Are You Ready? If you are considering plastic surgery, it is very common to be told to research your surgeon.
It is easy to figure out how to do this.
However, what many people forget is to look in themselves to see if it is something they truly want and can handle.
Included here are some things to ask yourself as well as some things surgeons look for in their patients.
What are you looking for? This is an important thing to know before looking for plastic surgery.
Many people decide that they are just not happy with how they look and want a blanket change.
This is a red flag to many plastic surgeons who become wary that these people will probably never be happy by simply changing the way they look.
A plastic surgeon is looking for a patient who has a specific change in mind and a healthy self-outlook.
Remember that plastic surgery can fix a specific and superficial change, deep social and personal issues require a different kind of care.
Talk to a patient No one can give you a better feeling for what you want than yourself.
However, talking to a patient who had their surgery a few months to a few years ago is very educational.
Try to find someone who had the same procedure.
It is always good to see how they feel, whether or not they are satisfied, if they chose to have any more surgery, and most importantly, was it worth it? Asking these questions can really open your eyes and show you not only the physical results, but the mental results as well.
It will help you answer the question we asked earlier.
Understand the limits This is a point we cannot stress enough; plastic surgery has its limits.
This is another reason why plastic surgeons look for someone who already has healthy self-esteem.
Plastic surgery is not a path to bodily perfection.
Let's face it, there will always be room for improvement on everyone.
Plastic surgery can help with that improvement, but it will never be the complete road to a perfect body that many people seem to believe it is.
Are you mentally prepared? Plastic surgery is a mentally exhausting process, that is one thing you can be sure of.
The physical procedures involve finding the right surgeon, going through multiple consultation sessions, being drugged out of your mind, recovering and seeing the changes to your body.
This says nothing of the mental pressures which are even more strenuous.
The prospect of permanently changing a body part is a scary idea to many people.
It results in sleepless nights and tired mornings.
This questioning can carry into the recovery and cause immense amounts of stress.
It will help to be absolutely certain that you can handle this mental strain before getting into the operating room, it is extremely difficult for many patients and it will be for you too.
Make sure you can handle it so that you are happy when the process is over.
Get a consultation The final step in getting yourself ready is to set up a consultation with your chosen surgeon.
This can be scary as this is the man or woman who will be changing the way you look.
You will have to show the parts you want changed and this can cause many people to become self-conscious and nervous.
Keep in mind that if you are feeling doubts about the surgery at this point it would be wise to put the process on pause and do some soul-searching.
There is no rush and the process will move at the pace you want it to.
If your surgeon rushes you, you should find someone else.
Be calm, keep your eyes, ears and mind open, and be aware of the fact that plastic surgery is not the only option.
If you remember these points you should have an easier time getting through the coming weeks before, during and after your procedure.