Will Summer Plastic Surgery, Especially Facial Contouring Surgery, Be Affected by the Season?

Hello, I’m Dr. Jo Hyun-woo of 입체성형외과.

Today, I’d like to talk about a simple question: Is there a season when facial contouring surgery is performed most often?

I’ve now been a plastic surgeon for 20 years, and based on the patients I’ve seen since 2005, contouring surgery seems to be performed most often in winter.

Why is that?

In summer, many people have more free time because of school breaks or vacations, so they prepare for plastic surgery.

However, some people feel anxious about surgery in the hot and humid summer, worrying that the recovery period may take longer.

This is because they worry that if sweat gets on the surgical area, the wound may not heal well and the risk of inflammation or infection may be higher.

Even in summer, in today’s environment in Korea, patients recover while enjoying cool air conditioning, so it can be said that contouring surgery is not affected by the season.

In fact, problems caused by the weather are rare.

After contouring surgery, antibiotics are taken to prevent inflammation and infection, and because the procedure is performed through an incision inside the mouth, the chance of inflammation caused by humid weather or sweat is low.

If you quit smoking and drinking after surgery and keep the inside of your mouth clean by consistently gargling, there is little relation between humid weather or sweat and inflammation.

Therefore, rather than seasonal factors, if you follow the basic precautions for recovery well and manage yourself properly after surgery, there should not be any major side effects.

A common misconception is that hot weather prevents swelling from going down and makes recovery take longer.

For the first 2 to 3 days after surgery, cold compresses are needed, so it may seem that lower temperatures are necessary to reduce swelling. However, when the temperature is high, blood circulation in the body improves and metabolism becomes more active, which can help reduce swelling after surgery.

When going বাইরে, be sure to wear sunglasses and a hat. Even if the major swelling and bruising have gone down, minor swelling may remain, so you should be careful with summer water activities until the tissue has fully stabilized.

It does seem that the timing people most often choose differs by type of plastic surgery.

For eye and nose surgery, it seems to be performed frequently throughout all four seasons, breast surgery is often done in spring before summer arrives, and contouring surgery seems to be most common in winter.

Above all, because the patient’s current health condition, including immunity, plays an important role in preventing infection and in recovery speed, it can be reassuring to check your physical condition before surgery and proceed after discussing the timing and method of surgery.

6 weeks after 230° 3D cheekbone reduction surgery

6 weeks after square jaw surgery and chin surgery

In conclusion, there is no need to schedule contouring surgery specifically for a certain season.

It is not the case that you must have it in winter for inflammation not to occur and for recovery to be fast. If you have sufficiently understood contouring surgery, it would be best to proceed when you have time.

Today, we briefly looked at facial contouring surgery and the effect of the seasons.

I’ll come back with another good topic. Thank you.