes at least six months - and
may be as long as a full year - before the healing process is complete.
Before the first anniversary of your surgery, therefore, you should not
even contemplate going under the knife again.
If you are still unhappy with the results after you have healed completely,
it's important to figure out exactly why you're dissatisfied. Be honest
with yourself: Do your newly-augmented breasts really look less than perfect
- or are you just disappointed that while your D-cups have filled out,
your dance card is still empty? Has that facelift left you looking younger
but still feeling over-the-hill? No amount of corrective surgery will
fix that; in fact, undergoing surgery again is more than likely to leave
you looking and feeling worse than when you started the whole overhaul
process. Before you consider revision surgery, ask a friend you can trust
to be honest whether she really thinks the surgery was botched. If she
says it looks okay to her, your first call should be not to a surgeon
but to a psychotherapist; you may just need some help adjusting to your
new face or body - or to the fact that looking different is not going
to change your life.
 If your
surgery truly was mishandled, it will usually be possible to have it fixed
- but it's important to have realistic expectations. "It's important to
understand that the best revision surgery will not result in an outcome
as good as good original surgery," says Dr. Copeland. "Generally, the
best you can hope for is something midway between the botched job and
the result you would have received had the procedure been done properly."
If you do decide, after a year's time and a long hard look not just in
the mirror but at reality, that you'd like to consider having your cosmetic
procedure redone, the first thing you should do is consult your original
surgeon.
"People need to understand that these are surgical operations, whose success
depends on many factors including the unique way each body heals," says
Dr. Robert Grant, M.D., F.A.C.S., Chief of Plastic Surgery at New York
Presbyterian Hospital and Attending Surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Eastside.
"Therefore, even the best surgeon can, on occasion, end up with a patient
who is legitimately unhappy with the results of a surgery." The good news,
in that case, says Dr. Grant, is that if your doctor agrees with you that
the results of your operation are less than optimal, he may even agree
to revise the surgery without charging the usual fee (though you will
still pay anesthesiologists' fees and any facility charges).
Of course going back to your original surgeon is not a good idea if you
feel he or she truly botched the surgery or committed malpractice. If
that is the case, find a new doctor. Make sure you consult a board-certified
plastic surgeon who specializes in the procedure you want done - and whose
practice includes a lot of revision surgery; this requires slightly different
skills than it takes to be a great first-cut cosmetic surgeon. "Often
the problem with revision surgery is that doctors overcompensate," says
Dr. Copeland. "If a patient is left with too much jowling after a face
lift, the revision surgeon may overcompensate and draw the jaw too tight.
Or, by re-narrowing a nose, the doctor can leave too much scar tissue."
To find a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area, call the American
Society of Plastic Surgery's hotline at 1-800-635-0635, or visit www.plasticusrgery.org.
But don't just stop at their recommendation; to ensure that you are happier
with your second plastic surgery than you were with the first, interview
the new doctor at length, and ask lots of specific questions: Are there
limitations to what can be done? What is the risk of further scarring?
Be sure, to, to review the risks of anesthesia and surgery again, as well.
"Each operation has a degree of risk associated with it," says Dr. Grant.
"And instead of risks becoming smaller with each surgery, those risks
can increase not just arithmetically but geometrically."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
 To
increase the likelihood that you will be satisfied with your second surgery,
look for a doctor who uses computer imaging to show you before and after
pictures; that will eliminate the disappointment that can arise when communication
between doctor and patient is not optimal. Find out whether she uses the
latest surgical techniques and equipment - and make sure she has been
well trained in this state-of-the art surgery. (Cosmetic surgery has already
been enough of a learning experience for you - the last thing you want
is to be part of someone else's learning curve!)
Finally, be honest and upfront with the doctor about what your expectations
are, and what your fears are, too. It may take some time, but a good surgeon
will be willing to consult with you more than once and discuss your options
at great length to make sure that you are, ultimately, satisfied.
"We're in the happiness business," says Dr. Grant of himself and his fellow
cosmetic surgeons. "We want patients who can be satisfied."
Susan Kleinman writes about health and women's issues, contributing
to many major magazines and websites. Her work has appeared in leading
publications including Cosmopolitan, Redbook and Woman's Day. Susan is
a frequent contributor to lamasbeauty.com.
Discuss
this article with others right now in the Plastic
Surgery Room! |
100%
Safe & Secure
