I’m Not Happy With My Surgery!

You go into plastic surgery with high expectations of what you are going to look like once you heal from your procedure. In most cases, your expectations are sure to be met. However, what about the times when you are not happy with your plastic surgery? In these situations, revision surgery may be necessary to correct problems that occurred with the first procedure and help you reach your original cosmetic goals. If, for example, breast implant revision surgery is in your future, there are a few basic facts you need to know.

While nearly any type of plastic surgery procedure can be revised, some are more frequently revised than others. Common revision surgeries include:

• Breast augmentation
• Breast lift
• Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping)
• Body contouring
• Facelift
• Neck lift

While these are the most common types of surgeries for which revisions are requested, the need for revision procedure is relatively small. Patients that select a qualified, experienced plastic surgeon for their first procedure, and accurately relay their desires and expectations for their procedure, are much less likely to require revision surgery later on.

In addition to the types of surgeries where revisions are requested, there are also some common reasons why patients might want revisions. These may include:

• Breathing difficulties after surgery (rhinoplasty)
• Asymmetries after the initial procedure (breast procedures)
• Inappropriate implant size or position (breast procedures)
• Irregular contours (facelift or body contouring surgeries)
• Changes to the hairline (facelift and brow lift)
• Poor incision healing, excessive scarring (all procedures)

If your initial surgery does not meet your expectations, revisions surgery may be considered. However, the surgeon performing the subsequent procedure should thoroughly explore the reasons for your desire to have revision surgery, to ensure your expectations for the procedure were realistic from the beginning. If they can determine your expectations are realistic and can pinpoint how the original procedure can be corrected, revision surgery is very likely.

Any type of revision surgery can be more complicated for many different reasons. The scar tissue that formed after the initial procedure can make it difficult to access the same incision and do corrective surgery. If the revision is due to complications after the first procedure, such as implant rippling, capsular contracture or poor wound healing, the initial problem will need to be corrected before the revision procedure can be performed.

In some cases, there may be less skin, tissue or cartilage to work with to produce the desired results of the patient. This can be particularly true in the case of rhinoplasty, where too much cartilage may be removed in an effort to achieve the desired look. In some cases, grafting of cartilage or skin may be required from another area to correct the problem and enhance the patient’s appearance.

Because revision surgery is often much more complex than the initial procedure, it is important to choose a surgeon that is experienced in revision techniques. It is also essential that you accurately convey your expectations and desired results to your revision surgeon so that there is no uncertainty about what you want corrected and changed. A surgeon that regularly performs revision procedures will know how to ask the questions necessary to ensure you are on the same page going into your new surgery.

The surgeons at New York Group for Plastic Surgery have had ample experience with a wide range of revision procedures. To learn more about their services, contact the New York Group for Plastic Surgery today at one of our four locations: New York City at 888-591-4845, Tarrytown at 914-366-6139.