Introduction
Plastic surgery generally improves appearance for women and for men by correcting deformities, disfigurements, or unsightly features, and by eliminating conspicuous marks of aging.
It is essential that people considering such surgery be realistic and emotionally mature. For various reasons not everyone is a good candidate for plastic surgery, nor is everyone who desires cosmetic correction or enhancement accepted for surgery.
A person should have a realistic motive for seeking surgical aid. Plastic surgery is not a cure-all. The resulting improvements in appearance may be psychologically beneficial in raising self-esteem and self-confidence, but it will not solve every personal problem.
The goal of cosmetic surgery is improvement in appearance and, if possible, perfection. Of course, no surgeon can ethically guarantee the results of any type of surgery. Surgeons can only guarantee that they will do their best to help the patient.
A surgeon is a doctor, not a magician. The degree of success depends on his or her surgical skill and experience, as well as on the patient’s age, health, skin texture, and bone structure.
Sometimes, a surgeon is unable to achieve the result the patient has envisioned. The patient’s goal may be surgically unattainable or undesirable. For example, the patient’s vision for a new nose may not be harmonious with the face as a whole and may be aesthetically unpleasing if it were achieved. Just as your hair structure puts inherent limitations on possible hairstyles, so does your facial structure determine, in part, surgical results.
A relative minimum of pain and only minor incapacity and discomfort usually follow cosmetic surgery. The patient must be mature enough to accept them and realize that they are only temporary.
Every surgical procedure, even a simple tooth extraction, entails some degree of risk of possible complications. The doctor should discuss these risks with the patient before deciding to proceed with surgery.