One of the issues that most patients think about when considering plastic surgery is….how long will these results last? If one doesn’t think about it, you should. Longevity of plastic surgery results is really a question of value…or return on your investment. Just like many other purchases, the exchange of money for a good or service is both necessary but is also one of the factors that will help shape how happy you will be with that transaction.
Because the stakes are much higher when undergoing plastic surgery, as opposed to buying clothes or furniture (although both could cost a lot more than plastic surgery!), the value concept of the operation will be judged significantly by how long the results obtained lasted. The results from Plastic Surgery, however, are quite variable and will change significantly by whagt type of procedure is done.
As a general rule, those plastic surgery procedures that involve structural changes will be the most durable. In many cases, they will last forever. If the basic underlying ‘fixed’ anatomy is changed (bone or cartilage), then the results will be durable. Procedures such as otoplasty (ear pinning), rhinoplasty, facial implants, and jaw surgery (facial bone changes) are truly permanent results. There are some minor changes that do take place eventually but nothing that is really visually significant. I could argue that these operations are always the ‘best’ value since they are lifelong alterations that basically do not change.
Durable but not completely permanent changes come from almost all body shaping procedures. Breast augmentation, lifts , and reductions and abdominal and extremity contouring are largely excisional procedures. (cutting out of skin or fat) Because tissues are removed, particularly that of skin, they are not likely to come back. Fat is the exception to this and is highly influenced by one’s lifestyle and weight stability. Therefore, liposuction for example, can be quite durable but for those that gain weight it is not. I put breast augmentation in this category merely because the shape of the breast and how long one keeps their implants is affected by a large number of factors such as pregnancy, the occurrence of breast cancer, etc.
Facial aging procedures are not, unfortunately, permanent and are non-durable investments. With these operations (facelift, browlift, blepharoplasty) you are buying the benefits of their temporary effects. These benefits are psychologically huge but there is a time limit to their results. They will eventually have to be redone or ‘tucked-up’ eventually to maintain their benefits. One must realize this when they look at any plastic surgeon’s photographic results. Those are the early and best results, which is great, but they will not look the same years later.
Satisfaction with any elective cosmetic plastic surgery procedure is based on numerous factors. Feeling that you got good value for your money is certainly one of them. Understanding how any plastic surgery procedure is affected by time will help in determining whether such changes are right for you.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana