Possible Complications

The mini-facelift (Skin-only lift)

Hematoma (rare): if bleeding continues after the surgery is finished, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating underneath the pulled skin which is called a hematoma. A hematoma generally occurs within the first 24 hours after surgery. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood. This includes Aspirin and its derivatives as well as ‘natural’ products such as Vitamin E and garlic pills. Alcohol consumption is prohibited before surgery because of it’s blood-thinning properties.

Infection (rare): This may occur in any surgical intervention and is generally treated with antibiotics.

Tissue loss or necrosis (very rare): If the oxygen delivery to the pulled skin is diminished to a great extent for any reason, the affected skin may not survive or necrose. When this happens, the skin becomes a dark color and forms a crust that eventually falls to be replaced by scar tissue. Things that can increase the risk of necrosis include a severe infection, a large hematoma and extreme swelling. By far, though, the biggest contributor to tissue necrosis is cigarette smoking and nicotine, which is why we strictly forbid smoking for a period encompassing the month before and after surgery.

Nerve damage (extremely rare): Certain branches of the facial nerve may be touched during a facelift. The branches tend to be deep and the risk of affecting them is technique dependent, where certain facelift techniques carry a higher risk than others. Fortunately, this is an extremely rare event.

Facelift

Hematoma (rare): if bleeding continues after the surgery is finished, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating underneath the pulled skin which is called a hematoma. A hematoma generally occurs within the first 24 hours after surgery. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood. This includes Aspirin and its derivatives as well as ‘natural’ products such as Vitamin E and garlic pills. Alcohol consumption is prohibited before surgery because of it’s blood-thinning properties.

Infection (rare): This may occur in any surgical intervention and is generally treated with antibiotics.

Tissue loss or necrosis (very rare): If the oxygen delivery to the pulled skin is diminished to a great extent for any reason, the affected skin may not survive or necrose. When this happens, the skin becomes a dark color and forms a crust that eventually falls to be replaced by scar tissue. Things that can increase the risk of necrosis include a severe infection, a large hematoma and extreme swelling. By far, though, the biggest contributor to tissue necrosis is cigarette smoking and nicotine, which is why we strictly forbid smoking for a period encompassing the month before and after surgery.

Nerve damage (extremely rare): Certain branches of the facial nerve may be touched during a facelift. The branches tend to be deep and the risk of affecting them is technique dependent, where certain facelift techniques carry a higher risk than others. Fortunately, this is an extremely rare event.

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Sty (rare): infection of the glands of the eyelids.
Haematoma (very rare): If bleeding continues after surgery is finished, then blood can accumulate underneath the skin or muscle or, in extremely rare cases, in the eye socket. If there is little or no pain, then it is likely superficial bleeding which can be controlled by resting quietly and applying cold compresses. If the bleeding does not stop by doing this or there is an excessive amount of pain, you should contact your surgeon.

Poor scars : extremely rare

Infection (very rare): a rare occurrence since the eyelid is well vascularised allowing it to fight bacterial invasion with great efficacy. When it does occur it is usually well treated with antibiotics.

Ectropion (very rare) : To translate, this refers to when the lower eyelid is pulled downward abnormally. The causes are multiple and may be due to a combination of weak muscle tone, poor scarring, excess swelling and excess skin removal. Its incidence is also technique dependent. In most cases, however, it is due to a temporary weakness of the eyelid muscles and resolves with time.

Brow lifting

Haematoma (rare): if bleeding continues after the surgery is finished, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating underneath the pulled skin which is called a haematoma. A haematoma generally occurs within the first 48 hours after surgery. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood. This includes Aspirin and its derivatives as well as ‘natural’ products such as Vitamin E and garlic pills.

Infection (rare): This may occur in any surgical intervention and is generally treated with antibiotics.

Tissue loss or necrosis (very rare): If the oxygen delivery to the pulled skin is diminished to a great extent for any reason, the affected skin may not survive or necrose. When this happens, the skin becomes a dark colour and forms a crust that eventually falls to be replaced by scar tissue. Things that can increase the risk of necrosis include a severe infection, a large haematoma and extreme swelling. By far, though, the biggest contributor to tissue necrosis is cigarette smoking and nicotine, which is why we strictly forbid smoking for a period encompassing the month before and after surgery.

Alopecia or hair loss (very rare): occasionally, hair loss may occur for the same reasons given as necrosis. If the oxygenation of the affected skin is not sufficient, the hair bulbs may get ‘shocked’ and become dormant. Most of the time this is a temporary problem and resolves when the hair bulbs ‘wake up’. Occasionally, it remains permanent.

Nerve damage (extremely rare): Certain branches of the facial nerve may be touched during a browlift. The branches tend to be deep and the risk of affecting them permanently is an extremely rare event.

Ear Pinning (Otoplasty)

Haematoma (very rare): if bleeding continues after surgery is finished, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating underneath the skin of the ear and is called a haematoma. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood.

Infection (very rare): As in any surgery, infection can occur and can generally be well treated with antibiotics.

Breast lifting (Mastopexy)

Healing problems and necrosis (rare): In order to get the breast skin to form a proper ‘skin brassiere’, a certain amount of tension must be placed on the skin closure. This tension may cause a temporary slight decrease in oxygenation of the healing incision line. Should there be a dramatic decrease in oxygen delivery, the incision may not heal properly and give a wide scar.

If the oxygen delivery to the pulled skin or the nipple is diminished to a very great extent for any reason, the affected skin may not survive or necrose. When this happens, the skin becomes a dark colour, forming a crust that eventually falls to be replaced by scar tissue. Things that can increase the risk of necrosis include a severe infection and a large haematoma. By far, though, the biggest contributor to tissue necrosis is cigarette smoking and nicotine, which is why we strictly forbid smoking for a period encompassing the month before and after surgery.

Infection (rare): This may occur in any surgical intervention and is generally treated with antibiotics.

Haematoma (rare): if bleeding continues after surgery is completed, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating underneath the pulled skin which is called a haematoma. A haematoma generally occurs within the first 48 hours after surgery. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood. This includes Aspirin and its derivatives as well as ‘natural’ products such as Vitamin E and garlic pills. Small haematomas may resorb on their own whereas large ones may need surgical evacuation.

Breast augmentation

Haematoma (very rare): if bleeding continues after surgery is finished, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating around the implant and is called a haematoma and generally occurs with the first 48 hours after surgery. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood. A late haematoma may occur if using the arms excessively in the post-operative recovery period.

Infection (very rare): implant infection is fortunately a very rare event and can occur in 1-2% of patients.

Tissue loss and implant extrusion (extremely rare): Should the tissues covering the implant not tolerate the surgery, a loss of tissue overlying the implant may occur leading to exposure of the implant. It is almost unheard of in young healthy women and occurs mostly in patients who undergo breast reconstruction after mastectomy and radiation therapy for breast cancer.

Capsular contraction: Whenever any synthetic material is placed into the human body, the body tries to reject it by forming a layer of tissue around it. You easily see this phenomenon when a splinter gets lodged underneath the skin and after many months, forms a small lump thicker than the original splinter. The same phenomenon occurs with breast implant whereby a thin layer of tissues is created around the implant. Should this layer or capsule become thick, it may squeeze the implant giving the impression that the implant is hard. Although not dangerous, the patient may want it treated because of discomfort or an unpleasing shape to the breast. The treatment for this may require surgery to release the capsule but may recur despite attempt.

Nipple sensation: A change in nipple sensation may occur but is generally temporary and normalizes over a few months.

Implant rupture: Implant rupture may occur at varying frequencies depending on the type of implant. When this occurs, the implant needs to be changed. For saline implants, the saline solution gets absorbed into the body. For silicone gel, it becomes more complex. The silicone gel can leak and stick to surrounding tissues, forming a hard ball. In order to remove it, the hard ball has to be freed from the tissues it is stuck to. For cohesive gel prostheses, rupture is not possible since it has the consistency of Jell-O.

Liposuction

Haematoma (extremely rare): if bleeding continues after the surgery is finished, this can lead to a collection of blood accumulating under the skin which is called a haematoma. To minimize the risk, avoid ingesting anything that can thin the blood. With liposuction, the bleeding tends to be negligible making this complication extremely rare.

Infection (rare): This may occur in any surgical intervention and is generally treated with antibiotics.

Skin irregularities (common): If the skin is not elastic enough to ‘shrink down’ after removing the fat, a certain amount of skin irregularity may occur.

The mini-tummy tuck (mini-abdominoplasty)

Diminished skin sensation: The abdominal skin, which has been lifted and pulled down can lose sensation to a certain degree. This should eventually return after several months but in the interim excess heat and cold applied to the affected skin should be consciously monitored since there is the potential for burning or freezing the skin without knowing it. On occasion the skin remains insensate but is generally not bothersome to the patient.

Skin loss or necrosis (rare): can occur in the region above the pubis since the greatest amount of tension is placed there on skin closure. Should this occur, your surgeon will determine the appropriate management. This type of skin loss occurs more frequently in smokers, which is why we have a strict no smoking policy in the period around the surgery. Other factors that can contribute to this are infections and excess fluid accumulation underneath the redraped skin.

Incision line: The scar left after the surgery is in the majority of cases a very acceptable line across the lower abdomen at the level of the pubis. There is also a small scar around the umbilicus. In a small minority of patients whose bodies do not heal normally, scars can become large. Your surgeon will determine the appropriate management should this occur.

The Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)

Diminished skin sensation: The abdominal skin, which has been lifted and pulled down can lose sensation to a certain degree. This should eventually return after several months but in the interim excess heat and cold applied to the affected skin should be consciously monitored since there is the potential for burning or freezing the skin without knowing it. On occasion the skin remains insensate but is generally not bothersome to the patient.

Skin loss or necrosis (rare): can occur in the region above the pubis since the greatest amount of tension is placed there on skin closure. Should this occur, your surgeon will determine the appropriate management. This type of skin loss occurs more frequently in smokers, which is why we have a strict no smoking policy in the period around the surgery. Other factors that can contribute to this are infections and excess fluid accumulation underneath the redraped skin.

Incision line: The scar left after the surgery is in the majority of cases a very acceptable line across the lower abdomen at the level of the pubis. There is also a small scar around the umbilicus. In a small minority of patients whose bodies do not heal normally, scars can become large. Your surgeon will determine the appropriate management should this occur.