Scars after plastic surgery

Plastic surgery as any intervention into your body leaves its trace – the scars. Many people before the procedure inquire about the scars which will appear after the surgery, the depth and the size of them as well as the time they will fade away. Naturally every characteristic depends on the part of the body to which the plastic surgery was applied.

At first all scars are read which in time change to pink and also become softer to touch. On the darker skin scars usually look brighter. Some of them can become hypertrophic that is to say the scars are itchy and painful. To some patients the scars might become thicker and extend beyond the skin (keloid). After you have plastic surgery the skin is very sensitive and the areas with the scars should not be any minute on the sunlight.

In general you will have scars after plastic surgery but they are usually not very large ones. After some time they will become almost invisible. There will be only a thin white line.

Scars after liposuction

Such scars are usually very small as the instruments (cannulas) used are of small size and doesn’t require wide incisions. Except those situations were large canullas are used for liposuction . There might me two forms of scars: the true scar or the one with the dark or light spot on the skin (dyschromia). Depending where the liposuction will be performed the scars can appear under the chin, under- the breast crease, along the arm and one or both sides of the abdomen. The scars in some cases might be abnormal, unattractive and of different color. That can require for additional treatment.

Scars after tummy tuck

The surgeon will decide on the type and the length of the scar that is to say it might be from minimal to the one with the circle around the tummy. The scars in the abdomen area are nicely hidden by person’s underwear. In time the scar will become flatter (it takes about a year) but basically it will always be there. After a big weight loss the vertical scar usually is bigger and goes from the pubic hairline to the lower end of the breastbone. Smoking can make things worse for example – result in wider scars and another surgery. After a full tummy tuck the scars will be seen from hip to hip and the navel area.

Scars after breast augmentation

Scars after breast augmentation are a natural thing. However these kind of scars are healed very well. In some rare cases the scars can transform to hypertophic or keloid. Of course there are things which can make the healing process easier. There is a choice of self-care scar therapy and surgical treatment. The first one includes the usage of silicone gels, Vitamin E, mederma (gel containing onion extract) or rose hip oil (its fatties are extremely helpful for the tissues repairing). If you want to make your breasts smaller you will have to face scaring after the breast reduction surgery.

Scars after rhinoplasty

There’s open and closed rhinoplasty . As closed one is performed through inside the nose the scars are invisible. An open surgery leaves a small incision under the tip of the nose that will result in fine-line scar which will soon fade away.

Scars after blepharoplasty

Scars after blepharoplasty are almost invisible except of course some rare cases when hypertophic ir keloid scars begin to form. Eyelid skin is the thinnest one in the body and keloid scars may appear because of various reasons such as leaving in sutures for too long or removing the excessive skin. In order to fasten the healing process every patient should firs of all rest enough, use ice compresses, protect from the sun and wear sunglasses, no smoking or alcohol consumption.

Ultrasonic assisted liposuction

Ultrasonic assisted liposuction (UAL) is a specific method of liposuction . This type of liposuction was firstly experimented in Europe and now it is very popular in the USA. “The results are wonderful”- says many well known lipoplasty professionals. This type of liposuction opened more possibilities for the plastic surgeons to remove high volumes of fat and make esthetic shape of the body. Basically, it opened more expectations for the overweight patients.

Ultrasonic liposuction is suitable for people having moderate amounts of fat to large amounts. The list of areas which can be treated is added with the back, male breast and upper abdomen. Also it is available for people wanting to correct the contours of the body or correct the anomaly of the body caused by fat collection

Types of ultrasonic liposuction

There exist two types of ultrasonic liposuction : internal and external. The main difference is how the procedure is performed. During the internal liposuction the ultrasonic wave is delivered internally that is to say by inserting a special canulla. External method of UAL is performed with the application of the instrument directly to the outer skin surface. This method happened to be an enthusiastic experiment and now is used very rarely. How does the ultrasonic energy work? The principle is simple – it makes the fat cells to move quickly which results in the fat cell break. Later on the fat is sucked. Such method is an advantage of not being so mechanical as traditional liposuction which requires many efforts trying to remove the cells with fat. If large amounts of fat need to be removed you will be asked to give some blood which can be used at the end of surgery as the blood transfusion.

Of course liposuction should be performed by a qualified surgeon. As this method is specific it requires practical experience the procedure to be safe and with nice results. After the procedure you will be allowed to go home with compressions covering the treated areas. You can feel some pain after also the areas will begin to swell. This will subside in time and in two months you will see final results.

Advantages of UAL

These are the advantages of ultrasonic assisted liposuction : it is performed with little bruises, blood is lost in lower amounts rather than during traditional liposuction, the healing is not so complicated and also is faster, the results are of long- term. Also this procedure can be applied on many areas which could not be treated with liposuction before. Of course it doesn’t mean that traditional way of liposuction will be forgotten just ultrasonic liposuction allows more choices for the patients.

The cost of such plastic procedure is higher than traditional one. As this technique requires more time to spend as more areas can be treated. In addition to that the instruments of UAL cost much more of traditional devices. But the results are worth the cost. Some times these two methods are combined and only little additional fee is added.

Phenol peel

Phenol peel is well known in plastic surgery as the deepest chemical peel and is used for already more than 20 years. To let you know it uses carbolic acid to achieve deeper exfoliation. As follows it is fitting for patients with deep wrinkles around the lips and chin area as well as for sun damaged or pigmented facial areas. Results will not disappoint you, on the contrary when the treatment is complete, you can rejoice at smoother skin and corrected facial problems.

Naturally some precautions must be taken. Phenol peel is suitable only for face and is not recommended for patients with heart problems as well as for dark-skinned people. Your doctor will warn you about the long lasting healing process and some side effects.

Phenol peel procedure

Now is about the procedure itself. First of all it takes from 15 minutes to one hour, sometimes even two depending on what area you will be treating: full or separate one. Surgeon will apply phenol solution to the appropriate area avoiding the most sensitive ones around the eyes, brows and lips. Phenol peel works as anesthetic that is why no separate anesthesia is needed. At the end of the procedure skin is neutralized with cold water. One hour later your skin will be covered with a thick lay of petroleum jelly in order to form a protective crust.

After the procedure you might experience some discomfort: red skin, swelling, in most cases even eyes shut because of that, scarring, bleaching effect, also skin pores can be wider or become an obstacle to get tan. The main thing which can make you uncomfortable is skin’s whiteness. After the redness has disappeared skin color will change to white. That is why phenol peels are not recommended to dark skinned individuals. To keep the procedure safe a patient must warn about any medical problems, especially concerning heart. Because phenol peel can influence irregular heartbeat.

Another thing to be mentioned is freckles. Peel will remove them. So if your whole body is covered with freckles after the peel you might look unnatural. If any pain or other discomfort will bother you some medication can be prescribed. Avoid talking as much as possible during the first days and especially the sun without any sunscreen.

Phenol peel results

The discomfort begins to fade and the first results can be seen in two weeks. That means you can wore some make up and come back to work or appear in public other ways. The total recovery can be reached in two to three months.

The biggest advantage of such peel lies in its long lasting results. However it will not affect aging process. The new skin texture can be astonishing surprise for your self and for others. The best results can be achieved with the patients who have pale skin already because after the procedure the bleaching seems to be natural color for that individual.

Fees can vary from 500$ to 2000$ or more. The more facial area you desire to be treated the higher expenses are.

AHA peel

AHA or alpha hydroxyl acids peel is often called light peel and is one of the mildest peels in plastic surgery . If a person does not have time for longer recovery ( for example after TCA or phenol peels ) and wants to shed a rough, dry or covered with uneven pigmentation skin, gentle touch of glycolic, lactic and fruit acids seems to be the right choice. The procedure is fast and simple- only 15 minutes and your skin refreshed.

The same as with TCA peel AHA peel requires a month pretreatment. You might be prescribed Retin A or hydroquinone (especially if you suffer from blotchy skin or pigmentation). Men are usually asked not to shave 24 hours before the peel. When the time for procedure comes you will not need any anesthesia, because it causes only the feeling of light stinging.

AHA peel procedure

Of course preparation for the procedure should involve the consultations with the doctor. You are welcome to ask everything you would be interested in, beginning with the procedure itself, after effects, expectations. To get an idea you can always ask to show some photographs with the patient before and after peel.

AHA peel can be used on the entire surface of the skin or separate areas. The only thing to know that AHA peel as well as other ones can not be done around the eyes. It is good for all skin conditions and all skin types.

As it was mentioned before this cosmetic procedure is simple and quick. It is safe to perform it at plastic surgeons office or outpatient surgical center.  The surgeon will apply AHA peel on the prepared and cleansed from any grease skin for 10-15 minutes then it is removed. The procedure will be finished by rinsing face with the cold water.

 As it is not a deep peel (during which only outer layers are burned off) it usually needs the after-treatment applying the face wash or cream consisting of AHA or even repeating the procedure once again after some time. Depending on the skin problem and the concentration of the peel the procedure can be repeated weekly or monthly.

AHA peel side effects

Some side effects still might appear. Though probably they will not disturb your daily activities. In general patients feel some redness, in rear cases peeling or even flaking. It may last up to 5 days and can be treated with medication.

After your skin is adjusted to treatment you can be proud of more beautiful skin with the increased elasticity, minimized pores and wrinkles and smoother top. You can also say good bye to discoloration of your skin, acne scars, rough, oily or in other words problematic skin.

Things you should know after the AHA peel . First thing to mention is that nothing at all can be applied to the skin at least 3 hours after the procedure. Also avoid sun in addition to this please use the sunscreen with the appropriate UVA and UVB protection. All the recommendations will be given by your physician.

AHA peel cost

Probably you would like to know how much procedure costs. Of course price varies depending on the physician you will choose and on the procedure itself. Basically AHA peel can cost you from 100$.

AHA peel

AHA or alpha hydroxyl acids peel is often called light peel and is one of the mildest peels in plastic surgery. If a person does not have time for longer recovery ( for example after TCA or phenol peels) and wants to shed a rough, dry or covered with uneven pigmentation skin, gentle touch of glycolic, lactic and fruit acids seems to be the right choice. The procedure is fast and simple- only 15 minutes and your skin refreshed.

The same as with TCA peel AHA peel requires a month pretreatment. You might be prescribed Retin A or hydroquinone (especially if you suffer from blotchy skin or pigmentation). Men are usually asked not to shave 24 hours before the peel. When the time for procedure comes you will not need any anesthesia, because it causes only the feeling of light stinging.

Of course preparation for the procedure should involve the consultations with the doctor. You are welcome to ask everything you would be interested in, beginning with the procedure itself, after effects, expectations. To get an idea you can always ask to show some photographs with the patient before and after peel.

AHA peel can be used on the entire surface of the skin or separate areas. The only thing to know that AHA peel as well as other ones can not be done around the eyes. It is good for all skin conditions and all skin types.

As it was mentioned before the procedure is simple and quick. It is safe to perform it at plastic surgeons office or outpatient surgical center.  The surgeon will apply AHA peel on the prepared and cleansed from any grease skin for 10-15 minutes then it is removed. The procedure will be finished by rinsing face with the cold water.

 As it is not a deep peel (during which only outer layers are burned off) it usually needs the after-treatment applying the face wash or cream consisting of AHA or even repeating the procedure once again after some time. Depending on the skin problem and the concentration of the peel the procedure can be repeated weekly or monthly.

AHA peel side effects

Some side effects still might appear. Though probably they will not disturb your daily activities. In general patients feel some redness, in rear cases peeling or even flaking. It may last up to 5 days and can be treated with medication.

 After your skin is adjusted to treatment you can be proud of more beautiful skin with the increased elasticity, minimized pores and wrinkles and smoother top. You can also say good bye to discoloration of your skin, acne scars, rough, oily or in other words problematic skin.

Things you should know after the AHA peel. First thing to mention is that nothing at all can be applied to the skin at least 3 hours after the procedure. Also avoid sun in addition to this please use the sunscreen with the appropriate UVA and UVB protection. All the recommendations will be given by your physician.

AHA peel cost

Probably you would like to know how much procedure costs. Of course price varies depending on the physician you will choose and on the procedure itself. Basically AHA peel can cost you from 100$.

TCA peel

TCA (trichloroacetic acid) peel is one of three chemical solutions(alphahydroxy acids(AHAs) and phenol) most commonly used in plastic surgery . It is perfect for persons who have uneven skin pigmentation, wrinkles or facial blemishes. TCA also treats sun damaged, dry, flaky skin and dark spots. Maybe you want to improve  acne and blackheads or fade away your old tattoo? In this case TCA peeling is just for you.

To find out more detailed information about the procedure of TCA peel , preparation, after effects and the costs please continue to read below. This article will not answer all your questions because many details depend on your situation, but whenever you decide to try TCA peel you are welcome to ask everything you want your surgeon.

TCA peel

TCA peel can be used on various parts of the body: the entire face as well as arms, hands, chest or the neck. It can be used for light-skinned or darker-skinned individuals.To begin with planning to take TCA peel please be aware that it may have some risk.To avoid it first of all find the physician with an adequate experience and qualification. More over your physician can suggest you various combinations of peel to achieve the best result.

TCA chemical peel procedure

For the preparation of TCA peel procedure Retin A is used. It makes your skin surface layer thinner allowing TCA to spread more deeply and evenly. If you do not tolerate Retin A, you can be offered AHA cream pretreatment. This may take up to one month or even more. Also exfoliating sponges or buff pads as well as hair removal should be discontinued at least three weeks prior to procedure. If you decide to do a deeper TCA have in mind of someone to bring you home and assist you for a day or two.

The procedure itself might take from 15 minutes to one hour depending how much is needed to be peeled. The first step is to cleanse the skin. While the surgeon applies TCA you may feel some stinging sense which is normal. TCA is used in various concentrations starting from 10% to 50%. The bigger it is the deeper peeling will be.

If you have facial warts, sun allergies, past herpes simplex, experienced radiation treatment, pregnant or breast feeding or have had a bad peeling reaction before please let your surgeon know in order some precautions could be taken.

TCA peel recovery

Things you should know about the healing process. The first week your skin will be read and probably even swollen. Speaking about side effects, the most common one is the discoloration of the skin. The reason for it is usually sunburn after the peel not using sunscreen SPF 25 or more. From three to four days after peeling the dead layers of your skin will shed till it will be completely healed. At that time you will be required to keep your skin moisturizing with antibacterial ointment  The results can be expected in approximately fourteen days. During that period you will notice the first getting better symptoms such as less pigmentation and wrinkles problems in addition to shiny skin. If  in any case redness on your skin lasts more than two weeks let the doctor know. Otherwise it can turn into brown discoloration or even scar if not treated the right way.

TCA peel is not so long lasting as the other kinds of chemical peel . Might be you will need to repeat treatment to maintain the results.

TCA peel cost

The cost of TCA peel varies from $500 to $1200. To let you know that sometimes it may be covered by health insurance. So it  is recommended to check your insurance company before you do TCA peel.

Depression after plastic surgery

Plastic surgery is a big step in your life. The need for it is more of psychological nature. And this is no wonder, because even a small change in your appearance can strongly affect your inside.

Signs of depression

Plastic surgery as every surgery has to be considered seriously and with a good emotional preparation because it may have some post-effects. One of them is depression after plastic surgery the so called post-operative depression. What is that? Many patients has a strong feeling of sadness, fatigue and lose of interests, which begins in three days after surgery when the appearance is not yet improving and can last more than two weeks.

The main factors of post-operative depression

The main factors causing depression after surgery are medications, post-surgical traumatic stress syndrome, constipation from the medications and more over a long period of just lying in bed and being restricted to many activities. The last one is supposed to be more difficult for men rather than women. Men usually reject their pain and not asking for any help make the recovery more difficult. Also the adjustment to new look, family and friends reactions, financial stress and the feeling of guilty for having the surgery at all may leed you to depression.

Depression treatment

That is why first of all it is very important to ascertain what to expect after plastic surgery and in such way to prepare yourself. Also you have to realize that the way you feel after is natural and will subside in time. Of course to deal with all difficult moments in life is easier together with someone. That is why the true support of another person is vital. The feeling that you can rely on your friend or relative and also your own surgeon whenever you need can make you feel better. The little of exercises can also contribute to better inside feeling (of course first of all consult to a doctor).

You have to understand that you are not the only one feeling this way. There are thousands of plastic surgery patients feeling the “after” impact not only on body but also in their mind. In order to make yourself feel better you can find a group of similar people to share experiences and recovery ways. It can also help you understand your thoughts and deal with them. Being social always helps. Do not forget to relax and care for your self.

Plastic surgery after pregnancy

Giving a birth is a gift that nature gave to women. Most women enjoy being pregnant, but for some of them body changes caused by pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding takes away the joy. Many women find that their tummy after childbirth became flappy (because of excess skin) and full of stretch marks; the breast after breastfeeding has lost its nice shape, also sometimes there are changes in skin pigmentation and etc. These changes may frustrate and depress a woman, because each woman one wants to look as attractive as she was before pregnancy. Well, if a woman wants to restore her pre-pregnancy form, there are some options to choose – nonsurgical procedures (exercising, dieting) or plastic surgery. However, many women prefer to have plastic surgery .

Breast augmentation or Breast lifting

As it was mentioned above, many women find that breastfeeding has ruined nice appearance of their breast. Why is it so? During the pregnancy, woman’s breast prepares for nurture infant, milk glands in the breast enlarge and replace fat tissue. After childbirth, milk glands shrink and this cause breast to look less full. In this case, breast augmentation is an ideal choice to restore the previous shape. There are plenty of breast implants , which return a youthful fullness of a breast.

In addition, some women find a significant breast enhancement during the pregnancy. After childbirth, it returns in normal size, but also leaves an excess skin. In this instance, only breast lifting (mastopexy) will remove excess skin and reduce sagging.

Tummy tuck and Liposuction

If you want to remember your pregnancy – just take a look on your abdomen after childbirth. It became flappy and full of stretch marks; also, your skin around belly button may be wrinkled. Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) may return pre-pregnancy shape to your tummy, remove stretch marks and wrinkles around belly button.

Many women have less time to exercise after childbirth, so it’s problematic to lose some extra weight. Liposuction can be an ideal way to restore your waist, buttocks, thighs and upper arms without exercising or being on a diet.

Changes in skin pigmentation

Changes in skin pigmentation are common on the face during pregnancy. These changes may be characterized by blotchy brown increase in pigment. If the pigment exists in the epidermis, it is helped by bleaching devices as hydroquinone.

Recommended e-book:

  1. Pregnancy without pounds

Plastic surgery financing

Everyone knows that plastic surgeries and other cosmetic procedures are expensive and health insurance does not cover most of them. Because of that reason, many people put off plans for having surgical or nonsurgical procedures. Fortunately, plastic surgery financing makes procedures affordable for those, who do not have enough money for that.

There is several plastic surgery financing options for patients. Firstly, the surgeon can offer you to fill out the loan application during the consultation. The biggest advantage of this option is that you will receive loan approval almost immediately. Secondly, you can research for the plastic surgery financing by your own. This option enables you to find the best financing rates.

Funded procedures

Plastic surgery financing can cover almost surgical or nonsurgical treatments. More to say, it is impossible to cover two or more surgeries at the same time. Here is an approximate list of procedures that can be financed:

How much can I borrow?

Statistics shows that one in every four Americans can pay for surgical or nonsurgical procedure $500 and more. Many financing companies can offer loan from $1000 to $25.000. In addition, there are several month plan options – you can pay from 1 year to 60 months. Monthly payment depends on the amount of borrowed money, the length of time needed for repayment and credit ratings.

Interest rates for plastic surgery financing

The interest rates are based upon the credit history. Patients with a very good credit history can get the lowest interest rate. Many financing companies offer to have option for a 0% or 1.9% interest rate. However, usually, plastic surgery financing companies offer interest rates from 5.99% to 24.99%.

Breast reconstruction after breast cancer

Worldwide the breast cancer (a cancer of breast tissue) is the most common form of cancer in female. The surgeon always recommends mastectomy. It means that woman will lose a breast, but will have a chance to survive. However, woman may be grappling with the emotional aspects after loosing a breast and sometimes decides to have a breast reconstruction procedure. Fortunately, today this plastic surgery is available for many women, who had a mastectomy.

Breast reconstruction – what is it?

Breast reconstruction is a surgical procedure to restore the appearance of a breast. Usually women prefer this kind of plastic surgery after having mastectomy. This plastic procedure reconstructs the breast shape, also nipple and areola (if woman desires). There are some different ways of reconstruction procedure:

* To use breast implants;
* To use body’s own tissue;
* To use a combination of tissue reconstruction and breast implants.

Breast implants

The first way to reconstruct your breast is to use breast implants . The researchers proved that they do not have any negative influence on a cancer patient’s health, also breast implants do not reduce the long-term survival of the patient.

During this plastic surgery, the surgeon places a breast implant behind the muscle of woman’s chest (as it is performed during breast augmentation). Bear in mind, that woman can choose one or two-stage process – breast implants can be placed during the mastectomy (one stage process). The two-stage process is performed if skin and chest wall tissues are tight and flat. The surgeon will use tissue expander, which he will remove after skin over the breast has stretched enough. After all, a surgeon will put a permanent breast implant in tissue expander’s place.

Tissue flap procedure

The second way is to select tissue flap procedure. During this procedure a surgeon uses tissue from own patient body – from tummy, back, hip or buttocks to restore the breast shape. There are two general types of the procedure:

  • TRAM flap (transverse rectus abdominis muscle flap) – a surgeon uses tissue from patient’s tummy;
  • Lattisimus dorsi flap – a surgeon uses tissue from patient’s upper back.

Unfortunately, both operations leave scars in both places – from where tissue was taken and where was placed. Also this operation is not suitable for women suffering from diabetes, vascular disease and even for smokers!

Remember, breast reconstruction is a complex procedure, the patient may need two or more surgeries to get a symmetrical breast. Sometimes woman also need surgery on opposite breast even if it’s healthy.

Recommended e-book about natural breast augmentation:

  1. You can enlarge your breast naturally without surgery, please take a look at this e-book.