How Planning Cosmetic Surgery in your Life Has Evolved

Scheduling cosmetic surgery has come a long way. During the early 1960s, at the beginning of the general population’s “awakening” to the benefits of cosmetic surgery with the development of silicone, months were spent in preparation for certain surgeries. Because many of the surgeries were invasive and required, without exception, the use of general anesthesia, doctors performed them in hospitals with anesthesiologists monitoring the patient carefully as the surgeon performed the operation. After the procedure, the patient faced long weeks – sometimes months – of recovery that included heavy-duty pain medications.

Why the Surge in Cosmetic Surgery?
But cosmetic surgery is and has been on the upswing over the years. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ recent statistics show a 48 percent increase in cosmetic surgeries performed from 2000 to 2006, due to a number of important factors.

One explanation undoubtedly lies in the new technological advancements in equipment such as lasers and new types of materials used in implants and sutures or the implementation of tiny, precise incisions and innovative suturing techniques. For instance, one Florida facial cosmetic surgeon utilizes what is called the “pulley” stitch to perform his “Simplicity” facelift procedure. A single tiny incision is made at the front of the ear and through this small opening, the surgeon is able to lift and tighten cheeks, jaw lines and the neck. The results? The youthful, more rested appearance that comes with a firmer-looking face, neck and jowls. Other benefits include local (as opposed to general) anesthesia, no large dressings, an ultra-quick recovery (usually only two or three days) with minimal scarring and, very importantly, a huge timesaving over traditional cosmetic surgery. Simplicity lifts are done in about an hour; traditional facelifts take anywhere from three to five hours.

Looking Better in Record Time

Nowadays, it’s easy to take a lunch hour and visit the cosmetic surgeon for a Botox® injection or invest a few hours of an afternoon toward plumping up wrinkles with a dermal filler. If you have your facelift done on Friday, by Monday the following week, you’re ready to return to work and get back to your regular schedule. Laser skin resurfacing treatments can vary in degrees from a Friday afternoon procedure in which it only takes a weekend to recover to a week-to-nine-day “Maximizing Peel” process that can be accomplished during vacation time leaving the patient refreshed and looking great when they return to work.

It’s true that scheduling cosmetic surgery has evolved--turned completely around, in fact--from planning your life to fit the procedure to now being able to arrange the procedure to fit in with your life. Looking better has never been easier, nor gaining a new sense of self-confidence as a result. Since planning cosmetic surgery is as simple as picking up the phone and making the appointment for an initial consultation, it’s no surprise that more and more people are doing exactly that.