● The First Steps to cosmetic surgery Back to top

Length:

1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary soreness, swelling, change in nipple sensation, bruising. Breast sensitive to stimulation for a few weeks.

Risks:

Lack of implant permanence -- surgical removal or replacement of the implants may be required to treat problems, including: deflation; the formation of scar tissue around the implant (capsular contracture), which may cause the breast to feel tight or hard; bleeding or infection. Increase or decrease in sensitivity of nipples or breast skin, occasionally permanent. Mammography requires a special technique. (Note: Some women have reported symptoms similar to those of immune disorders. Ask your doctor about these and other FDA concerns.)

Recovery:

Back to work: a few days. Physical contact with breasts: 3 to 4 weeks. Fading of scars: several months to a year or more.

Duration of Results:

Variable. Implants may require removal or replacement.

Length:

1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary soreness, swelling, change in nipple sensation, bruising. Breast sensitive to stimulation for a few weeks.

Risks:

Lack of implant permanence -- surgical removal or replacement of the implants may be required to treat problems, including: deflation; the formation of scar tissue around the implant (capsular contracture), which may cause the breast to feel tight or hard; bleeding or infection. Increase or decrease in sensitivity of nipples or breast skin, occasionally permanent. Mammography requires a special technique. (Note: Some women have reported symptoms similar to those of immune disorders. Ask your doctor about these and other FDA concerns.)

Recovery:

Back to work: a few days. Physical contact with breasts: 3 to 4 weeks. Fading of scars: several months to a year or more.

Duration of
Results:

Variable. Implants may require removal or replacement

Reduce enlarged, female-like breast in men using liposuction and/or cutting out excess glandular tissue. (Sometimes covered by medical insurance.)

Length:

Anesthesia:

General or local.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness, soreness, burning sensation.

Risks:

Infection. Fluid accumulation. Injury to the skin. Rippling or bagginess of skin. Asymmetry. Pigmentation changes (may become permanent if exposed to sun). Excessive scarring if tissue was cut away. Need for second procedure to remove additional tissue.

Recovery:

Back to work: 3 to 7 days. More strenuous activity: 2 to 3 weeks. Swelling and bruising: 3 to 6 months.

Duration of
Results:

permanent

Procedure:

Length:

1 to 2 hours for full face.

Anesthesia:

None; sedation & EKG monitoring may be used.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Full-face phenol peel may require admission for 1 to 2 days.

Side Effects:

Both: Temporary throbbing, tingling, swelling, redness; acute sensitivity to sun. Phenol: Permanent lightening of treated skin; permanent loss of ability to tan.

Risks:

Both: Tiny whiteheads (temporary); infection; scarring; flare-up of skin allergies, fever blisters, cold sores. Phenol: Abnormal color changes (permanent); heart irregularities (rare).

Recovery:

Phenol: Formation of new skin: 7 to 21 days. Normal activities: 2 to 4 weeks. Full healing and fading of redness: 3 to 6 months TCA: New skin within 5 to 10 days.

Duration of
Results:

Phenol: permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages. TCA: variable (temporary).

Length:

A few minutes to 1 hour. May require more than 1 session.

Anesthesia:

Local, numbing spray, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary tingling, burning, itching, swelling, redness. Lightening of treated skin. Acute sensitivity to sun; loss of ability to make pigment (tan).

Risks:

Abnormal color changes (permanent). Tiny whiteheads (temporary); infection; scarring; flare-up of skin allergies, fever blisters, cold sores.

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 4 to 6 weeks. Fading of redness: about 3 months. Return of pigmentation/sun exposure: 6 to 12 months.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent, although new wrinkles may form as skin ages.

Procedure:

Length:

2 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia:

Young children: usually general. Older children or adults: general or local, with sedation.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary throbbing, aching, swelling, redness, numbness.

Risks:

Infection of cartilage. Excessive scarring. Blood clot that may need to be drained. Mismatched or artificial- looking ears. Recurrence of the protrusion, requiring repeat surgery.

Recovery:

Back to work or school: 5 to 7 days.
Strenuous activity, contact sports: 1 to 2 months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually permanent

Length:

1 to 3 hours.

Anesthesia:

Usually locally with sedation or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary discomfort, tightness of lids, swelling, bruising. Temporary dryness, burning, itching of eyes. Excessive tearing, sensitivity to light for first few weeks.

Risks:

Temporary blurred or double vision. Infection, bleeding. Swelling at the corners of the eyelids. Dry eyes. Formation of whiteheads. Slight asymmetry in healing or scarring. Difficulty in closing eyes completely (rarely permanent). Pulling down of the lower lids (may require further surgery). Blindness (extremely rare).

Recovery:

Reading: 2 or 3 days. Back to work: 7 to 10 days. Contact lenses: two weeks or more. Strenuous activities, alcohol: about 3 weeks. Bruising and swelling gone: several weeks.

Duration of
Results:

Several years. Sometimes permanent.

Procedure:

Length:

Several hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Some patients may require short inpatient stay.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness and tenderness of skin; tight feeling, dry skin. For men, permanent need to shave behind ears, where beard-growing skin is repositioned.

Risks:

Injury to the nerves that control facial muscles or feeling (usually temporary but may be permanent). Infection, bleeding. Poor healing; excessive scarring. Asymmetry or change in hairline.

Recovery:

Back to work: 10 to 14 days. More strenuous activity: 2 weeks or more. Bruising: 2 to 3 weeks. Must limit exposure to sun for several months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually 5 to 10 years.

Change the basic shape and balance of the face using carefully shaped implants to build up a receding chin, add prominence to cheekbones, or reshape the jawline.

Length:

30 minutes to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Occasionally overnight hospital stay.

Side Effects:

Temporary discomfort, swelling, bruising, numbness and/or stiffness. In jaw surgery, inability to open mouth fully for several weeks.

Risks:

Shifting or imprecise positioning of implant, or infection around it, requiring a second operation or removal. Excess tightening and hardening of scar tissue around an artificial implant ("capsular contracture"), causing unnatural shape.

Recovery:

Back to work: about 1 week. Normal appearance: 2 to 4 weeks. Activity that could jar or bump face: 6 weeks or more.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent.

Minimize forehead creases, drooping eyebrows, hooding over eyes, furrowed forehead and frown lines by removing excess tissue, altering muscles and tightening the forehead skin. May be done using the traditional technique, with an incision across the top of the head just behind the hairline; or with the use of an endoscope, which requires 3 to 5 short incisions. Most often done on people over 40

Length:

1 to 2 hours.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, numbness, headaches, bruising. Traditional method: Possible itching and hair loss.

Risks:

Injury to facial nerve, causing loss of motion, muscle weakness, or asymmetrical look. Infection. Broad or excessive scarring.

Recovery:

Back to work: 7 to 10 days, usually sooner for endoscopic forehead lift. More strenuous activity: several weeks. Full recovery from bruising: 2 to 3 weeks. Limit sun exposure for several months.

Duration of
Results:

Usually 5 to 10 years

Procedure:

Fill in balding areas with a patient's own hair using a variety of techniques including scalp reduction, tissue expansion, strip grafts, scalp flaps, or clusters of punch grafts (plugs, miniplugs and microplugs). Works best on men with male pattern baldness after hair loss has stopped.

Length:

1 to 3 hours. Some techniques may require multiple procedures over 18 months or more.

Anesthesia:

Usually local with sedation. Flaps and tissue expansion may be done with general anesthesia.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary achy, tight scalp. Unnatural look in early stages.

Risks:

Unnatural look. Infection. Excessive scarring. Failure to "take." Loss of scalp tissue and/or transplanted hair.

Recovery:

Back to work: usually 2 to 5 days. More strenuous activities: 10 days to 3 weeks. Final look: may be 18 months or more, depending on procedure.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent.

Procedure:

Length:

A few minutes to 1 hour. May require more than 1 session.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient, unless combined with other surgical procedures that require hospitalization.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, discomfort. Lightening of treated skin. Acute sun sensitivity. Increased sensitivity to makeup. Pinkness or redness in skin that may persist for up to 6 months.

Risks:

Burns or injuries caused by laser heat. Scarring. Abnormal changes in skin color. Flare-up of viral infections ("cold sores") and other infections (rare).

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 4-6 weeks. Complete fading of redness: 6 months or less. Return of pigmentation/light sun exposure: 6-12 months.

Duration of
Results:

Long-lasting, but does not stop aging. New wrinkles, expression lines may form as skin ages.

Length:

1 to 2 hours or more. UAL: 20-40 percent longer than traditional liposuction.

Anesthesia:

Local, epidural, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient. Extensive procedures may require short inpatient stay.

Side Effects:

Temporary bruising, swelling, numbness, soreness, burning sensation. Tumescent: Temporary fluid drainage from incision sites. UAL: Larger incisions for cannula.

Risks:

Asymmetry. Rippling or bagginess of skin. Pigmentation changes. Skin injury. Fluid retention. Excessive fluid loss leading to shock. Infection. UAL: thermal burn injury caused by the heat from the ultrasound device.

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 to 2 weeks. More strenuous activity: 2 to 4 weeks. Full recovery from swelling and bruising: 1 to 6 months or more. Use of tumescent technique or UAL may decrease post-operative bruising and swelling.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent, with sensible diet and exercise.

NOSE SURGERY (Rhinoplasty) Back to top

Procedure:

Reshape nose by reducing or increasing size, removing hump, changing shape of tip or bridge, narrowing span of nostrils, or changing angle between nose and upper lip. May also relieve some breathing problems.

Length:

1 to 2 hours or more.

Anesthesia:

Local with sedation, or general.

In/Outpatient:

Usually outpatient.

Side Effects:

Temporary swelling, bruising around eyes, nose and headaches. Some bleeding and stiffness.

Risks:

Infection. Small burst blood vessels resulting in tiny, permanent red spots. Incomplete improvement, requiring additional surgery.

Recovery:

Back to work: 1 to 2 weeks. More strenuous activities: 2 to 3 weeks. Avoid hitting nose or sunburn: 8 weeks. Final appearance: 1 year or more.

Duration of
Results:

Permanent

TUMMY TUCK (Abdominoplasty) Back to top

Procedure:

Flatten abdomen by removing excess fat and skin and tightening muscles of abdominal wall.

Length:

2 to 5 hours.

Anesthesia:

General, or local with sedation.

In/Outpatient:

Either depending on individual circumstances and extent of surgery.

Side Effects:

Temporary pain. Swelling, soreness, numbness of abdominal skin, bruising, tiredness for several weeks or months.

Risks:

Blood clots. Infection. Bleeding under the skin flap. Poor healing resulting in conspicuous scarring or skin loss. Need for a second operation.

Recovery:

Back to work: 2 to 4 weeks. More strenuous activity: 4 to 6 weeks or more. Fading and flattening of scars: 3 months to 2 years.