6 Things To Know About Plastic Surgery That I Wish I’d Know Beforehand

I recently had a breast reduction and it’s the best decision I have ever made, but there are a few things I learned about plastic surgery that I would have loved to know beforehand.

1. You should not idealize it

Everyone who has been waiting for years to get that one thing they don’t like about their bodies fixed thinks that their lives will automatically change after the surgery. And well, yes, your life will change in a positive way, but it takes more than the perfect nose to be happy. If you are not happy now, maybe it’s not your nose’s fault and even after you get it done, you will still need to work on other aspects of your life. Of course your self-esteem and confidence will grow, but a nose job won’t automatically get you a boyfriend.

2. You should be at a weight that you both feel comfortable in and can keep

When you have a plastic surgery procedure, you should know that the outcome will definitely change if your body does; if you lose too much weight right before the surgery, there’s a chance you’ll gain it afterwards and alter the results. Same goes if you lose a bunch of pounds after the surgery.

3. You will not see the results immediately

After the procedure you will be really, really swollen and it will take a lot of time before you get to see the final outcome. When they took off my bandages I freaked out because my breasts were almost two cup sizes bigger than what I asked for, and it took them around 3 months to get to their actual size. You should also know that perfection is an impossible body standard and there’s a limit in what the surgeon can do. Maybe you wanted B cups but it was a health risk to cut off that much gland tissue, maybe you wanted Megan Fox’s nose but your bone structure wont allow it. Don’t be stubborn and listen to your surgeon’s advice. He has experience in this and knows best what will suit you without risking your health.

4. You will have to contemplate a few weeks (or even months) of recovery time

Depending on the procedure and the technique your surgeon chooses, you will need a lot of recovery time. This means maybe you should postpone your beach vacations and clear a lot of afternoons for post-operatory care appointments.

5. Sometimes it takes more than one procedure to achieve the results you are expecting

This is what happened in my personal experience: I got the breast reduction, I was happy with it but there was some weird extra skin hanging around the scars, the doctor told me he was going to take care of that after the scars healed, this meant another appointment, local anesthesia, more cutting, more sewing, and extending my “healing time”… Turns out this is very common, I talked to other women who have had the same surgery and most of them told me they also had to have that second procedure done to them and none of them knew this beforehand.

6. If you’re paying for it yourself, you should anticipate extra spending budget

Most of the times your health insurance wont cover this kind of procedures, so your surgery expenses will be probably coming out of your bank account. Your surgeon will always give you an estimate but you should be prepared for unexpected situations. For example, maybe the procedure took longer than they anticipated and the O.R. bill starts adding up in time and material. Maybe you don’t feel so well afterwards and you need to spend an extra night at the clinic. Consider all of these and plan accordingly so you wont have any worries later.