Dr. Ana Martínez Padilla, a renowned Plastic Surgeon with more than a decade of experience in the field of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, talks about the complications that can appear when the patient enters the operating room to undergo an operation. The doctor explains that any surgery can have complications and risks associated with it. However, there are protocols that reduce the probability of complications. It is essential that the patient knows the possible risks (and how to solve them), understands them, accepts them, and finally wants to continue with the surgery when compared to the potential benefit.
Before the surgical procedure is performed, the patient will undergo the indicated tests to study if he/she is a suitable subject.
What are the most frequent complications?
In general, in a plastic surgery procedure there are not usually life-threatening complications (we treat healthy patients), but difficulties that may appear are mild or moderate, and almost always of an aesthetic nature:
- Healing problems
- Dilation of wound healing time.
- Infections, fibrosis or hematomas
- Unrealistic or erroneous aesthetic expectations. This is why doctor-patient communication is so important to achieve a balance between the patient’s expectations and the real possibilities of achieving them.
What are the risk factors?
Any surgical operation may have some risks and complications, the patient may feel fear, even after the intervention. This fear is related to mental health and is synonymous with sanity and being aware of the danger to which one is exposed. Some of the factors that can increase the rate of complications are:
- Age: older patients tend to have a higher probability of some complications.
- Type of surgery: some surgeries carry more risks than others (depending on the duration of the operation, for example).
- The experience of the professional: putting yourself in the hands of non-specialist doctors involves a great risk. To perform liposuction, breast augmentation, etc. it is necessary to have the appropriate qualifications, i.e., to be a specialist in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.
- Not following the medical recommendations, such as smoking, not maintaining the indicated rest or maintaining it when it is not indicated, removing the postoperative garment earlier than expected…
Can the risks of surgery be minimized?
The patient must follow the perioperative care and provide the medical professional with any information regarding his or her state of health in the moments prior to the operation (infection of any kind, fever, etc.) Specific disinfectant gels can be used to wash the area the days before, as well as following an Indiba Deep Care electrotherapy radiofrequency treatment to prepare the tissues.
It is also essential to follow the prescribed medication guidelines. In addition, it is recommended to choose a good professional who can assess all the factors and guide you through the process. Maintaining sterility in the operating room is crucial to avoid certain complications.
There are also devices and technologies that help reduce complications, such as Motiva’s Insertion Sleeve in breast surgery (reduces the risk of capsular contracture) or body jet’s Agualipo liposuctor in body contouring (which minimizes the possibility of deep vein thrombosis).