Dear Dr. McCollough: I recently read where women in the U.K. are paying less for quick-fix breast implant surgery that takes just an hour. They are given a local anesthetic and are awake throughout. With the recovery time, women can be going home with new breasts just four hours after walking in. Does your Clinic offer this type of surgery?
Dear Reader: While I specialize in facial plastic surgery, breast augmentation is performed at my clinic by my associates who specialize in that procedure. Allow me to respond to your question. As long as fifteen years ago, one of my associates was performing breast augmentation under local or twilight surgery. It is nothing new in the U.S. It is new in Europe. As part of teaching plastic surgery around the world, I have operated in Europe. Almost all surgeries have traditionally been performed under general anesthesia-in hospitals-until now. The rest of the world is trying to catch up with American medicine and surgery.
Even so, one needs to be careful about “drive through” plastic surgery. Going home after surgery invites problems; and, should they occur, rarely are the people caring for post-operative patients (at home) equipped to handle them. Although it is cliché, the phrase “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”, definitely applies here.
Following surgery, including breast augmentation, we prefer that patients stay in a facility adjacent to our operating area and be cared for by a trained post-operative caregiver.
It is my bet that these women will need follow up procedures to “fix” what may happen as a result of corners being cut in the beginning.
In this era of quick fixes and “non-surgical” treatments, the consumer must be careful that the procedure and product being considered is safe, effective, and administered by an experienced professional, specifically licensed to perform the treatment.
If you would like any more information on this or other health related topics, call the McCollough Institute for Appearance and Health at 251-967-7600, email info@mccolloughinstitute.com or visit our website www.mccolloughplasticsurgery.com
If you would like to ask Dr. McCollough a question, email him at drmccollough@mccolloughinstitute.com. All correspondence may be used in future columns; however, names and any personal information will be kept completely confidential.