Bad plastic surgery is something we can’t necessarily define, but we know it when we see it.
Common complications after plastic surgery include infection, skin necrosis, wound separation, fluid collections or abscesses, and blood clots.
We’ve all seen the pictures of celebrities who have taken the ‘pursuit of perfection’ a step or two too far. We’ve watched everyday people become celebrities for no other reason than their outrageous feats of plastic surgery. We read the news about those who gave their lives in exchange for a slimmer physique. Chances are, you may even know someone (or someone who knows someone) who has experienced a plastic surgery nightmare.
Obviously, when a life is lost, something has gone horribly wrong. When the tip of a patient’s new nose turns black and falls off, something is wrong. When a patient is left with permanent, debilitating pain or paralysis, something has gone horribly wrong. But what about the sheer aesthetics of it all? Beauty is subjective. So what separates “different strokes for different folks” from plastic surgery gone really wrong?
In the eye of the beholder
While we might look at an overly tight facelift and think it’s weird and even a little tragic, the person with this sweeping face can feel 20 years younger. And while many ethical plastic surgeons will turn away a patient who requests something the surgeon believes is not in their best interest, there will always be another surgeon who will.
Who is to say, after all, how smooth is too smooth and how tight is too tight? Of course, you’ve heard the saying, “You can never be too rich or too thin.” Should the proverb be expanded to include too smooth, too tight, too tight, and too busty?
More from Skin-Deep
While poor cosmetic results are certainly a big concern, there are bigger issues at stake. Common complications after plastic surgery include infection, necrosis, wound dehiscence, fluid collections or abscesses, and blood clots.,When recognized promptly, many of these problems can be successfully treated. However, these and other problems can also become much more serious.
When plastic surgery goes Really wrong, the result can be permanent pain, disfigurement due to severe scarring or asymmetry, paralysis or even death. It is sad that people lose their lives every day as a result of something going wrong during or after surgery, and plastic surgery is no exception.
However, it is helpful to understand that death rates in plastic surgery are relatively low compared to death rates in surgery overall. This is largely due to the fact that plastic surgery is elective and most surgeons refuse to operate on a patient they consider to be a poor (high risk) candidate. However, the worst case scenario happens.
Plastic Surgery Gone Wrong: One Patient’s Story
Take the case of 38-year-old wife and mother from Philadelphia, Tracey Jordan. In February 2007, Jordan went in for a tummy tuck, liposuction and breast reduction on her doctor’s advice (to help relieve her chronic back pain). The surgery seemed to go well, but he collapsed during recovery and could not be revived. It was later discovered that a highly toxic drug called bupivacaine was mistakenly administered instead of the lidocaine her surgeon had ordered. The two drugs come in strikingly similar packaging, although bupivacaine is not approved for use in liposuction and is 10 times more toxic than lidocaine.
The truth about “non-invasive” procedures
Despite the marketing hype, serious (even life-threatening) complications are not limited to actual surgeries. Cosmetic treatments advertised as minimally invasive or even non-invasive can also go wrong.
Take the case of 50-year-old Susan Brewer, who signed up for a series of Lipodissolve treatments administered by her family doctor, who had attended a weekend certification course to be able to offer Lipodissolve treatments. After two treatment sessions, she developed two hematomas which later blistered and ruptured. One of these now open wounds became infected, quickly turning into a gaping hole in her abdomen, which was 1 inch deep and three and a half inches in diameter. Susan suffered from nausea and fever for three days, but was successfully treated for the infection. Since then, she had to see a plastic surgeon to cut away the dead tissue and close the wound. She is now left with a large scar on what was supposed to be her new slimmer, tighter belly.
Common complication or bad job?
Aside from the subjective nature of beauty, there are other things to consider before labeling a surgery a “failure.” An unsatisfactory result does not necessarily mean that your surgeon did something wrong. For example, let’s look at a common complication like breast augmentation capsule. While it can be painful and certainly not the ideal cosmetic result, it is not the result of poor surgical technique or any problem that occurs during the operation. It happens as a result of the body’s own natural defense against foreign bodies (in this case, implants).
The same can be said for patients who develop excessive scarring. Sometimes this can be the result of poor technique. However, sometimes it is simply a result of how the individual’s body responds to the injury (ie the surgical incision). In addition, the patient must take some responsibility for minimizing scarring by following the surgeon’s instructions regarding postoperative wound care.
Don’t Become a Statistic
If you don’t want to become a bad plastic surgery statistic, patient education is key. You can greatly minimize your risk by doing your homework and taking responsibility for your own care. Learn more by checking out the links below.
