Recovery time from surgery is normally one to two weeks, depending on the extent of the surgery performed.  Other factors to consider are the type of work that you do and how tolerant you are to swelling and bruising.  Most patients have sutures removed after one week and are ready to resume normal activities.

Any incisional surgery will leave scars.  To ensure that scarring is kept to a minimum, incision placement is as inconspicuous as allowable.  Once you have healed, scars are generally not visible.  Make-up will help diminish any remaining pinkness of skin when you return to work.  There are some newer minimally invasive surgical techniques performed endoscopically (through small incisions) that may be an option for you.  During your consultation with Dr Reed these options can be discussed.

It's hard to predict how long your cosmetic surgery's effect will last, because it depends on so many variables.  First, it depends on what type of surgery you have.  If you have surgery to change basic facial features, such as nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), chin or cheek implants, the effects are permanent because the changes are structural.  If you have surgery to decrease the effects of aging, such as a facelift or eyelid surgery, the surgical results' longevity will depend on factors such as genetics, sun exposure, weight gain or loss, and whether or not you smoked in the past or present.  Patients will always look younger, surgery in essence "turns back the clock".  However you will continue to age, but the changes we make with surgery have a lasting effect.  If you have a facelift, you can expect the results to last for seven to ten years.  If you undergo a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), you can expect the effects to last for eight to ten years, in most instances.

Not only is this possible, this is the desired goal of most procedures performed by Dr Reed.  Unfortunately, there are many people who have undergone cosmetic procedures who now have obvious changes to their appearance that make them look unnatural.  While this may be desireable for certain individuals, most people would prefer that the improvements gained by facial cosmetic procedures be subtle and harmonious.  Most individuals do not want to have facial features that make it obvious they have had cosmetic procedures.  Dr Reed believes that surgery should not be "overdone" so that the changes in appearance are improvements that look like they belong to the patient.  Dr. Reed achieves this goal through careful analysis of each patient's unique physical features and a conservative and meticulous surgical approach.

With recent advances in anesthesia, operating room monitoring, and pre-operative testing, the risks of surgery have become considerably smaller.  Although complications are infrequent, all surgeries have some degree of risk.  These include numbness, hematoma, infection and abnormal scarring.  The least serious problems occur more often and the more serious problems occur rarely.  Most complications involve an extension of the recovery period rather than any permanent effect on your final result.