The Differences Between Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Procedures

Practitioners perform cosmetic surgery to transform your body’s contour and shape. They use aesthetic procedures to enhance your natural beauty through topical treatments and injectables. Here are some of the differences between cosmetic surgery and aesthetic procedures:

Invasiveness

A cosmetic procedure involves surgery, incisions, and the use of anesthesia. Facelifts, liposuction, and breast augmentation procedures require surgeons to make incisions in skin tissues to reshape body features. Aesthetic procedures are minimally invasive, sometimes non-invasive, and include injections and minor incisions. During non-invasive aesthetic procedures, practitioners use laser treatments and chemical peels to improve your appearance.

Purpose

Professionals perform cosmetic surgery to enhance specific body features. The procedure results in long-lasting transformations that align with your specific expectations. These treatments address facial symmetry and body contouring concerns.

During aesthetic procedures, doctors address minor appearance concerns to reduce the signs of aging and enhance skin quality. They perform Botox injections to reduce skin wrinkles and use laser treatments to resolve pigmentation issues. Enhancements from these procedures are temporary, and you may need repeated sessions to maintain the results. While cosmetic surgery results in dramatic changes, aesthetic procedures help you achieve gradual improvements.

Recovery Time

A cosmetic procedure has a longer recovery time than an aesthetic procedure. Surgeries like tummy tucks and rhinoplasties involve tissue manipulation that can cause swelling and bruising. The recovery time varies depending on the surgical treatment and may impact your daily routine and mobility. Aesthetic procedures require minimal downtime for recovery. After laser skin resurfacing or dermal fillers, patients can resume normal activities within a few hours. Botox injections may cause minor swelling or redness that should subside within the same day.

Application Scope

Doctors can perform cosmetic procedures on many parts of the body. These procedures address structural changes by modifying existing tissue. Facial procedures include eyelid surgery, chin augmentation, brow lift, and ear and nose reshaping. Body procedures include breast reconstruction, liposuction, and contouring. Through aesthetic procedures, doctors can improve your appearance without altering the body’s structure. They address surface-level concerns like wrinkles and skin texture. This involves performing skin rejuvenation and facial enhancements using chemical treatments and dermal fillers.

Complexity

When performing cosmetic procedures like rhinoplasty and abdominoplasty, doctors use surgical techniques that require specialized skills. They cut through multiple layers of tissue and perform suturing and incisions. These surgical procedures can take several hours due to the complex steps involved in reshaping body parts. They also require general anesthesia to prevent patients from feeling pain during the procedure. Post-operative care for cosmetic procedures involves pain management and addressing infection or scarring.

Aesthetic procedures are less complex and do not require extensive preparation or post-operative care. Doctors perform skin treatments and injections in outpatient settings, and the procedures are completed quickly. Aesthetic procedures are simpler because they target specific aspects of the appearance instead of significant structural issues. Injection treatments like Botox relax the facial muscles, and dermal fillers restore cheek and lip volumes.

Medication

When preparing for cosmetic surgery, patients may need to discontinue certain medications. Weight loss medications, blood thinners, and psychoactive drugs can cause adverse reactions with anesthesia. To promote post-surgical recovery, doctors may prescribe painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antibiotics.

There is little or no need for general anesthesia during aesthetic procedures. Doctors use localized numbing in the treatment area during sessions to reduce patient discomfort. Specialists can also provide mild topical creams to improve comfort after an aesthetic procedure.

Learn More About Cosmetic Surgery

Doctors provide comprehensive plastic surgery services to help you achieve your desired look and correct physical irregularities. They offer tailored solutions for your face, breast, body, and skin. Contact a reputable plastic surgeon today to learn more about cosmetic surgery and aesthetic treatments.