Facial cosmetic surgery and its impact on quality of life

The definition of plastic surgery is given as the surgical method involving the correction or restoration of body parts as well as their functions. It also includes the process of molding body parts or features for the purpose of enhancing an individual’s appearance as well as restoring deformed body parts in addition to its functions. Plastic surgery is divided into two; cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. Reconstructive plastic surgery is the surgery that is applied in injuries, infections, severe burn, or tumor removal. Plastic surgery is used in reshaping of the body parts so as to achieve beauty and a youthful look.

Cosmetic surgery, on the other hand, is an elective process that is designed to alter the appearance of an individual. However, it should not be confused with reconstructive surgery. There are various reasons why people choose to go through cosmetic surgeries. For example, an individual would want to conform to the contemporary ideas about beauty while another would want to preserve their youthful appearance.

It is evident that there is no human face that is perfectly symmetrical in shape. It should be noted that, there are features that develop, naturally, with asymmetry. These features can, for example, appear as a weak chin, a crooked nose or weak cheekbones. People, who are concerned about their facial appearances, have sought for ways in which they can correct their shapes. In the market, there are various cosmetic surgeries that are supposed to correct the impact associated with these asymmetrical features.

The first example is rhinoplasty, which is often referred to as a nose job. It is one of the examples of surgical procedures which aim in reducing the impacts associated with facial asymmetry. Rhinoplasty can correct a number of issues. For example, it can correct a crooked nose as well as a bulbous tip. In addition to, bumps that are in the bridge of the nose can be corrected by being shaved down and straightened. The nose can also be made to appear smaller in general.

The other example of facial surgery is the chin augmentation. It is a surgical procedure which is supposed to attach a Porex implant or a silicone onto the chin bone. In the end, it will balance the entire face. More over, implants applied on the chin are usually curved and often cup the sides of the chin. This is aimed at bringing more symmetry to the jaw line. It should be noted that, implants can be made into different shapes and sizes that can fit the face so as to achieve the best results that are possible. This implant can bring the chin forward or create a symmetry that is more balanced to the upper and lower parts of the face. This will end up creating a profile that is stronger than before. A receding chin can affect the proportion of the nose. For example, it can make the nose look larger since the face is not proportional.

There are various ways in which the chin implants can be inserted. It can be through an incision on the underside of the chin, or through a minute incision in the mouth. More often than not, the implants are secured to soft tissues or the bone using dissolvable sutures. In the end, the implant becomes part of the face since the tissues would grow over it.

There is what is called malar or submalar augmentation. These are a type of cheek implants which aid in making the face become more proportionate by the creation of a projection from the natural cheekbones. It also brings the cheeks into balance with other features of the face. This is a procedure which is appropriate for those individuals who want to improve weak cheekbones, or restore a youthful face. Cheek implants can be done through an incision at the top of the upper lip, and on the outer cheek. In the surgery, something like a pocket is created in the tissue and then the implant is to be inserted into the pocket that has been created.

Maxillofacial and oral surgery is a type of surgery that is used in the correction of a wide variety of diseases or injuries as well as defects in the face, head, jaws, neck, in addition to the soft and hard tissues in the maxillofacial and oral region. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon is the one who is termed as a regional specialist. He treats the whole of craniomaxillofacial complex. This is the anatomical area of the skull, mouth, face, jaws and the associated structures. More often than not, maxillofacial surgeons are at first qualified in dentistry. They then undergo further surgical training.

The treatments that can be performed on the craniomaxillofacial complex include a number of options. For example, the treatments can be used in diagnosing and treating chronic facial pain disorders. It can also be used in the diagnosis and treatment of hard or soft tissue trauma of the fractures found in the cheek bones, jaw fractures, eye socket fractures, skull fractures, LeFort fracture as well as nasal fractures. The treatments can include the diagnosis and treatment of oral & head and neck cancer. This is in addition to the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer as well as the reconstruction of the lip. There is also the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders as well as orthognathic surgery, reconstructive surgery, maxillomandibular advancement and the surgical correction of facial asymmetry.

Other treatments on the craniomaxillofacial complex include the surgery performed in order to insert osseointegrated dental implants as cosmetic surgery on the head and neck: they include browlift, facelift, neck liposuction, otoplasty, rhinoplasty, cheek and chin augmentation, septoplasty, lip enhancement, as well as  botox, and many more others.

Facial liposuction plastic surgery is the process where excess fats are removed from the face. It is usually done specifically from under the chin and by the use of a suction device. This is the excess fat which does not respond to exercising or dieting. Facial liposuction is also referred to submental or submentum liposuction. It is very common nowadays for people to have excess fat deposits around the chin, neck and cheeks. Many individuals have excess fat tissue in their faces. This makes them appear overweight and older. Facial liposuction is that procedure which offers a simple and effective solution to this fat issue.

The procedure is supposed to take care of the appearances like excess fats around the neck, double chin, sagging jowls, heavy and worn upper eye area as well as bags beneath the eyes. Facial liposuction is a plastic surgery technique that is used to remove fatty deposits from the chin, jaw line, cheeks, or the neck. It is very effective in the removal of jowls or a double chin.   

However, before liposuction was invented, plastic surgery procedures were very complex and painful. Surgeons had to create long incisions under the neck and the outcome could still not be that perfect. More over, it used to take a long time for patients to recover from these surgeries. But the introduction to the use of liposuction and ultrasound techniques has made surgical procedures least painful, precise, few incisions involved and a fast recovery. This is probably why facial liposuction is very popular nowadays among most societies.

In the United States, botox injections appear to be the most liked of the cosmetic procedures. The wonder toxin is usually expected to banish wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes of an individual for a period of six months. A wrinkle is an issue which arises as a result of the nerve cells within the muscles beneath the skin releasing acetylcholine. Acetylcholine then will trigger a muscle contraction which then creates wrinkles. Botox works by disrupting the release of this chemical which then paralyzes the muscles. The results for the busting of wrinkles are seen within a week and remain intact for about three months the least.

Botox cosmetic treatments are from the bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum. It is the same bacterium which causes deadly food poisoning. However, cosmetic doses are very minimal and the toxin is usually diluted. So, there should be no cause for alarm to those who want to use botox cosmetic treatment.

Botox Cosmetic can be used for moderate to severe frown lines that are usually found in between the eyebrows. It is a procedure that can also be used for; eye muscle spasms, eyelid spasm or severe neck muscle spasms. More over, botox can also be used on forehead creases or bands that do appear on the neck area.

Botox is usually injected into the muscles that cause the wrinkles or furrow using a very fine needle. Usually, each muscle is injected with botox (Elizabeth 89-91). The overall process could take about half an hour. However, there is minimal pain associated with these injections. The results after the botox injections start showing after a week or less.

Although, botox can be seen as an extremely safe cosmetic procedure, it does have some risks involved with it. For example; muscle weakness which will limit facial movements, nausea, bruising, pain, flu-like symptoms, headache and numbness at the place of injection.

In general, there are risks involved with facial surgeries, for example, there can be problems with anesthesia, doctor errors or infection on the tissues that have been operated upon. On the other hand, there are some physical or psychological long-term effects in connection with cosmetic surgery. Most of the cosmetic procedures involving the skin, such as eye lifts, face lifts and liposuction start losing their value after around ten years or so. This would mean that additional surgeries are a must in order to maintain a cosmetic procedure as the individual ages. This would be very costly to an average family.

There are other lifestyle factors that can cause more sudden negative results. For example, smoking will reverse many of the usefulness of a cosmetic procedure. The direct exposure to nicotine will harmfully affect the benefits brought about by the periodontal cosmetic surgery. This is because it will increase the chances of gum disease or receding gums. In general, smoking will impact the healing process of the body part under surgical healing. Sometimes, a full nerve restoration is never achieved in cosmetic surgery with individuals who are smokers. In addition, poor diet and lack of sleep will eventually shape the long-term effects of cosmetic surgery procedures.

There are also psychological effects associated with cosmetic procedures. Patients would go into a cosmetic surgery with high expectations which are realistic in nature, they would then have favorable psychological after effects. For example, some individuals expect the surgery to come with dramatic results in their love life or expect a sudden boost in their self-esteem (Sander 25-27). They usually undergo periods of anxiety and depression when they don’t realize what they were expecting. They don’t realize that the problem is not in their beauty but rather, it has something to do with their psychology.

Individuals with a history of neurosis are the ones who are more likely exposed to negative psychological reactions following a cosmetic surgery. Patients who are dissatisfied with their beauty are more likely to return for more surgery or become self-destructive. Even if the surgeons refuse to perform more surgical procedures, they would resort to doing it themselves and thereby endangering their lives the more.

There are also possible scars that can be left from the invasive procedures involved with surgeries. However, most of the cosmetic surgeons would go a long way in trying to hide or minimize the scars that are left behind from these invasive procedures. In addition to, one of the possible side effects of plastic surgery is the burst blood vessels. They can become permanent if not taken care of accordingly. More often than not, they appear around the area that surgery had been performed, on the nose and around the site of incision. The small red dots formed are usually permanent.

Although constructive surgery can be of great help, bad plastic surgery is the one that has adverse effects. Psychologists have found out that there is always a heavy psychological as well as emotional price to pay for cosmetic surgery. Most of the patients who have undergone the surgery often return for another one. So, individuals should protect themselves from bad surgery.

Plastic surgery is a very costly affair to an average American family. It can bring financial restraints especially if there are unexpected costs that arise from complications after being operated. There is also extra cost arising from the medications that should be taken after the operation has been carried out. If this is avoided, it would lead to further complications. Most of the individuals undergoing these surgeries tend to focus on the cost of the surgery and forget the other costs associated with it.

It should also be noted that plastic surgery includes a number of surgical risks. For example, there could be infections, pain, allergic reactions, vomiting and nausea. Common adverse effects of these procedures could include implant rejection, drug reaction, blood clot, pigmentation, skin necrosis or nerve damage.

It has also been noted that individuals who undergo plastic surgery could suffer from an obsession with their look. The situation could cause to undergo several plastic surgeries. Individuals could distort the perception of their body to the point that they won’t be satisfied with just any look (Suzanne 50-53).

Cosmetic surgery is no longer restricted to the rich. Middle-class Americans also for opt surgery in order to improve their appearances and their lives in general. Cosmetic surgery can change the physical appearance of an individual and thereby resulting in a lift of self-esteem which then increases the quality of life.

In conclusion, plastic surgery is sometimes inevitable, for example, in reconstructing damaged parts that were probably caused by accidents, burns or inborn abnormalities. Before deciding to go for a plastic surgery, it is very adamant that an individual discusses each method as well as the cost involved, with a trusted plastic surgeon. It is also wise to follow the instructions given by the surgeon in order to avoid any complications. The demand for cosmetic surgery is being driven by the emphasis being put on beauty in our society today. There have been accusations leveled against the media’s attention on beauty and perfection, as the main cause of rampant plastic surgery nowadays. The advertising industry has also been blame to play a role in influencing people’s lives. However, researchers do believe that the obsession for plastic surgery is linked to psychological disorders. More over, body dysmorphic disorder has been known to play a role in those who are obsessed with surgery so as to look perfect.