What you need to know about plastic surgery

At the turn of the year, it can be a good time to make changes in your life. One type of change people make, as a new year resolution of sorts, is to change their physical appearance through plastic surgery. 

You may choose plastic surgery for personal or medical reasons, but whatever the reason, you need to be aware of the risks involved. 

So here at National Accident Helpline, we take a look at the potential plastic surgery risks, and what to do if you do unfortunately suffer from any complications during or after your procedure.

Plastic surgery is a procedure in which missing or damaged tissue of the skin is either repaired or reconstructed. It is a common procedure with 18 million plastic surgeries taking place in 2019 alone. Plastic surgery can include, for example, skin grafts and skin flap surgery.

Popular plastic surgery procedures include:

• breast augmentations
• nose jobs
• liposuction
• cheek lifts
• breast lifts
• breast reduction

Plastic surgery can take place to:

• repair abnormalities in a person's body such as webbed fingers that have existed since birth
• repairs in areas of the body such as the breast which have been damaged as a result of the need to remove cancerous tissues
• serious injuries such as terrible burns
• to improve a person's confidence
• to make a person's quality of life better.

Unfortunately, plastic surgery can carry several risks, which are listed below, in addition to the potential risk of unexpected reaction to the anaesthesia used  to carry out plastic surgery.

Naturally, there's also the obvious risk of a poor cosmetic outcome when the surgery didn't create the results that were hoped for. There are also extreme risks which can include death but this only occurs as a  less than 1% risk.

Typical risks if you undergo plastic surgery include: 

Blood loss

If you undergo any type of surgery, you risk losing blood. However, when the blood loss is uncontrollable it could cause your blood pressure to drop which can result in death. The risk of blood loss is present during surgery as well as after the plastic surgical procedure.  

Blood clots

The risk of blood clots is common in many procedures including plastic surgery.  Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)is a common form of a blood clot and is usually only life-threatening if it moves to your lungs. This is a pulmonary embolism (PE) but is not a common risk with plastic surgery procedures.

Infection

Whatever the type of surgery, you risk infection as a result. In fact, it is the most common risk associated with plastic surgery procedures. If you opt for breast augmentation, for example, 1.1 to 2.5 percent of plastic surgery patients suffer an infection.

Nerve damage

If you are considering plastic surgery, you should be aware of the risk of nerve damage. Nerve damage can be particularly noticeable if the nerve is a facial one. Nerve damage could mean you can no longer create specific facial expressions and it may, for example, cause your eyes to droop. 

A sign of nerve damage after your plastic surgery is numbness and tingling, although it is common to experience the latter after plastic surgery regardless. Nerve damage is usually temporary but can be a permanent effect of plastic surgery.

Organ damage

Organ damage is a serious risk associated with plastic surgery procedures. It can occur in the form of a visceral perforation or puncture, with perforations as potentially fatal. Liposuction, for example, carries a risk of trauma to internal organs. 

Surgical complications

The very nature of undergoing surgery carries the risk of complications. 

Risks associated with this include:

• lung infections
• stroke
• heart attack
• waking up during the operation 
• death

Scarring

Plastic surgery can carry the risk of scarring.  However, you can reduce the likelihood of the risk by:

• not smoking
• eating well following the surgery

Tummy tucks, for example, carry the risk of hypertrophic scarring which is a raised scar, red and thick in appearance. 

Now that you know what causes plastic surgery to go wrong, you may be able to reduce the risks associated with plastic surgery by:

• choosing a certified plastic surgeon who belongs to a professional association such as the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) 
• being suspicious of prices which seem too good to be true
• avoiding travelling overseas by air to get surgery as the blood clot risks increase
• answering the questions  your plastic surgeon asks you honestly
• caring correctly for any wound
• washing hands often
• doing what the plastic surgeon suggests as part of your preparation and recovery procedures.
• eating well before and after the plastic surgery
• maintaining a stable weight for 6 to 12 months before the plastic surgery procedure

A further way to reduce the risks associated with plastic surgery is by choosing carefully where you have the plastic surgery. If you go to a surgery centre or an operating suite and do not have emergency medical care nearby, should something go wrong with your plastic surgery you are in significant danger. However, if you can elect to have plastic surgery in a hospital, for example, with an emergency care facility, this could reduce the risk associated with the surgery. 

If you want to make a medical negligence claim for plastic surgery, National Accident Helpline can help. We are the UK's leading provider of personal injury advice, services and support which includes medical negligence. Call us now on .

At National Accident Helpline, we understand that when plastic surgery fails due to medical negligence it can sadly be life-changing. You decided to make positive changes to your body which unfortunately due to a poor plastic surgeon caused a negative impact on your life. We appreciate you could have physical injuries or psychological trauma which causes substantial changes to your daily routine. When making a medical negligence compensation claim with National Accident Helpline, we show sympathy and sensitivity when listening to your bad experience.

We will ensure that your claim for medical negligence is simple and stress-free. We can offer a no-win no fee option to take any financial worries you may have had away. You can even calculate your potential compensation online using our compensation calculator. You can rest assured you are in the hands of a specialist medical negligence solicitor who will deal with your claim. 

Let National Accident Helpline help you to make a medical negligence claim. Call today, request a call back here, or simply begin your claim online.

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