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April 18, 2014

The Mistake: Low Cost Touch-Ups and Increased Risk

The aesthetic "touch-up" dreamed of for weeks or months often turns out to be a disappointment. Blame the internet which with its endless listings offers super sales to those hoping to solve their beauty problems with a scalpel, laser or acid applications.

Dr. Borriello: "The numbers speak clearly: one third of aesthetic surgery procedures are done to repair errors or complications from previous interventions. About 10% of people who undergo touch-ups reoperate because they are dissatisfied with the results obtained."

Highest Risk Procedures

At the top of the at-risk procedures is breast augmentation, meaning the insertion of breast implants to enlarge or reshape, but facelifts, blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty have also developed a broad case history.

  1. Breast augmentation: 30% of complaints
  2. Breast reduction: 15%
  3. Capillary treatments: 12%
  4. Rhinoplasty: 12%
  5. Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery): 9% failure rate
  6. Ear plastic surgery

Satisfaction Level

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  • 75% of operated patients are satisfied with the result
  • 16% are more lukewarm
  • 9% are definitely regretful and end up with inverted eyelids, unbalanced breasts, imperfect liposuctions

Expectations Too High

Patient expectations are always at the top: with a touch-up I improve my lips, make crow's feet disappear, rejuvenate my breasts or eliminate excess fat. And those who turn to an aesthetic surgeon are in good health and convinced they will quickly improve their body because expectations are high.

"Even a technically perfect procedure can have complications, a failure can be determined by many factors. Among these, the patient's quality of life is determinant. A smoking woman may have not only skin elasticity problems, but also difficulty closing a wound. The postoperative problem could be sutures that don't absorb."

The "Implant Regret" Patients

There are the so-called "implant regret" patients, a topic that will be at the center of an international plastic surgery congress scheduled in Naples: a breast implant can be replaced with body fat taken from the same patient. For eyelid surgery failures, which can lead to serious eye damage, there is the oculoplastic surgeon.

Causes of Failed Touch-Ups

A failed touch-up can depend on wrong choices by the patient directed by the internet or inappropriate advice from friends and acquaintances toward excessively cheap specialists.

"It should be clarified that there is no aesthetic surgeon, but specialists in plastic surgery. That is, medical graduates who have successfully completed a long university specialization path; today many medical and surgery graduates improvise as aesthetic surgeons without having the necessary specialization and experience."

Product Quality

In the field of "touch-ups", the choice of specialist must be accompanied by an evaluation of the safety of the facility where you are treated by evaluating product quality.

"Today - clarifies Alfredo Borriello - even a company that produces TVs and phones makes hyaluronic acid, while botulinum vials are made by ten companies, in Europe, the United States and China: this makes the cost of a vial vary between 20 and 150 euros. The price changes and so does the quality."

Pellegrini: 70% is Post-Tumor

70% of procedures performed at the Pellegrini Plastic Surgery department is post-tumor.

"Thanks to a team that works in close synergy with oncologists, breast specialists and also dermatologists, we plan procedures in the best way to help patients reconstruct the demolished part, also respecting the person's dignity. Reconstructive plastic surgery contributes to better recovery, physical and moral, in the postoperative period."

Sources

  • Il Mattino - April 23, 2014

This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not in any way replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For any medical questions or concerns, it is essential to consult your physician or a qualified specialist.

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Prof. Alfredo Borriello
Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
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