After Plastic Surgery, What WILL You Look Like?
Facial Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery Comments (0)
One of the sticking points between cosmetic plastic surgeons and their patients has been getting everybody on the same page about what the patient will look like after plastic surgery.
Plastic and cosmetic surgeons often mention “realistic expectations”.
Translations: That means the surgeon can make vast improvements in an aged face. But the patient won’t look like he was 20 again or like a completely different person.
Sure, most doctors have many before and after plastic surgery pictures – but those only show the changes to other patients.
For about the last five years, many more special high tech systems – known as computer imaging – has helped everybody involved understand what results to expect after the surgery.
Computer imaging works like this: a picture of the patient is fed into a computer. Special morphing software then takes over that allows the plastic surgeon to show the changes he or she anticipates.
In a recent issue of the American Journal of Otolaryngology, three plastic surgeons studied the facial profile of 36 nose job patients over six months.
They found the computer predictions and the actual, healed rhinoplasty had no significant differences.
Concluded the surgeons: “The accuracy and predictive value of computer-simulated images is demonstrated and quantified for the first time.”
Newer versions of computer-simulated plastic surgery images are coming down the pike as well.
Some 3-D systems allow the patient to see his or her predicted changes from the side and front.
So, if a woman wants to get an excellent idea what 300cc breast implants will look like after her breast augmentation procedure, the technician just dials up the number and puts her probable result on the screen. (It’s not 100% accurate – just very, very close.)
The very latest machines show an outline of the change on top of the existing feature.
View a computer picture of what the software thinks a rhinoplasty will look like after plastic surgery.
How influential do you think this program is when selecting your plastic surgeon?
admin @ March 21, 2009