Plastic Surgery and Your Health
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica
Like any type of invasive surgery, plastic surgery comes with potential risks and complications. Although modern techniques and technology have significantly minimized these risks, your current health and medical history play an important role in the safety of each procedure. Certain diseases or medical conditions can affect your candidacy or compromise your results.
Contraindications
A contraindication is any factor that would make a medical treatment more dangerous or unpredictable. In the case of plastic surgery, the following conditions ore of primary concern:
- Smoking – The nicotine in cigarettes deprives your body of oxygen, causing your blood vessels to constrict and crippling your skin’s ability to heal. You will need to quit smoking for at least two weeks before your procedure to avoid excessive bleeding, infection, and loss of tissue.
- Diabetes – The high blood sugar levels in a diabetic’s body increase the odds of infection after surgery, and the narrower blood vessels will interfere with healing. Your diabetes must be well-controlled before you are considered a safe candidate for plastic surgery.
- Hypertension – High blood pressure can place stress on the heart during surgery, and cause a patient to experience excessive bleeding.
- Blood thinners – Medications like aspirin, and dietary supplements like vitamins A and E and ginseng can thin your blood and cause bleeding complications. You will need to stop taking any blood thinners for at least 5 to 7 days before surgery.
Be sure to openly discuss your medical history with Dr. Kim during your personal consultation. He will discuss any other potential contraindications with you at this time.
Good Plastic Surgery Candidates
Dr. Kim will not perform plastic surgery on a patient who he thinks is not a good candidate. In general, good candidates for plastic surgery are in strong metabolic health, do not have the problems listed above, and are close to their target weight. Factors like obesity – and the high cholesterol and heart problems that come with it – will work against you.
You also need to be psychologically and emotionally healthy for plastic surgery. You should not undergo a procedure during an emotional crisis, and you should be aware of the limitations of your chosen procedure. Managing your expectations is key to your satisfaction as a patient. Dr. Kim can help you understand exactly what to expect from each of our plastic surgery procedures.
If you have further questions about plastic surgery and your health, please contact us today to schedule a consultation with experienced Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Eugene Kim.
