How Skin Type and Ethnicity Influence Plastic Surgery
How will I look after plastic surgery? This is the million-dollar question that every plastic surgery patient wants to know. While there is no way to fully predict what your results will be after a certain facial plastic surgery, there are some contributing factors that can help you set more realistic expectations.
Your age, quality of skin and the severity of your concerns are primary indicators for the outcome of your plastic surgery. However, your ethnic background should be an equally important factor. Your ethnicity largely determines your skin type, which in turn affects several characteristics of your skin that can impact your plastic surgery results.
Skin Type and Skin Thickness Influence Healing
Skin type can include more than just the color of your skin. Certain skin types and ethnicities have common traits in skin thickness, aging characteristics, healing capabilities and more. Depending on what you want to achieve, your skin type may work for you or against you. A skilled facial plastic surgeon, however, is able to create optimal results while carefully considering your ethnic background and skin type.
Skin thickness can affect how easy or difficult your skin is to lift. Skin type, however, can also have a significant impact on the way your skin scars. Your skin type can impact the darkness (or color) of your scars as well as the quality or thickness of your scars. Keep in mind that most facial plastic surgery procedures require incisions, and while the goal is to always minimize scarring, it cannot be totally eliminated. Therefore, your skin’s genetic scarring tendencies are something to keep in mind when setting your expectations for plastic surgery.
Ethnic Trends in Your Skin
There are many ethnicities and several basic skin types that all display unique tendencies in cosmetic surgery. For example, Asians show later signs of aging then Anglo-Saxons, but they tend to heal more slowly and may develop thicker scars. The longevity of your facelift or plastic surgery results may also be influenced by skin type, as Mediterranean complexions tend to retain their results longer. Finally, there may be certain facial features of your ethnic background that can make a plastic surgery procedure more or less achievable. Rhinoplasty, for instance, is a complex plastic surgery that must carefully consider ethnicity.
If you are concerned about the way your skin type or ethnic background may influence your plastic surgery results, please contact Dr. Ben Talei. He is a renowned facial plastic surgeon who has successfully worked with all ethnicities. Our clinic places strong value on having realistic expectations for any type of cosmetic procedure. We also have a full menu of services to ensure you find the right procedure for your skin type.
