Drastic Action

Going Under the Knife for Your Wedding

With the pressure on brides to look their best for their weddings, more and more brides are resorting to plastic surgery to perfect their looks.

From boob jobs to botox, brides are splashing out to get the to look their absolute best for their perfect wedding photos.

The Cost

For many brides, the cost makes any cosmetic surgery completely impossible, but for others the cost is only something to aim for.

Below are the average costs for several procedures.

Breast Enlargement	£3,400 - £5,000
Breast Reduction	£3,700 - £5,500
Breast Up-lift	£3,250 - £5,500
Ear Correction	from £2,800
Eyelids	£2,850 - £3,600
Face lift	£4,200 - £5,800
Liposuction	£1,550 - £5,000
Rhinoplasty	£3,000 - £4,000
Abdominoplasty	£3,800 - £5,200
Veneers	£300 - £1500 each

The Benefits

Many brides wish to look their best on their wedding day, and with a little work on areas where you feel a little insecure (mine are my tummy and arms) this would certainly be possible.

Often, with only a little change, the boost to your confidence can make the biggest change to your look.

Obviously, the benefits of cosmetic surgery are that you will theoretically look better than you did before.

For women with very large breasts who would like a breast reduction, cosmetic surgery can mean a new lease of life, an end to back pain and an enhanced quality of life.

With wedding photographers costing anything between £400 – £4000, it is understandable that brides want to look their best in their photos for years to come.

The most popular procedures for brides are botox, boob jobs and liposuction.

The Risks

The cosmetic industry do list the benefits of cosmetic surgery as being a boost to self confidence, self esteem and self image. However, it is medical websites that list the risks.

There are a lot of risks with procedures going wrong, of patients being allergic to the chemicals used in the procedure and of a bad reaction once the procedure is finished.

The biggest risk in cosmetic surgery is with scaring from a procedure, such as a boob reduction or enlargement.

Bleeding, infection and hematomas are possible after surgery, but if these complications are caught early on they can usually be treated. Nerve damage is a serious complication that people considering plastic surgery must be aware of.

Cutting Down on the Risks

Before you undergo plastic surgery it is important to have blood tests and a physical done to ensure that you are a good candidate for surgery. In addition you should make sure to look into the procedure you are considering and learn about the risks involved so that you can be as prepared inside and out for your transformation.

It is important to check that a surgeon has all the appropriate certificates and qualifications to perform cosmetic surgery. First, check online that your surgeon is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), or you can call 0845 357 3456.

"Preferably, you need to find someone with a surgical qualification, who's registered in the UK, and ideally has a specialist qualification in plastic surgery," says Professor Simon Kay, vice president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons.Whatever qualifications your surgeon has, you should always ask about their experience in doing the procedure you want.

A surgeon who has the letters 'FRCS (Plast)' after their name is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and has passed specialist exams in plastic surgery. They're trained to carry out all kinds of cosmetic surgery.

Other narrower specialist surgical areas that would be appropriate to specific areas of cosmetic surgery are:

• FRCS (GenSurg): specialist fellowship in general surgery.
• FRCS (OMFS): specialist fellowship in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
• FRCS (Otol): specialist fellowship in otolaryngology (for ear, nose and throat surgery).
• FRCS (ORL): specialist fellowship in otorhinolaryngology (head and neck/facial plastic surgery).
  

Questions to Ask

The Royal College of Surgeons advises that if you are thinking about having cosmetic surgery, ask a surgeon the following questions:

• How many years' experience do you have in the procedure I'm interested in? How many similar operations do you perform each week?
• Do you think that what I want to achieve from surgery is realistic?
• Could there be anything in my medical history that would affect the surgery?
• What will happen during the operation and what anaesthetic will be used?
• How long will I stay in hospital?
• Will there be any pain or any stitches and how long is the recovery time?
• How long will the results last?
• How much will it cost?
• Who will be doing the operation?
• What are the risks?

Any Alternatives?

Botox
An alternative to botox could be a fantastic and rejuvenating skin regime that makes your skin feel fresh and new. If you start your skin regime early enough, the benefits can be long lasting.

Liposuction/Abdominoplasty
Marks and Spencer's (and other chains) make fantastic granny pants (my official name) which tug and pull and tuck you in, in all the right places! With full body suits that even squeeze your arms to make them appear slimmer, it is a cheaper and much healthier way to look slimmer than surgery.

Breast Enlargement
Instead of having the implants inside your breasts, many bras come with gel pads to increase the appearance of cleavage and to encourage the breasts upwards in a very attractive way. Again, much cheaper than surgery and a lot less permanent.

Personally?

For me, the cost of cosmetic surgery makes it prohibitive so it’s not really an option. However, if I could afford it I would consider having my stomach, arms and thighs done. I would need more information from a doctor and would want a consultation before I seriously considered anything.

I know that my bridesmaids would be very cross at me for even considering surgery, but they’re a lot slimmer than I am!

My wedding day is the last day I would want to feel insecure about my body so I am doing my best to eat healthily and take regular exercise.

It is important to remember that whatever the benefits of cosmetic surgery, the healthiest and most beneficial way to get the body you want is to eat healthily and exercise every day. The changes to your body will last through your wedding day into the rest of your life and keep you healthy in your old age!