Following a poor outcome from a midface lift and eyelid surgery I had 6.5 months ago, I wondered how many others (like me) who have had a less than desirable result result now feel about plastic surgery? Do you feel differently about it now? What if anything have you learned from your experience? If you could turn back the clock what would you do differently? It seems there are more and more people who are becoming "victims" of plastic surgery. The question is why? And more importantly, why is it when surgeons who perform bad surgery and have a moral responsibility and duty of care towards those who's lives they have blighted are allowed to turn their backs on their patients and walk away without so much as an apology and get away with it?
As a "victim" of plastic surgery myself, I did all I could to minimize the risks by choosing a " well trained and experienced, board certified surgeon". Despite this, I still got a bad result. The surgeon who performed the procedure deviated from the original plan: I got a truncated procedure (probably because as he was preparing to go on leave the following day and may have been pushing time). When I looked in the mirror, felt like I had been the victim of a perverse experiment: The left and right side of my face look as if I was operated on my two different surgeons: The oval of my face has skewed due to uneven placement of my cheeks and my eyes were badly scarred and look worse than before from live fat grafts that had been harvested from my lower back in an attempt to correct the tear troughs resulting in lumpy lower lids.
I've been asking myself if there was anything I could have done differently and the answer is no. I did everything in my power to avoid being where I am now but there is only so much you can do to avoid falling prey to incompetence and its not helped when TV, social media, magazines and the internet normalise and trivialise cosmetic procedures. I have had time to reflect and with hindsight now feel that if I could turn the clock back, I wouldn't do it again for the following reasons: UNCERTAINTY Until you have had the procedure, it seems the doctor doesn't know how you will fare as each person responds differently to surgery and it may not turn out the way you want or expect. Plastic surgery carries higher risks than one is made aware of and you will never know if it was due to your Doctor's incompetence or your own body's reaction to the surgery? Seems you won't know until you've had the procedure. ABSENCE OF MORAL OBLIGATION AND ETHICS. There are excellent and talented surgeons with integrity who are genuinely interested in their patients and take pride in their work. Are aware of the difference they can make to a person's life and feel morally responsible to ensuring the best outcome. Others are only in it for the money. LACK OF MORAL INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY Not all surgeons are created equal. And not all are honest about their abilities. Many will never tell you if the surgery YOU seek presents a challenge for them. They would sooner take a chance with ruining your looks than see you walk away with your hard earned cash. (This was my experience).
ALL THE ODDS ARE WEIGHTED IN THE SURGEON'S FAVOR If and when things do go wrong, patients are left high and dry with no recourse other than to grin and bear it. Only death seems to qualify for negligence or malpractice. Disfigurement seems a risk patients are expected to take on board as its "out of the doctor's control and not something they could have foreseen". That a surgeon failed to properly assess a patient's suitability for a procedure never seems to be a factor. LACK OF TRANSPARENCY Can you GUAGE the depth, breadth and talent of an experienced plastic surgeon with a good track record from just looking at his website? Marketing and media are powerful tools and websites are crafted, designed and worded to carefully convey what THEY want you to BELIEVE backed up by (what may in some cases be doctored ) before and after images of patients and reviews that could be written by anyone. Unless you work there you'll never know how much of it is real or true.
EXPENSE FOR REMEDIAL WORK Surgeons charge more to correct another surgeon's mistakes and there is an even higher risk of a poor outcome as the surgeon is working with scar tissue which may limit what s/he can do and unless you have picked someone with experience in revision surgery and knows what they're doing, you could end up with little or no improvement or worse. DEPRESSION As someone who is 7 months on "recovering" from a bad midface lift and blepharoplasty. I know all too well that WHAT I'VE LEARNED? Cosmetic surgery is great WHEN it's successful and it can make a difference to your quality of life. The opposite however can also destroy you, morally, psychologically and financially.
WHAT WOULD I DO IF I COULD TURN BACK THE CLOCK/ Learn to love myself as I am. Do the best with what I have and find richer and more meaningful ways of bolstering my self esteem and confidence that won't wreck my head, looks or bank balance. MY ADVICE Don't do it unless you can have the moral courage to live with the consequences should anything go wrong. And if you do, then make sure you have the means (beyond your initial surgery) to pursue your goals. You may not need it but if you do at least you will be prepared.