How to keep your surgery discreet
You have done it at last! You have found and consulted with a plastic surgeon about the procedure you want and scheduled the big day. It is a decision you have made for you and you alone. Perhaps you are comfortable sharing this decision with other people in your life. Or perhaps you prefer to keep it to yourself.
There are a few advantages to letting your family, friends and co-workers know about your surgery. You can ask them for help with aftercare and tasks like cooking and driving, for instance. On the other hand, if you have reason to believe your decision to have plastic surgery will be met with negative reactions, it is certainly not necessary to tell anyone. There are several ways you can keep your surgery on a strictly need-to-know basis:
- It is fine to tell a small ‘white lie’ to protect your privacy. You don’t owe anyone the answers to prying questions!
- If you are not comfortable with this approach, you can honestly say you are having a ‘medical procedure’. This is specific enough to satisfy all but the nosiest people (we will address them in a moment), but vague enough that it gives away nothing. Women often stop men’s questions simply by explaining that they are having ‘female surgery’. (Be warned, though. This explanation may only intensify other women’s curiosity!)
- You can simply tell everyone you are going away on holiday… and why not make it true? You can stay incognito at Somerset Surgery’s Recovery Retreat until you are ready to be seen in public.
- Schedule enough time off work to allow sufficient healing before you return. Most facial procedures require shorter recovery times than body procedures, but they are also more difficult to conceal. You will have an easier time keeping your surgery secret if you are healed enough to move about comfortably. Returning to your daily activities too quickly increases the likelihood that someone will notice you have had surgery. More importantly, pushing yourself can complicate and prolong your recovery period. Be sure to give your body plenty of rest.
- Somerset Surgery offers a Rapid Healing programme that uses Omnilux light treatments. The first treatment starts at your first follow-up appointment after surgery. You will need to visit MASC Laser Clinic for eight 20-minute appointments over two weeks. The Rapid Healing programme can speed up post-surgical healing by up to 50%.
- If you have had facial surgery, you can cover discolouration or incisions with make-up you’re your surgeon approves this. Consider Lycogel foundation, available at MASC Laser Clinic. It provides good breathable coverage and contains anti-inflammatory ingredients that speed up healing and help avoid infections.
- People may notice something different about you, but not everyone thinks of plastic surgery right away. Instead they may ask, “Have you lost weight?” or “Did you change your hairstyle?” To increase this sense of distraction, use your surgery as a chance to change something else about yourself. Men might consider growing a beard and/or moustache before surgery and shaving it off after. Women should consider a new haircut or colour, new make-up or clothes. It will boost your confidence and give others something noticeable to focus on. They may sense that something else about you is different, but not quite know what it is.
- In case anyone is bold enough to ask directly whether you have had plastic surgery, be confident and neither confirm nor deny. You might simply laugh and say, “Oh, thank you for the compliment!”
We have a saying at Somerset Surgery: The best surgery is never seen. The best way to keep your surgery discrete is to keep the results natural and subtle. Make sure you and your surgeon agree on your desired outcome. Good communication between you and your surgeon is essential. Ask all the necessary questions to understand the healing process, how long it will take and when you will be comfortable to be seen in public. The best patients are informed patients.