One of the most crucial ways to set yourself up for success with plastic surgery is to make sure your expectations are in line with what your surgeon can realistically deliver. But the line between realistic and unrealistic can become easily blurred.
Read on as Dr. Ary Krau discusses what you should and shouldn’t expect from plastic surgery.
Making Yourself Happy vs. Pleasing Someone Else
One of the biggest red flags plastic surgeons hear during consultations is statements that suggest a patient is under pressure from someone else to look a different way. For instance, a woman may explain wanting bigger breasts to attract or keep a significant other, or a young adult may describe peer pressure to get a nose job to fit in with a more popular social group.
The pursuit of improvement should come from within yourself — not from external pressure or the desire to please someone else (be it a spouse, family member, friend or peer group). If you undergo plastic surgery at the behest of someone else, you will likely end up disappointed.
Improvement vs. Perfection
According to Dr. Krau, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that your plastic surgery procedure will improve the target treatment area or feature. On the other hand, if you expect to look perfect after your plastic surgery, you are probably setting yourself up for disappointment.
Here’s a good example: Breast enhancement can dramatically improve the appearance of asymmetrical breasts, but it will not make both breasts perfectly even. It is extremely unusual for natural breasts to have perfect symmetry, and it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Dr. Krau to deliver those kinds of results. Though he can work hard to reduce unevenness between the breasts (to the point that asymmetry is not noticeable to the casual observer), he cannot make two breasts appear exactly identical.
Another consideration is scarring. A tummy tuck can dramatically improve the appearance of a sagging or flabby abdomen, but it will leave a horizontal scar on the lower stomach. Expecting perfectly taut and scarless skin simply isn’t realistic (luckily, most scars fade over time with the proper care).
Looking Like Someone Else vs. Enhancing Your Own Features
If you’ve ever flipped through a tabloid or perused a gossip website, you’ve probably read horror stories about men and women who spent enormous amounts of time and money on plastic surgery to replicate a celebrity’s appearance. Most of these folks end up very unhappy with the results.
It is not realistic (or healthy) to undergo plastic surgery to look like someone else. You may be inspired or get ideas by looking at celebrity features, but the goal of good plastic surgery is to modify your unique anatomy and make you look like a better version of yourself.
If you are considering getting plastic surgery and want to ensure your expectations are reasonable, Dr. Krau is the perfect person to consult. Schedule a one-on-one appointment with him by calling or emailing us today.