How long do Plastic Surgery results last? – with Dr Nicholas Moncrieff

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Long Lasting Plastic Surgery Result

Let’s face it, if you plan to have surgery, it’s a big investment of both your time and money. For breast and body surgery Dr Moncrieff from Hunter Plastic Surgery will always focus on achieving you the best results – results that will last. But as Dr Moncrieff explains, the reality is once your surgery is over, especially how long the results last is mostly over to you!Dr Nicholas Moncrieff

Another factor is the reality is – ageing and Mr Gravity will eventually have their way. These factors will also impact in the long term whether or not you have had surgery. But there is a lot you can do to maximise the benefits of your surgery.

Follow All Your Post-Operative Instructions

It is fundamental to follow all your post-operative instructions for long lasting plastic surgery result. This includes taking the medication as instructed, only doing the physical chores as instructed. Avoid alcohol and eat as well as you can, as this will also ensure that your body recovers well, but also so your results are optimised. You may also have to wear post-surgical garments, be sure to follow all the instructions with this as well.

Be Sure to Ease Back into Exercise – As Instructed

Too often women compromise their surgery outcomes when they rush back into their exercise regimes too early. This can be before the wounds have healed (or in the case of implants, the capsule around the implant has developed which helps to keep it in place). By doing this, you can contribute to poor scarring, or wound break-down and loss of the tightening that surgery provided. Be sure to follow all the instructions, especially those related to when it is safe to return to your exercise regime.

Avoid Large Weight Fluctuations

This is something only you have control over, but it is one of the more important elements in achieving long lasting benefits to your plastic surgery. Regardless of having surgery, when your weight shifts significantly, it can cause the tissue to sag and the skin to lose elasticity. But after breast and body surgery especially, it is important to try to maintain a steady weight within 5 kilos of your pre-surgery weight if you want to preserve the outcome of your surgery.

For tummy tuck and body lift surgeries, or very large breast reductions, the body weight you will need to maintain is not your pre-surgery weight. This weight will not be enough – as Dr Moncrieff may have removed up to an extra 5-10 kilos. To get this into context, if on the day before surgery you were 80kg and Dr Moncrieff removed 10kg, you should aim to keep your weight around 70kg as this will be your new ‘normal’ to weight – and the weight you would want to maintain if you want to maximise the longevity of your results.

If your weight creeps up to 80kg again, it will mean all areas of your body look bigger, including where you had treated. This may result in your tummy looking very tight and ‘barrel like’ as the internal fat levels increase and other body areas looking much larger than they used to.

“Remember that surgery is not a ‘get out of jail free card’. I can do the most amazing procedure, but you need to continue the focus on your health in the long term to get the full benefit from surgery,” says Dr Moncrieff.

Why You Should Wear a Bra After Breast Augmentation or Lift

Dr Moncrieff with patientOne of the great things about breast surgery is the feeling like you can go braless once your recovery phase is over, which is fine for special events or while sleeping. But all breasts, regardless of whether or not you have had surgery, will be subject to the forces of Mr Gravity – and these forces will only increase if you have undergone a breast augmentation procedure. In other words, you want to limit the impact of gravity and ageing on your gorgeous new breasts!

Once you have been cleared by Dr Moncrieff or the nurse to stop wearing your soft post-op bra (for most women this is at the 6-week mark), it is time to get fitted for new lingerie. Many of the patients at Hunter Plastic Surgery visit Bras n Things in Charlestown as it is across the road and they are experienced and very helpful when it comes to fitting women post-surgery. However, any good lingerie store should be able to help you with this.

Again, it is worth reminding you, that you should still be wearing a bra everyday – and a really supportive bra for exercise, especially if you have implants. Save the braless look for those special nights out!

Avoid Pregnancy For at Least a Year

Many women visit Hunter Plastic Surgery before they have babies or even between pregnancies – but Dr Moncrieff strongly discourages breast or body surgery if pregnancy is possible within 12 months.

Falling pregnant soon after surgery takes a toll on any woman’s body, but if it is so soon after surgery the healing phase won’t be completed. Pregnancy as most of us know can add significant weight, along with increase in breast and abdominal size, which can also change the appearance of your surgical results.

If you do have babies a few years after surgery, expect your breasts or body to change, as they do for most women, regardless of whether or not they have had surgery. For some women this will be minimal, but others may want to restore them to their pre-pregnancy shape with a revision of their tummy tucks, or in the case of breast surgery, a lift or revision of implants.

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