Millions of Americans elect to go under the knife every year, all for the sake of feeling better with themselves and their appearance. No matter how many times these surgeries take place, the risks continue to pose potentially fatal threats to every patient. Even the most simple and common complications can have disastrous consequences for patients.
Physical
Just like when people diet and gain back the weight, those who undergo liposuction also have the potential to gain back weight. However, one very unfortunate outcome has emerged in those individuals who pack the pounds back on. Because liposuction literally destroys the body’s fat cells in certain areas, these spots are no longer capable of maintaining or reproducing the body’s fat stores. As such, any intake of fat that person receives must be stored in areas that would usually not be a first stop for fat. These are generally undesirable spots such as the back and arms, often having the consequence of giving people a disproportionate, unbalanced appearance.
Emotional
A great deal of discussion has been leant to the emotional toll cosmetic medical procedures can have on people. In addition to what sometimes amounts to a lengthy recovery, there are concerns of social stigmatization. Friends and family may react in ways that make the person feel as though they’ve made the wrong decision or are a shallow human being. Sometimes the emotional struggle is entirely internal; the person may feel a sense of confusion over self-identity or the outcomes of the surgery may not live up to their expectations.
Financial
Anyone who has ever dealt with medical bills knows that every last charge seems astronomically inflated. Ultimately, there is no way around these costs with the exception of medical insurance. However, cosmetic surgery is unique because most insurance companies don’t consider these procedures as medically necessary and, hence, don’t cover the costs. This results in thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs for the patient, which can be a real problem for those who become “addicted” to cosmetic surgery.
Anesthesia Risks
One of the biggest risks of any surgery is common across many surgeries: anesthesia. What doctors, surgeons, physician assistants and possibly students in medical assistant programs learn in anesthesiology is all about balance. They must ensure that patients stay asleep and immobile, while at the same time keeping them awake enough to maintain a heartbeat. Unless you’re having surgery on the battlefield expect to encounter very serious medications and expect the risks of such a procedure.
Infections
Yet another commonality of all surgeries is the risk of infection. Even though bacteria and other pathogens have find ways to infect individuals, surgeries expose tissues of the body to the outside environment in a way that allows for relatively minor infections to proliferate in an invasive manner. Infections introduced to the bloodstream and internal area of the body can lead to fatal blood sepsis or organ failure.
Scarring
Despite the entire intention behind plastic surgery being the improvement of physical appearance, scarring is one of the most commonly reported side effects. Depending on the type of surgery, complications during the healing process and the natural skin tone and texture of the patient, scars can be almost non-existent or stark and unseemly.
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