Plastic Surgery - 7 Major Complications of Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery can be a frightening experience. On television, you see so many disaster stories that might make you not want to go under the knife. Every surgery contains a certain amount of risk.

The majority of horror stories that you see on television are rare because most of these surgery are not performed by board certified plastic surgeons. Instead, they are usually performed in either in third world countries (where their qualification and hygiene standards are considerably lower than richer countries) or unqualified surgeons.

The types of major complications that you have to be aware of are:

Blood Loss (or Hemorrhaging)

It is normal to bleed during surgery. Any opening of the skin can cause excessive bleeding if your surgeon is not careful. If you have previous history of excessive bleeding or how low hemoglobin levels (amount of blood per unit), please inform your surgeon before you operate.

Brain damage:

Brain damage can occur if either there is an excessive blood loss and therefore no nutrients to the brain or if the oxygen levels decreases to a very low level.

Blood Clot:

Whenever there is an injury to a body area, the immune system will react and try to fix and prevent that area from spreading. It does this by blocking or clotting the area. Sometimes, if the clot builds up, it can dislodge from its area and may get 'stuck' in different part of your circulation system. If the clot gets stuck in your brain - this can kill you or give you a major stroke.

Infections

Infections are common after surgery. Infections can be easily controlled if adequate infection control is implemented using penicillin or anti-biotic.

Airway Obstruction

If general anesthesia is performed, a tube is inserted through your throat and into your lungs. This may cause irritation of the linings of your throat and you may have difficulty in breathing as a result. Muscle spasm can occur in your vocal cords and can cause you to aspirate (vomit).

Malignant Hypothermia

In rare cases, the combination of your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature unexpectantly rise up to extraordinary levels. If these levels are not reduced immediately, death can occur.

Decrease Blood Pressure

A decrease in blood pressure is expected during surgery. The loss of blood due to the surgery and general anesthetic medicine all contribute to your blood pressure. However, a sudden drop in your blood pressure may cause a heart attack.

In Summary, all these complication can be reduced if you follow your surgeon's advice. For example, always eat a healthy diet, stop smoking and always exercise.