When Is Cosmetic Surgery a Better Option than Non-invasive Treatments?
If you are considering having one of the surgeons at Jefferson Plastic Surgery perform your cosmetic surgical procedure, there are a number of important points to consider. These may include the reason you are interested in a cosmetic procedure, your goals for treatment, your medical history, and any concerns you may have about the procedure.
There may be one additional question that you may not have considered: if you would prefer a surgical or non-invasive procedure. Many of our patients, particularly if it is their first cosmetic procedure, may wish to undergo a non-invasive or minimally invasive procedure. This can be due to nervousness about surgery or cost.
While it is true that there are certain benefits to non-invasive cosmetic procedures, there are times when surgery will produce the best results. In fact, you may find that a surgical procedure may actually be the smarter choice over the long run. Read further to see the benefits that surgery can offer over a non-invasive procedure.
Cosmetic Surgery Lasts Longer
Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures offer improvements that could meet your cosmetic goals. Nevertheless, these types of procedures have one distinctive drawback in comparison to surgery: their results are not permanent and will require another procedure to maintain the results.
On the other hand, cosmetic surgery results last for years, especially when patients maintain a healthy lifestyle.
BOTOX® injections to reduce the appearance of frown lines are an excellent example of this. As a general rule, injections will last anywhere from three to six months, after which you will need to book another treatment session at our office. In comparison, a brow lift procedure will only need to be done once to minimize the appearance of frown lines and wrinkles around the brows.
Cosmetic Surgery May Save Money over Time
The cost of a cosmetic procedure can often be a big deciding factor when patients are choosing between a surgical procedure, or one that is minimally invasive. In fact, cost may well explain why non-invasive procedures are consistently more popular than surgical ones.
However, let’s look at the cost from another angle. If we factor in the cost of a cosmetic procedure over time, there’s an argument that surgery may actually be able to save you money over the long run. As noted above, surgery provides longer lasting results for just one payment for the surgery.
On the other hand, a non-invasive procedure may incur a number of payments over time, as you will need to come in to see us for additional treatments once the original effects are no longer apparent.
Cosmetic Surgery Provides More Dramatic Results
While some of our patients are happy with subtle improvements that come from minimally invasive procedures, others want more obvious results. If you are looking for dramatic results, our surgeons may recommend cosmetic surgery rather than a minimally invasive procedure.
For example, facelift surgery can more dramatically reduce the signs of aging when compared to dermal fillers. While dermal fillers can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the lips and the outer corners of the eyes, they cannot tighten up sagging facial skin. Instead, our surgeons recommend facelift surgery to tighten up loose facial skin.