Plastic Surgery 101: The Beginner’s Guide

February 25th, 2017

If you struggle with feeling that your body isn’t quite the way you want it to be, you’ve probably wondered about getting plastic surgery. Celebrities make it look so easy, right?

People from all over the country come to see Madison’s top, board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Clifford King, M.D., Ph.D. for help achieving the beautiful contours they always wanted. But the process is not as simple and quick as the media makes it seem, so it’s important to understand what goes into a successful plastic surgery. Here are some essential things you, as the patient, need to know so that we can achieve the results you desire.

5 Essential Steps to a Fabulous Plastic Surgery “After” Photo

1. Do your homework—Google the procedures you are interested in. Clip pictures of celebrities out of magazines, etc. You can even search for plastic surgery procedures on Snapchat and YouTube to see exactly how these procedures are performed.
2. ONLY work with a board-certified plastic surgeon—Many doctors may bill themselves as plastic surgeons, but if you are going to entrust your body and your future to anyone, make sure you choose only a board-certified plastic surgeon who has achieved and maintains the highest qualifications of training and standards in plastic surgery. Otherwise, you could suffer not only a botched plastic surgery, but potentially life-threatening infections and complications. In addition to being a top respected board-certified plastic surgeon in the upper Midwest, Dr. King has been repeatedly recognized as one of the area’s best doctors in Madison by Madison Magazine since 2003.
3. Get more than one consultation—Because plastic surgery is so personal, you need to pick a board-certified plastic surgeon that you feel comfortable with. Visit with more than one doctor about your cosmetic surgery goals before making a commitment. Many people choose Dr. King because he achieves the best results for his patients, and he is so committed to developing individual treatment plans for each patient.
4. Check reviews and results—In addition to researching the procedure you’re interested in, make sure to look at online reviews for board-certified plastic surgeons on review sites such as Yelp!, realself.com and healthgrades.com.
5. Listen to word-of-mouth recommendations—And don’t forget to talk with friends, family and others in your community who have had plastic surgery before. Ask them about their experience so you know how it works from someone who’s been there.

Once you’ve followed all of these steps to fully inform yourself, you are ready to make an intelligent, informed choice about your plastic surgery experience, which will make it far more likely that your “after” photos will be amazing.

Most Frequently-Requested Plastic Surgery Procedures

As part of your research process, it’s a good idea to read through the following and check the links to get a more in-depth idea of what to expect with our most common procedures:

Breast Augmentation: Where to Begin

Breast augmentation is by far the most frequently requested plastic surgery procedure in the United States, but there are a number of different ways to accomplish breast enhancement. After doing your research about the type of contours you would like to have, schedule a consultation with Dr. King so that he can evaluate your history and discuss your needs and which of these options may be the best for you.

• Breast enlargement—Also called augmentation mammoplasty, your board-certified plastic surgeon uses fat or surgical implants to boost the volume and cup size of the breasts.
• Breast lift—A mastopexy lifts and tightens the tissues surrounding the breast to lift them up to a more youthful contour if they are sagging or the nipples are too low along the chest.
• Combination breast augmentation and lift—Sometimes Dr. King might recommend both an augmentation and a lift at the same time. You will have to decide which breast enhancement procedure is best for you, based on the discussion you have with him during your consultation.
• Types of breast implants—You can choose between shells containing a sterile saline solution, or shells filled with silicone gel. There are differences in texture and long-term aftercare that you will need to be aware of, and Dr. King will discuss these with you during your consultation.
• Types of Incisions for breast augmentations—Dr. King uses three different, discreet breast implant incisions types for inserting breast implants for breast enlargement: under the arm (transaxillary), beneath the breast (inframammary), and around the edge of the nipple or areola (areolar or periareolar). He can recommend the best choice depending on your anatomy and desired results.

The surgery itself is an outpatient procedure that can be accomplished in a few hours in our office. Generally, after surgery, you will spend a couple of hours in recovery and then be taken home by your chaperone (This is true of all plastic surgery procedures, not just breast augmentation).

Recovery time for breast augmentation surgery varies depending on the type of incision and how well you adhere to your post-surgical recovery regimen as outlined by Dr. King. You should be prepared to rest and relax for about 48 hours after you go home and keep a light schedule that includes a lot of rest over the next couple of weeks. Use our helpful pre-breast augmentation shopping and preparation list to get recovery-ready.

Mommy Makeovers: What to Expect

Mommy makeovers are also extremely popular here in Madison and encompass several different plastic surgery procedures to help hard-working moms feel fantastic about their figures, especially when diet and exercise doesn’t quite bring about the desired return to a pre-baby figure. Typically, a Mommy Makeover includes the following procedures:

• Tummy Tuck—Dr. King’s expert tummy tuck surgeries can restore a svelte, trim tummy after diet and exercise have proven insufficient.
• Liposuction—Liposuction is often a great option for moms who have stubborn, exercise-resistant pockets of fat around the back, thighs, waist and even knees.
• Breast Lift, Augmentation or Both—Pregnancy and breastfeeding causes enormous changes to the breasts. They may enlarge wonderfully during pregnancy to prepare for feeding the baby, but after a few months of breast feeding, they can sag and droop. Consult with Dr. King about whether a breast lift, augmentation or a combination of both might be recommended for your mommy makeover.

Body Procedures for Every Body

Patients from all over the upper Midwest come to our board-certified plastic surgeon in Madison to improve their figures in a number of ways. Regardless of which body procedures you’re interested in, Dr. King can provide expert consulting and the high quality plastic surgery results you desire to give you the body of your dreams:

• Liposuction—Removes stubborn pockets of fat that cannot be reduced by diet and exercise alone.
• Tummy Tuck—Abdominoplasty achieves a tighter, flatter tummy by removing excess skin and fat from the abdominal area and tightening the abdominal muscles.
• Panniculectomy—Removal of the large, overhanging flap of skin and fat in the lower abdominal region; more extensive than a tummy tuck as it involves removing more tissue in order to create a flatter tummy.
• Arm Lift—Upper arm skin and fat can be stubborn to remove, particularly for people who have lost a lot of weight in that area. This operation removes the excess skin and fat, tightening the contours of the upper arm.
• Thigh Lift—Again, when a person loses a lot of weight, the stretched skin on the inner thighs can sag and look unappealing. Dr. King performs skillful thigh lift surgeries that remove the excess skin and tighten the thigh muscles to give your legs a toned, youthful appearance.
• Body Lift—A procedure that removes and tightens the hanging, excess skin often left over for individuals who have lost a significant amount of weight. This usually includes arm lifts, a tummy tuck or panniculectomy, and thigh lifts.

Face Procedures that Generate Smiles

If there is a part of your face that you’d like to improve, Dr. King is the expert to consult. He has achieved incredible results for patients with the following face procedures:

• Rhinoplasty—This procedure can change the size and shape of the nose, and even improve breathing function.
• Brow Lift—This operation can smooth and refine the often furrowed look of the forehead, giving it a younger, more wakeful appearance.
• Eyelid Surgery—The area around the eyes is often the first to age, making even young people look older than they are; Dr. King can lift and shape the area around the eyes to make it look more taut, young and vibrant.
• Ear Surgery—This cosmetic procedure can correct over-large, misshapen ears, even in patients as young as five. Frequently, Dr. King streamlines the appearance of ears that stick out too much, pulling them in closer to the head.
• Facelift—Dr. King provides world-class facelift procedures that are tailored to each individual, whether they want a smoother, younger looking complexion, a tighter neck and chin, or any of the aforementioned facial improvements as well.

Schedule a consultation with Dr. King if you have questions about how any of these procedures work and how you might benefit from one, or a combination of plastic surgery procedures.