A fully informed patient should be more relaxed after the operation and be better able to cope with minor discomfort and the appearance of the new wounds than someone who was unaware of the nature of the operation. Bruising, swelling and soreness are a feature of most operations and some patients complain that they were unprepared for this. They may also maintain that they did not realise that full recovery can take some time after the operation.

Postoperative complications can occur as in all surgery. Especially important are the risks of infection and bleeding, both of which can mar an otherwise good result. Some areas of the body and some patients scar badly however neatly and expertly the surgeon treats them.

In general terms, if the result of a cosmetic operation is disappointing because of some technical problem it is nearly always possible by further revision surgery to correct the defect and produce a successful outcome.

In those unfortunate cases where there is a good technical result but where the patient is dissatisfied, further surgery is unlikely to be very effective and both surgeon and patient may come to regret the decision to operate in the first place.

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