Holiday Plastic Surgery - Procedures Without Much Recovery Time

The holidays are upon us and that means parties, presents, and plastic surgery. That’s right! The holiday season running from Halloween to the middle of January is often the busiest time of the year for plastic surgeons as people get plastic surgery for themselves or they give a procedure as a gift. Curious why plastic surgery and the holidays are a winning combination? Take a ho-ho-ho look below for the answers.

Holiday Plastic Surgery – Why Patients Take Advantage of the Holiday Season

Some of the reasons that patients decide to have plastic surgery during the holidays is the ability to have a procedure and recovery time while using vacation days before the end of the year, school closures so parents don’t have to worry about driving kids to and from classes, or simply wanting to look their best at holiday gatherings.

In addition, some patients have reached their insurance deductibles for the year by the time the holidays happen. This means that plastic surgery procedures that are sometimes considered to be medically necessary, such as breast reduction and breast reconstruction, might have part of the costs covered by insurance.

As mentioned earlier, some employees have vacation days left to use or they might automatically have time off during the holidays. Either way, they have a built-in amount of recovery time away from the eyes of others.

Holiday Plastic Surgery – Best Procedures to Get During the Holidays

Patients who want to rejuvenate the look of the eyes can treat the upper and lower eyelids with upper blepharoplasty or lower blepharoplasty. Upper blepharoplasty can be performed around two weeks before a gathering or event for the holidays since the recovery time is rather short. Much of the post-surgery bruising will be gone after two weeks and the skin will have a tighter look and feel by that point.  Lowe blepharoplasty involves a bit more bruising, but it also has a short recovery time of two to four weeks. Surgery for the lower eyelids can reduce an angry or ongoing tired look by giving the eyes a more open and refreshed look.

While liposuction is an invasive surgical procedure, it can sometimes be an “easy to hide” recovery during the holidays. The majority of the swelling can go down within twelve weeks, but the holidays are the perfect time to wear extra layers of clothing to cover any bruising and swelling along with any compression garments.

The holidays are also a popular time for breast reduction surgery due to the possibility of insurance covering part of the cost. If the breasts are large enough to cause health issues for the patient, the person can try and have their health insurance company cover part of the cost. It is ideal to have breast reduction two to three weeks before an event or gathering because this is the time period when bruising starts to fade and the amount of rest a person gets after surgery should make them ready to face the world by two or three weeks after surgery.

The holidays are also considered to be a good time to undergo a combination of simple, less complex treatments instead of having one larger treatment that might require an extended amount of recovery time. The recovery period after multiple procedures might be a bit tougher than having one treatment but the results will be more extensive. For example, some treatments that can be combined include laser resurfacing, fat transfer, and a chemical peel. In addition, the fact that multiple procedures are performed at the same time will not necessarily mean an extended recovery period.

Holiday Plastic Surgery – Procedures That Might Not be the Right Choice

Even with the plastic surgery procedures listed above, there are some surgical options that might not be ideal choices for holiday plastic surgery. Surgical procedures such as a breast lift or rhinoplasty often have a more unpredictable recovery period so there is no guarantee of a shorter recovery period. It is true that each patient recovers from plastic surgery at their own rate, so the final decision is up to the individual person.

There is also the possibility that a certain person might experience more swelling or bruising than another person so patients need to keep in mind that they might experience an extended period of swelling and bruising even if the typical recovery from a certain treatment does not normally include the extended recovery period. If the person is worried about the possibility of excessive bruising or swelling on (for example) the face, they can simply have Botox or fillers injected into the face. These treatments involve little downtime, and the results are visible within two weeks. Patients who normally use Botox or fillers to retain a youthful look to the face can ask their doctor about having a treatment to refresh the look of the face before seeing friends or family members.

Patients should ask their doctor about the average recovery time for their procedure of choice. Once they know what is involved in the recovery process, they can decide whether or not to have plastic surgery during the holidays.

- MA