The Other Side of the Coin

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Audubon Facial Plastic Surgery

The Emotional Side of Facial Aesthetic Surgery No One Talks About

Often, when I am counseling patients for surgery, especially surgeries like a facelift, I often say to them “The difficulty in recovery is frequently not so much a physical pain or distress, so much as it is an emotional or psychological one”. Over the years, in walking through countless recoveries with patients, I’ve watched the swing of emotions play out in a front row seat, and often, these emotions are difficult. The anxiety, the questions, the lack of control, the lack of confidence, the fear.

Publicly, we frequently talk about aesthetic surgery in very black and white terms that depict a beginning and an end. The before and the after. Ideal angles. Symmetry and balance. The pre and the post. Physical, concrete terms. But, the other side of the coin is the journey that often isn’t as tangible, but no less critical.

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Aesthetic surgery is also about the journey. Changes in identity. Gaining or losing confidence. Loss of control. Gaining control. Changes in the mirror. Aging that feels impossible. Grief over an undesirable result. Excitement over restoration. Hope for the future. Shining new congruence in the external and internal. A new lease on life. There are a plethora of big, human emotions with every part of the surgical journey - both the anticipated parts and the unanticipated ones.

The reality is that recovery can be highly emotional, even when everything is going as planned. Normal swelling can shake confidence and a quiet internal voice can whisper, “what if it doesn’t get better?”. Looking in the mirror can spark emotions that an already physically recovering body find hard to process. It is a vulnerable time and a very human one. Lack of communication around these emotions leaves patients mentally and emotionally alone, feeling isolated and left in a spiral of a multitude of questions. We can’t forget to talk about the psychological journey of facial plastic surgery.

Often, in my office, the very first question I ask at a post operative visit is: “Are there any worries, concerns or problems you are worried about?”. My hope is by bringing this question to the forefront at most of our visits, I emphasize my desire to maintain an open dialogue with patients and to communicate that I am not afraid to talk about their concerns, no matter how big or small they are, tangible or intangible. Most often, concerns are easily laid to rest with assurance, explanation, or simply validating the expressed feelings. Just expressing their concerns in a welcoming environment, I watch patients visibly relax. Putting words to their scariest thoughts - even the illogical or paranoid ones - is cathartic.

Aesthetics hovers right at the junction between scientific precision and psychology.

Both are of equal importance in holistically treating a patient, and incorporation of psychological support throughout a recovery journey is just as paramount to success. This means counseling patients ahead of time of the emotional toll surgery and recovery can take. It means asking. It means reassurance. It means setting correct expectations. It means listening without gas lighting. It means taking time to understand the why behind the decision for surgery. Lastly, it means going down the recovery journey together as a team.