Does your skin type affect cosmetic surgery results?

Cosmetic surgery is becoming more and more common in the UK, with a wide range of people opting to have surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments every day. The misconception that the cosmetic surgery industry is just about vanity is slowly shifting with many people choosing to have cosmetic surgery for medical reasons, as well as personal factors. Cosmetic surgery procedures can provide many people with a renewed confidence in themselves and an improved quality of life overall.

However, cosmetic surgery is a decision not to be considered lightly. On the contrary, it’s a life changing decision and whether patients are having a surgical or non-surgical procedure, they should always have the peace of mind that they are aware of all the possible side effects and risks that may occur.

Experience matters when treating a variety of ethnicities, skin types and skin tones

At Cosmetic Surgery Partners London clinic, we want all our patients to enter their decision with all the facts in place and to feel completely confident that they are receiving the best possible treatment for their elected procedure by fully qualified and highly-skilled professionals.

Our team of cosmetic surgeons have been working in the cosmetic surgery industry and have over thirty years of successful operating experience. They are incredibly knowledgeable in their field, working with a wide variety of skin types and ethnicities. It is this level of knowledge that allows us to provide an excellent level of service, a comprehensive understanding of our patients’ needs and great results no matter who walks through our doors.

When it comes to cosmetic surgery procedures, there are various factors that may have a significant outcome on the end result. For example, each individual patient will have a unique skin type or tone that may respond better or worse to certain procedures. This is true for both surgical and non-surgical procedures so it’s important to bear this in mind when considering your options.

Laser skin resurfacing

Treatments such as laser skin resurfacing, which is used to minimise the appearance of scar tissue or wrinkles, can have varying results depending on the skin tone and type. Certain skin types are more prone to scarring, so the use of such a treatment might actually worsen the existing condition. This type of treatment tends to work better on lighter skin tones, as darker skin is at a higher risk of permanent skin discolouration.

Laser hair removal

Treatments such as laser hair removal also have varying success rates depending on skin type and ethnicity. This type of hair removal treatment works best on coarse, dark hair on lighter skin, whereas fine hair or light-coloured, red, grey or white hair have a far lower success rate for removal. Furthermore, the ethnicity of a patient can also affect the success of the hair removal. Darker skinned patients with black hair will require a different level of treatment with a longer tipped laser to remove the hair more effectively and may also require more treatments before they get to their final goal.

Other non-surgical procedures

Other non-surgical treatments that use different strengths of chemicals on the skin will also inevitably yield different results for each patient. Procedures such as the ‘chemical peel’ have been known to work best for patients with light skin and hair. That isn’t to say that darker skin toned patients haven’t also seen success but again, there are varying levels of treatment that would be applied depending on your skin type and pigmentation.

Other uses of chemicals such as Botox and collagen fillers can also cause allergic reactions depending on skin type, ranging from swelling to redness and in some cases, permanent nerve damage if they aren’t inserted correctly or applied by a qualified plastic surgeon.

Surgical differences

To continue, those who are opting for surgical treatments like liposuction or breast augmentation may find varying effects. Naturally, these types of cosmetic surgery procedures come with higher risks, as they involve major surgery and put a higher level of stress on the body. However, these treatments are also subject to changeable side effects depending on the patient’s skin type and ethnicity.

In surgical procedures there are more chemicals used from anaesthetic to sterilising solutions, which can cause stronger reactions or side effects with different people depending on their skin type. In addition to this, different skin tones and pigmentations have variable healing properties. For example, on darker skin, scars from surgery can look more pronounced in colour, whereas lighter skin may show less scarring over time. Also, skin types that are more elastic and buoyant will tend to fair better with surgical procedures than delicate or sensitive skin.

The importance of choosing the right treatment for your skin type

Skin tone alone is just one very important reason to treat each case and patient individually, as each person has unique skin tone and type that can react differently to others. If you’re considering having cosmetic surgery of any kind, you should always make sure that your consultant carries out a full assessment of your skin type, pigmentation and any existing medical conditions that may affect the result of the treatment or cause unnecessary side effects.

All of our surgeons and technicians are fully qualified and experienced in dealing with a wide range of skin types, ethnicities and sensitivities, so you can be sure that you’re in capable hands. We assess our patients as individuals to ensure the treatment they receive at our clinics is going to have the right effect on their skin and give them the best results that they can hope for.

We know that undertaking cosmetic surgery, whether it’s a breast augmentation or rhinoplasty, is a big step to making you feel confident in yourself. We always strive to give our patient’s peace of mind, confidence in our surgeons, and a high level of service every step of the way.

If you would like to know more about any one of our cosmetic surgery procedures or non-surgical treatments, or you would like to book a consultation at one of our London clinics, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our friendly and experienced staff are also able to be reached by phone on 020 7486 6778 and should it be an issue we can even arrange for you to have your consultation remotely from the comfort of your own home or office with our virtual consultation service.