A checklist before facial rejuvenation surgery

As more and more facial plastic surgery procedures are being performed, leading Consultant Plastic Surgeon Adrian Richards MBBS, MSc, FRCS (Plast) is seeing an increasing number of patients with problems following surgery.

Some of these can include asymmetry, skin irregularities, nerve damage and poor scarring.

Mr Richards recently saw a patient who had been treated abroad. The lady had a significant elevation of the hairline in the temple following a facelift procedure. The hair bearing skin had been removed instead of the non-hair bearing skin – which should NOT have occurred with a typical facelift procedure.

As a result the patient cannot wear her hair up and the hairless area is very difficult to conceal. There is no easy surgical solution for this and the only option would be to perform hair transplantation on the hairless area.

With many people choosing to have operations abroad, Mr Richards suggests the following checklist for anyone thinking of undergoing facial rejuvenation surgery:

About the Surgeon

How many procedures do they perform each year?
Ask to see at least 10 before and after pictures of previous patients.
Ask to see their audit data.
Check that they hold the qualification FRCS (Plast).

About the Hospital

What are its infection rates for MRSA and C.diff?
Ask to see their patient satisfaction surveys.
Ask for confirmation that their operating theatres have laminar airflow.

Follow up after surgery

Ask for information about when and how many follow up appointments there will be.
What is the policy if I need further surgery and will there be an additional cost?

Facial plastic surgery is more technical and sub-optimal results are harder to disguise than for some other types of cosmetic surgery. Mr Richards would therefore urge anyone considering this type of procedure to fully research it prior to going ahead.

For more information on facial rejuvenation, please contact us on 01324 578290 or email mailto:info@aurora-clinics.local.