Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Skin Restoration and Laser Institute

Are you considering a facelift, tummy tuck, or another plastic surgery procedure? Many of Dr. G.D. Castillo’s patients in both his Champaign cosmetic surgery practices will often ask if there is a better time of the year is to have the particular surgery they are considering. Truthfully, most surgeries can be performed anytime of the year but each season does lend itself to certain advantages. Hopefully this blog post will give you some points to consider when choosing the best time for you and your lifestyle.

FALL:

Fall is known to be a time for change. The leaves change, colors change, temperatures change, daylight hours change, so why not make some changes of your own?

There are many advantages to having surgery during this time of year. The kids are back in school. Busy summer schedules and beach days have come to an end (at least here in the Midwest) and life is starting to get back into a more consistent routine after summer. The holidays are coming up and with a little planning you can have surgery and be healed with no remaining telltale signs all before your first holiday get-together.

There are also a few long holiday weekends like Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. This is a good time to have body contouring with liposculpture or even neck liposcultpure. Breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, and even mini-facelift procedures are possibilities over long weekends. It is usually cool enough to camouflage yourself with an over-sized shirts, turtlenecks or scarves.

The only real disadvantage to having plastic surgery this time of year is that you are heading into the holiday season. It you have a lot of pre-holiday prep work or demands, it might be more challenging.

WINTER:

Winter is typically a very popular time to have surgery and for good reason; it is generally a slower, more laid back time. You can extend time off from work by adding vacation days to the beginning or end of holiday time. For this reason, it’s an ideal time to have surgeries that take more than a long weekend to be presentable, like a facelift, forehead lift, eyelid surgery, fat transplant or rhinoplasty.

It is easier to hide out for a few days without friends and family getting suspicious of your absence. It’s a common time to be stuck at home with “the flu or a cold” for a few days. Since no one wants your flu or a cold, they are likely to stay away. 😉

Winter wardrobes make it easy to conceal post-surgical swelling and bruising of the face or body. Scarves, turtlenecks and cute winter hats make it easy to hide the signs of a recent facelift or forehead lift. Big, comfy sweaters can hide slower movements that are necessary just after breast surgeries, tummy tucks, and body contouring. Since you will need to avoid sun exposure after surgeries like laser resurfacing, winter is also the easiest time to stay out of the sun.

I cannot really think of any disadvantages of having surgery in the winter, though winter sometimes creates procrastination and before you know it, it’s spring and you’re suddenly in a time crunch to meet your cosmetic goals.

SPRING:

Spring is probably the most motivating season. It’s a very popular season for scheduling liposuction, tummy tucks, breast surgery and mommy makeovers. Patients are looking ahead to late spring and summer and want to get their body in check before heading to the beach, going to class reunions, weddings, vacations, or just having less clothing to conceal their areas of concern. It is also a great time for those who couldn’t fit a facelift, brow lift, rhinoplasty into their winter schedule because you can still conceal with a big spring hat, scarf and sunglasses for the first few days if you have bruising or swelling to cover.

SUMMER:

Summer can be a more challenging time to have certain cosmetic surgery procedures, as it is more difficult to avoid sun exposure to lasered skin or new, exposed incisions. If you are a gardener, a golfer or work outside, summer may not be the best season to have laser surgery. Most surgeries will impinge on your summer activities, at least to some extent.

However, if your daily summer lifestyle doesn’t include spending lots of time outside and you are accustomed to protecting your skin from the sun depending on your lifestyle, if you’re someone who already restricts the amount of sun exposure you get, or if you are willing restrict the time you spend outside for awhile, it can be a good option.

If you have kids at home, summer is a good time to send them off to Grandma’s house or summer camp for a fun-filled week while you concentrate on your recovery. By the time they return, they will be none-the-wiser. Since most people are pretty busy during the summer months, it won’t be too suspicious if you disappear from your social scene for a week.

Procedures like breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, eyelid surgery and tummy tuck procedures are good summer surgery choices. If summer is not a good time for surgery but you want a more youthful look for all your summer events, consider BOTOX Cosmetic or dermal filler treatments, or facials and skincare to keep yourself looking fresh until fall.

I think James Taylor said it best when he sang “Winter, spring, summer, or fall…all you’ve got to do is call…”

Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

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