People often think of cosmetic surgery as superfluous, of something not particularly valuable to society, often almost as some kind of trivial thing enjoyed by the rich and famous, but whilst some of that may be more than just anecdotal, for a vast number of people, plastic surgery is not just vital for their health, it's vital for their mental wellbeing as well.
We only have to look back to World War I to appreciate the incredible work done on victims of the most horrific burns encountered during attacks to see why plastic and cosmetic surgery happened at all.
Thankfully, things have moved on a great deal since those pioneering days, and they continue to move on and improve as new techniques and treatments are introduced by the world's top plastic surgeons.
Here at Werndale Hospital we are blessed with some of those top doctors and consultants, so if you've been thinking about plastic or cosmetic surgery for whatever reason, please do call us on 01267 225600 and we'll be happy to steer you in the right direction.
Breasts not only vary in size and shape, but also in their symmetry, and like most things to do with our bodies, this can cause us some distress especially for those with larger, heavier breasts.
This can put extra pressure on our bodies musculoskeletal makeup and can cause us a certain amount of physical discomfort too.
On top of that, mental pressures can come into play where other people are concerned. This of course also played (and continues to play) a part when it comes to disfigurement caused by injuries such as burns.
But that's what we're here for. To help you understand all the options you have no matter what your problem, and to guide you through them so you can come to your own conclusions and decisions on what to do next.
But it's not just breast augmentation or reduction that matters, breast enlargement is also an option that can help people. All this is possible at Werndale, but none of it is taken lightly. We will help you talk through all your thoughts and come to a decision that feels right for you and your particular circumstances.
As we age, our skin tends to become less supple, but it also can become more saggy. This can affect the way we feel about our bodies, which in turn can affect our mental health, and often in detrimental ways.
Plastic surgery for breast rejuvenation can help control this by removing excess skin to lift breasts upwards. This is called a breast uplift (the medical name is mastopexy) and is a procedure also available at Werndale Hospital.
Sagging breasts can also occur after pregnancy as well as through the aging process and the effects of gravity, so it's a good idea to think carefully about whether to have this procedure if you're intending to have children (or more children if you already have a family). For this reason, many women prefer to wait till their family is complete.
It's not just females who may need plastic surgery to reshape parts of their upper torso. Some men have oversize breasts and may feel uncomfortable with this. The condition is called gynaecomastia and is easily treated with plastic surgery.
This can also happen when large weight loss has been experienced and the breast area has an excess of saggy skin where the fat once was.
Note that it's not recommended that breast reduction is performed due to obesity. A good dietary and fitness regime is the best way to get the body back towards a better shape, after which a decision can be made if the breasts still look or feel too large or cause any other concerns.
Plastic surgery and other procedures that affect our body shape are obviously not limited to breast augmentation, it can be performed on almost any area of the body.
One common example and procedure is abdominal liposuction. Again, this is not to be confused with weight loss (nothing can replace a healthy diet and a good exercise regime), but is more to do with removing fatty deposits that refuse to shift for whatever reason by any other method.
If excess fat is not dealt with at some point, over time, it can lead to other complications (including well known diseases such as diabetes) and can also put pressure on our bone structure and skeleton, sometimes leading to bone deformities if not treated.
Obviously that only happens in extreme cases, but nevertheless, carrying excess fat is still something that should be thought about if we want to continue to live a healthy life.
Obesity and its problems have been well documented and publicised by governments and health authorities over the years, so if you have any worries or concerns in this respect, contacting your GP or calling us directly to find out how we can help is a good option.
Plastic surgery involves the reconstruction, repair, or replacement of tissue that needs some form of treatment or correction due to damage, disease, or deterioration. It may also involve reconstruction by transferring skin from a different area of the body entirely. The latter is certainly true of healing injuries such as burns where parts of the skin are damaged beyond repair.
But it can also be used to contour or reshape parts of the body including something called pinnaplasties, which is the changing of the angle of the ear, in particular for people whose ears stick out further than they'd like (the word pinna refers to the outer ear).
People born with a congenital problem with the ear or who have suffered physical trauma to the ear can also be treated with otoplasty to reshape or replace missing parts of the ear.
If you've been referred by your doctor, we will book you in for an initial consultation with a specialist plastic surgeon here at Werndale Hospital to discuss your concerns or worries and options.
If the recommendation is surgery, we will book you in (often within a couple of weeks) and for the simpler operations such as most pinnaplasties, you will be in and out the same day. Even so, it's often good advice to have someone available to both drive you here and pick you up afterwards.
For longer operations such as breast surgery you'll usually stay at the hospital for one or two nights after the operation.
Should you need to stay overnight or for a longer period, Werndale Hospital has 17 private rooms each with en-suite facilities, so your stay will be as private and comfortable as possible with medical officers on hand 24 hours a day if you need help or feel any discomfort at all at any point.
Recovery from major operations can take between 2 and 6 weeks so you will need to book time away from work if you have a job.
Please do call us on 01267 225600 if you'd like to discuss your options or you have any concerns about an upcoming appointment or operation. We are here to help.
