Risks of Plastic Surgery on Patient with Lupus and Fibromyalgia

What you describe is every plastic surgeon's nightmare: that a patient who desires a procedure and has been rejected after disclosing a medical condition will go to another plastic surgeon and intentionally fail to reveal medical conditions that would not be picked up on routine prep testing. I require that my patients complete an extensive medical history form and obtain medical clearance from their personal physicians. I am aware that other surgeons in the area, particularly those who are not board certified in plastic surgery, do not have similar requirements and underplay risks of surgery for patients who have chronic conditions but, as doctors, we must take risks seriously and, in the words of the Hippocratic oath, first do no harm.

Lupus and fibromyalgia are associated with significant
complications in patients undergoing facelift surgery. Lupus has the potential
to cause constriction of small blood vessels in skin flaps that are elevated
during facelift procedures. This can lead to skin necrosis and skin loss. In
addition both of these diseases have systemic manifestations that effect the
overall health of patients. These diseases may increase the risks of surgery
and general anesthesia.Furthermore
drugs that are frequently utilized to treat these problems may have significant
side effects in patients undergoing cosmetic surgery. Examples include
prednisone which can increase the potential for wound healing problems and
infection and non steroidal anti-inflammatory agents which can increase the
potential for bleeding.For
these reasons patients with systemic Lupus and fibromyalgia aren’t always ideal
candidates for cosmetic surgery. Any patient with lupus who’s considering this
type of surgery should undergo a comprehensive medical evaluation before
proceeding. It’s
important to emphasize that patients need to be honest about their medical
history so they can have the best possible care available. Safety should be
everyone’s’ first priority, especially the patients.

There are always some risks with healing related to lupus and other autoimmune disease of skin, but as long as these disease processes are in remission it is acceptable to proceed with the facial cosmetic surgery. Hiding your medical condition from your surgeon only will harm you