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The Shelf Life of Plastic Surgery

Why your first procedure might not be your last: The plastic surgeries that might require a "tune-up"
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Breast Augmentation
Breast augmentation takes the cake for the No. 1 revised surgery, according to Geldner.

However, it isn't because of leaking implants or boob jobs gone wrong that women get an update. Geldner says it's because many patients decide that bigger is better.

"If you take that [factor] out, replacement isn't that common," he says.

But statistics suggest otherwise. The FDA reported in 2011 that between 20 to 40 percent of women who get implants will have a second surgery, either to remove or replace them -- within 10 years. The good news? Most implants come with a lifetime warranty. The bad news? The warranty doesn't actually cover the price of the operation, just the implant itself (which can cost anywhere from $300 for saline to $1,700 for "gummy bear" implants).

If your implant springs a leak or otherwise causes an issue in under ten years, the implant company will help offset some of the operation cost, but not much. Allergan, for example, only covers $1,200 to $2,400, depending on the warranty purchased. That means the rest is an entirely out-of-pocket expense. Translation? Don't be surprised if your initial $10,000 breast augmentation requires another $10,000 (or more --thanks, inflation) tune-up ten-plus years later.

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Nose Job
Nose jobs are the second-most common plastic surgery re-do. Structural changes to a nose job last forever (though it takes about four years for the nose to assume its permanent shape). So, why the multiple schnozz surgeries?

Most patients aren't getting revisionary surgery because their nose job "expired," but because it wasn't done right the first time. A nose job done correctly shouldn't need revisions, according to Geldner. Texas plastic surgeon Tod J. Rohrich, M.D., says that 50 percent of the rhinoplasty patients he sees come to him to fix a previous surgery.

The exception? Once you hit retiree status, your nose begins to grow again at a different rate -- which is probably why you think everyone born in the 1930s had a big nose. Someone who got a nose job earlier in their life might get a second nose job to correct a saggy or droopy nose.

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Facelift
A good facelift might take care of some unwanted wrinkles and sags, but it won't stop you from continuing to age, says Geldner. This might sound obvious, but it's a fact that Geldner says some patients overlook. "If we were made of fiberglass and could spray-paint ourselves, there'd be no need for a revision," says Geldner. But most patients will call on their plastic surgeon for a tweak in about 10 years.

Of course, some may find that they're happy with how their initial surgery has set their face up to age.

Good genes and firm, healthy skin will help you get the most out of your procedure, but the biggest factor is the procedure itself.

"I can find you a place that does a facelift for $4,000 and a place that does it for $60,000. They're both called a facelift, but it's not the same facelift," says Geldner.

Thread lifts will last mere months; mini-face lifts, roughly two to five years; and full facelifts that involve the serious rearrangement of facial tissue will last about a decade.

Tune-ups cost about the same amount as the first procedure, though Geldner says if it's a repeat patient, he generally won't charge as much.

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Tummy Tuck
How long can you expect your newly taut tummy to last? In theory: Forever. Of course, it all depends on what you do after the surgery, says Geldner. "If the patient gains a lot of weight, all bets are off," he says.

How much is a lot? Anything more than about 20 percent of your weight.

That goes for pregnancy, too. Have a baby after abdominoplasty, and chances are good that you'll lose your teeny tiny middle. While that might sound a little obvious, Geldner says a pregnancy isn't always a deal-breaker. "I've had pregnant patients come back [after having their baby] and they still look good." Still, doctors recommend waiting until your family is complete before getting the procedure.

Usually, it's not possible to perform a second tummy tuck, since there isn't enough loose skin. But if the patient loses a significant amount of weight (we're talking "Biggest Loser" proportions), a second tummy tuck can tighten things up again.

In short: Once you splurge on your $12,000 (give or take) tummy tuck, you should be careful with your weight. If the scale ticks up more than 20 pounds, it could cost you another $12,000 to get your flat tummy back.

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Liposuction
Once you have a fat cell, it's with you for life. You can shrink it to miniscule proportions, but it will never die. That's where lipo comes in. Suck it out via vacuum and it's gone forever -- or is it?

Enter the "fat comes back" theory. A study led by the University of Colorado separated 32 obese women into two different groups: One had liposuction in problem areas and the other didn't. A year later, the lipo'd group had gained their weight back, leading researchers to believe that the body strives to maintain a certain fat percentage. Two years after those findings were released, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons conducted a similar study that concluded (shocker alert) that liposuctioned fat doesn't return.

However, according to Geldner, if liposuction is done correctly, even if you do gain the weight back, you'll still have a better shape than you did pre-surgery. He performs hi-definition liposuction, which basically creates the appearance of a slender figure -- yes, we're talking about instant abs, people. Does this mean you'll add poundage to other areas of the body? Maybe.

"If you do gain weight after, you'll get fat in other areas," says Geldner. "I had a patient who was fit, but she didn't have a good shape. I did the operation, and months later she had gained all the weight back. But this time, she had a much better shape," he recalls.

One woman who received liposuction in her 20s experienced the same thing. "I got liposuction for a 'problem' area I had around my stomach. No matter how often I worked out I couldn't get rid of it. I noticed after [I got it] that my hips got a lot curvier," she says.

Generally, if the fat does make a return, it's distributed evenly across your body, but not in the area it was sucked out of. In fact, getting liposuction in the same place twice isn't recommended; it creates scar tissue that may make the surface of your skin bumpy. Summed up: Lipo is forever, but that doesn't mean you won't gain weight in other areas.

Plastic surgery isn't exactly a small undertaking. Unlike Botox, which fades over time, plastic surgery is considered permanent. It's a once-and-you're-done procedure -- a smart long-term investment, which is why those of us willing to go under the knife will swallow the hefty price tag. But, as it turns out, a nip and tuck meant to erase the hands of time can defy age for only so long. And, often, patients who thought their first procedure would be their last find themselves shelling out for a tune-up. According to Chicago board-certified plastic surgeon Peter Geldner, M.D., so-called plastic surgery revisions may be inevitable -- because no one, not even your surgeon, can say whether your procedure will stand the test of time. "You cannot predict what will happen. We take you as you are now, and we change you as you are now," says Geldner.

Here, the shelf life of the most common plastic surgery procedures.
BY EMILY WOODRUFF | MAY 13, 2014 | SHARES
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