Patients often ask what they can do to prepare for plastic surgery. Several factors within your control can help you achieve the best results. Follow along to learn more!
#1: Achieve your goal weight.
This will help you determine for certain what areas are of greatest concern to you. Many patients seek plastic surgery because they want to feel better about their appearance. Oftentimes this occurs during a journey of weight loss. Patients lose weight by various means, sometimes losing weight quickly and other times more gradually. Whatever the weight loss journey looks like, it is important to be within 5-10 pounds of your goal weight. This will help your plastic surgeon determine what procedure is best for you. Not infrequently, priorities change as weight loss progresses. For example, a patient who is actively losing weight may seek plastic surgery due to loose skin on her abdomen. Once she achieves her goal weight, however, her breasts may have changed quite a bit and she would prefer to address them with surgery first.
Being at a healthy weight will help reduce complications. Data from studies evaluating complications in aesthetic plastic surgery show that patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or less are at lower risk for various complications. During surgery, this includes a lower risk of respiratory problems. After surgery, there is a reduced risk of infection and problems with incisional healing. If BMI is less than 25, there is a lower risk of developing a blood clot in the legs or lungs.
Follow along to see what other steps you can take to prepare for the best outcome on your plastic surgery journey. Interested in a consultation? Call 859-255-6649 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sara Soni-Kalma or Dr. Henry Wells, Jr.
