Recently one of my patients found a very interesting article in the New York Times (October 29, 2009) entitled “When Plastic Surgery Calls for a Do-Over”. In it, the author interviewed several plastic surgeons to get their thoughts on the state of cosmetic surgery, in particular the increasing rate of revision surgery. I think it’s a very interesting article that can be very helpful to plastic surgery patients. The essential point is that revision surgery is common, and becoming more common each day for a variety of reasons, one of which being that there are a lot of surgeons out there performing complex surgical procedures, such as facelifts, without the proper training or credentials and promising little or no downtime. Unfortunately, these mini-procedures often lead to mini-results, and will at best last only a few months, or at worst require a revision procedure.
The key is to spend some time discussing your specific goals with your surgeon, seek more than one consult, and then decide if the procedure AND the surgeon are right for you. I think it can also be helpful to speak with some former patients to see not only what their experience was like but also if they continue to be happy with their results. Finally, it’s important to understand that while revisions are rare, they do happen, and the rate of revision varies with the surgeon and the procedure, so ask your surgeon about his or her specific experience and his financial policy in the event you need a revision.
Here’s the link to the article online– great reading I think:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/fashion/29Skin.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=plastic%20surgery&st=cse
