Plastic surgery has become more common in recent years, with people turning to plastic surgeons to help them achieve their desired look, restore their confidence, and provide life-changing results.
Here at The McIndoe Centre, we offer many different types of surgery procedures, and our expert team works hard to ensure you get personalised results.
This article is going to look at the 10 most common plastic surgery procedures — all of which are procedures that we can offer at The McIndoe Centre.
1. Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty, sometimes known as nose reshaping, is a common plastic surgery that changes the appearance of your nose. This procedure can be performed for aesthetic or medical reasons and can be used to help reshape your nose after an injury or accident. Some people can feel self-conscious or unhappy with their nose; opting for rhinoplasty can help give them confidence in their appearance.
There are different types of rhinoplasty — open and closed. Open rhinoplasty involves using a minor bridging incision. This provides the surgeon with excellent visualisation of your lower nasal skeleton. The main advantage of open rhinoplasty is that the surgeon has much better access to your nose.
Closed rhinoplasty is where the surgeon makes incisions within your nose, keeping the area intact throughout. One major benefit of closed rhinoplasty is that it causes less swelling, speeding up recovery and reducing visible scarring.
Rhinoplasty takes around one and a half to three hours to be completed, depending on how complex your procedure needs to be. Full rhinoplasty recovery can take four to six weeks; it takes around three weeks for swelling and bruising to disappear.
Rhinoplasty is one of the most popular plastic surgeries available because it is minimally invasive, has a fast recovery and provides excellent results.
2. Breast augmentation
Another extremely popular plastic surgery is breast augmentation. This surgery involves increasing the size of the breasts bigger by using implants. Women may get breast augmentation surgery for a number of reasons, with some of them doing so to help boost their confidence as well as their cup size.
The surgery is performed under general anaesthetic (which means you will be asleep during the procedure). During the surgery, incisions are made into the chest and breast implants are then placed either under or over the pectoral muscle.
The incisions can be made either under your armpit or underneath your natural breast (the most common option). The whole procedure can take up to 90 minutes, and you’ll need to stay overnight in the hospital for at least one night.
There are different types of implants, such as silicone gel, saline implants and B-lite implants — the choice is yours to make. You can find out more about the benefits of each in our breast augmentation guide.
It’s important to note that a breast augmentation won’t last forever. Most women will need further surgery around the 10-year mark to either replace the implants as their breasts will have changed over time.
3. Tummy tuck
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, has surged in popularity over the past few years — and when you see the results, you understand why.
This plastic surgery procedure helps those who want to get rid of extra skin or fat that has happened as a result of pregnancy, weight loss or ageing. It’s not just a procedure for women like you may have been led to believe either. In fact, more men are becoming interested in the surgery and are opting for this procedure as a way to create a firmer, flatter stomach.
During the procedure, an incision will be made on your lower tummy above the pubic area. Any excess skin or fat will then be cut away and removed. Your abdominal muscles then have to be realigned so that the abdominal wall can be drawn down in order to be stitched back up.
The surgery can take up to five hours to be completed, and will always be carried out under general anaesthetic.
A tummy tuck isn’t a weight loss solution though – it can only be used after a drastic weight loss journey, not before.
An extended tummy tuck is the same as a regular tummy tuck but it also includes excess fat and skin on your flanks and lower back.
4. Breast reduction surgery
Having large breasts can cause some women to struggle with chronic back pain, shoulder pain and poor posture daily.
One solution to this is to consider the ever-popular breast reduction surgery. There are many benefits to getting this surgery too. For example, not only will your body be more proportionate, but it will also be freed of the weight of your breasts. This can work wonders for alleviating back pain as well as enhancing your overall quality of life.
Breast reduction can also be completed bilateral and unilateral – meaning you can reduce just one breast in cases of severe asymmetry or both if the breasts are equally too large.
5. Breast reconstruction surgery
Breast reconstruction surgery can be used following a mastectomy to rebuild the breast or breasts — matching them as closely as possible to the original, natural breast. Breast reconstruction can help to restore confidence and help you feel more like yourself again after cancer treatment.
Breast reconstruction can be performed in a number of ways:
- Implant reconstruction – where an implant is used to replace all or some of your breast tissue
- Oncoplastic surgery – this type of reconstruction reshapes the remaining breast tissue to fill the space left behind
- Body tissue or ‘flap’ reconstruction using the body – where tissue is taken elsewhere from the body (like the lower abdomen, known as a DIEP flap, or the inner thigh, known as a TUG flap), allowing you to have natural-looking results
Breast reconstruction surgery can be done at the same time as your mastectomy or it can be delayed and done months or years later.
With breast cancer affecting thousands of women every year, this popular surgery can transform their self-image and help them to restore their confidence.
6. Breast implant removal and replacement
Breast implant removal or replacement is popular simply because breast augmentation is. Without the latter surgery, the need for this one wouldn’t exist.
Although breast implants are generally very safe, they will occasionally fail, causing pain, distortion, and scar tissue build-up. Implant removal can be vital for a patient’s quality of life if these complications occur. Other times, they simply decide they want them removed when they get older. The implants may also need to be replaced, as they could have ruptured or become too old and need changing.
The surgery is performed very similarly to breast augmentation, so if you’ve had this surgery first, you’ll know what to expect. The procedure can include a capsulectomy, which is where the tough tissue that has grown around your breast implants is removed as well.
Your surgeon will let you know what will happen in your personalised procedure, as not all implant removals require a capsulectomy.
7. Breast lift
A breast lift, or a mastopexy is a surgery that some women choose when they feel that their breasts have lost their natural elasticity after weight loss or pregnancy. The surgery aims to lift the breasts, allowing them to look firmer and youthful in appearance.
This procedure doesn’t increase the size of your breasts, but they may look bigger due to their new placement.
The type of procedure you have can vary slightly depending on your breasts and the size of them. The surgery is performed by the surgeon cutting around the areola to remove any excess tissue. The breast is then reshaped to your desired results and the nipple is moved to the new natural level of the breast.
The whole procedure can take between 2–3 hours, and it can take a few weeks for your breasts to settle.
8. Facelift
Facelifts have been a common procedure for a while, with early facelift techniques being employed as early as the 1900s, so this surgery definitely has staying power.
A facelift is done by a few different techniques — it all depends on the surgeon and your desired results. The most common way for a facelift to be done is called a SMAS. This is where an incision is made around the ear and then the skin is lifted and tightened into a new position. Muscles and small bits of tissue can also be removed during this procedure to make the lift even more successful.
After a facelift, you’ll need to stay in the hospital for a couple of nights, as the procedure will be performed under general anaesthetic.
One of the benefits of a facelift is that it can be carried out with other procedures. For instance, you could get a breast augmentation and a facelift during the same surgery.
The results of a facelift can last for around 10 years. You should only start to see sagging again as the skin ages.
9. Ptosis correction
Ptosis correction is a procedure to fix a droopy eyelid. This can be purely cosmetic, but other times it can be done to help improve vision if the lid is covering the eye too much.
Ptosis (droopy upper eyelids) is a natural part of ageing, so this surgery may be recommended to those who feel like the hands of time have affected their eyelids.
The surgery is generally performed under local anaesthetic as it allows the eyelid to be adjusted much more precisely. A small incision is made into the crease of the eye and then the muscle is shortened so that it lifts the lid.
The surgery should only take around an hour to be completed, and it can provide you with very fast results.
10. Liposuction
Having stubborn fat that doesn’t disappear with diet and exercise can damage your self-esteem and be frustrating.
Some people turn to surgical alternatives, such as liposuction, to remove hard-to-shift fat, restoring their confidence and give them a new lease of life.
The liposuction procedure can remove fat pockets from trouble areas including your chin, stomach and arms.
The procedure uses a few small incisions into the area so that a cannula can be inserted. This cannula begins breaking up the fat in that area. While the cannula moves back and forth, a vacuum removes the fat.
Although liposuction is typically a cosmetic procedure, it can be used to treat conditions like lymphoedema and lipoedema. These conditions cause swelling or fat build-up in certain areas of the body. Liposuction for men is increasingly popular as well. By having the build-ups removed, you can increase your mobility and reduce any pain you might have been experiencing.
Although the procedure uses small incisions, full recovery can take up to six months. It’s important, however, not to be discouraged by this timeframe. Liposuction results often take time to become apparent because of residual swelling, but once this swelling has gone down, you’ll be able to see your results in full.
Get in touch
Getting a surgery isn’t a decision you should take lightly — nor is choosing the right surgeon for you. That’s why here at The McIndoe Centre, we ensure that you receive all the information you need so you can make an informed decision.
Our team are experts in their field, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the very best results, no matter the procedure.
Book a consultation now to receive advice from our experts in plastic surgery.
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