Nothing Is Perfect
Trade-Offs, Problems, and Risks
“Every choice in augmentation has trade-offs. Good team decisions before surgery are the best way to reduce risks and trade-offs.”
Don’t fool yourself. Nothing in life is perfect; nothing is without trade-offs. Augmentation is no different. You can’t choose a set of options for breast augmentation that doesn’t come with a package of trade-offs. Trade-offs are compromises that you accept when you select an implant, a pocket location, an incision location, or any other option in augmentation. You will accept trade-offs whether you know it or not. The more you know about trade-offs of each option, the better choices you can make.
In our practice, any surprise that occurs in augmentation is a problem. We don’t want surprises. We certainly don’t want problems. Our goal is to inform and educate you to help us make the best possible decisions.
The better we help you understand what to expect before surgery, the more you know, the fewer surprises, and the fewer problems.
When you decide to have an augmentation, you are deciding to take risks. Every medical procedure requires that you take certain risks to potentially gain certain benefits. Every cosmetic surgical procedure is totally elective. You choose it. You don’t require it. There is no medical reason that requires you to have it. For any procedure that you want but don’t really need, the potential benefits should far outweigh any potential risks. To decide whether a set of risks is reasonable and justifiable, you must first know what the risks are and how likely it is that those risks will occur.
Trade-Offs
The following table lists trade-offs that are associated with common options available in augmentation. This list is not comprehensive; other trade-offs can occur. The purpose of this overview is to emphasize that:
No option or set of options in augmentation is without trade-offs.
The potential benefits of each of these options are described in chapters five and six for comparison with the trade-offs.
Trade-offs always depend on the details of each specific case.
The characteristics of your tissues can significantly affect the trade-offs.
The experience of your surgeon with different options can significantly affect the trade-offs.
After a surgeon examines you, be sure to ask about specific trade-offs and how they relate to your specific tissues and the surgeon’s experience with different options.
Problems
If it’s a surprise, it’s a problem.
There are two kinds of surprises:
A surprise can be something you don’t know about that confuses or frightens you,
Or
A surprise can be a medical complication that causes untoward medical events.
The first type of surprise, something you don’t know about that confuses or frightens you, is potentially preventable. The second, a medical complication, can occur despite all best efforts by you and your surgeon.
Problems (Surprises) That Result from Things You Don’t Know
Most people deal with the unknown problems better if they know what’s coming. When you have an augmentation, your body will do predictable, and sometimes unpredictable, things in response to your surgery during the healing process.
The more you know about what to expect and what is normal, the less confused or frightened you will be when it occurs.
It’s a team job to assure that you know what to expect after your surgery.
It’s the responsibility of your surgeon and your surgeon’s staff to provide information for you.
It’s your responsibility to use it and assume responsibility for your choices, requests, and decisions.
If you don’t receive comprehensive information from your surgeon, you never have an opportunity to read and digest it. The amount and quality of written and spoken information that you receive from surgeons is an excellent way to evaluate different surgeons. If you receive good information and you don’t read and digest it, you aren’t doing your job, and you are making your life more difficult during recovery. You can’t possibly remember every detail about what to expect. That’s why most surgeons will give you specific, written information to use as a reference. Keep it; use it. Despite good reference material, things can occur that reading an explanation just doesn’t solve. Call your surgeon or the surgeon’s staff. Helping you is their part of the team job.
Once usually isn’t enough. After you read information, you should hear or read many of the same facts again from your patient educator or surgeon and see many items repeated in written documents you will sign. Surgeons who provide you information in stages and information that is repetitive are making the best effort to assure that you’re receiving the most complete information and have the best chance of understanding the information.
Before your augmentation, be sure that all of your questions are answered. If you are the least bit unclear about anything, ask. Take notes, and spend time going over them. The more you know, the more comfortable you’ll be, the fewer surprises you’ll have, and the fewer problems there will be. If you can’t get your questions answered and feel that you thoroughly understand, stop until you do!
Problems (Surprises) That Result from Medical Complications
The other type of problems that can occur fall into the category of medical risks, untoward events that can occur following any type of surgery. These problems can be very significant, and you should understand and consider all medical risks very thoroughly before deciding to have breast augmentation surgery.
Risks Associated With Breast Augmentation&Mdash;the Basics
Every breast augmentation operation carries inherent risks.
Medical complications are not totally preventable by you or your surgeon.
Do not have an augmentation unless you thoroughly understand and accept the potential risks and trade-offs of the procedure.
When you are first learning about risks, be sure that you thoroughly understand exactly what the risk involves. Secondly, ask how often each risk occurs. A risk can sound terrible, but if it only occurs once in every 100,000 cases, it’s logical to be informed but not excessively worried about that particular risk. In other words, try to put all risks into perspective. How bad is it, what are the possible consequences, and how often does it occur? In this chapter, you’ll learn the basics, but always ask your surgeon three basic questions:
Exactly what does the risk involve?
What are the possible consequences?
How often does the problem actually occur?
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References
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