General Risks with Plastic Surgery

The following information is provided to provide you with some information about surgical risks. The information is not intended to scare you. Serious complications following surgery are uncommon and your experience is likely to be a positive one.

Haematoma, a collection of blood and fluid in an area occasionally occurs in the first few hours after surgery. If this occurs we return to the theatre and remove this fluid.

Infection is uncommon but sometimes occurs. We give you antibiotics during your procedure to minimise this risk.

Delayed healing is sometimes a problem.Rather than being healed in 10-14 days you may require dressings for a longer period. Rarely further surgery may be required.

Loss of sensation in the skin can occur in the first few weeks following the procedure. It will slowly improve over six weeks in most cases. In rare cases permanent loss of sensation can occur.

Scars. In most cases surgical scars settle with time to be acceptable to the patient. A small number of people form bad scars (either hypertrophic or keloid). If you have any history of forming bad scars or family members have exhibited this tendency then some procedures may not be right for you. Think very carefully about how you feel about scars and if you are distressed by this thought you should think long and hard before proceeding to an operation.