Downtime vs. Results

Although outpatient cosmetic surgery has become more responsive to today’s busy lifestyles, a general rule of thumb is that results are proportional to downtime. Typically, the longer it takes to heal, the more profound and lasting is the improvement.

Why is this?

Much of the desired improvements in texture and tone are caused by collagen remodeling in skin tissue. Therefore, the greater controlled insult to the targeted tissue yields greater collagen formation. Milder methods, like microdermabrasion, mild chemical peels, non-ablative laser, ultrasound, and radion frequency devices, have quick recoveries but only incremental or temporary effects. More aggressive procedures which generate considerable amounts of collagen, such as ablative resurfacing lasers (e.g. CO2), medium-depth peels, Smartlipo™, and Cellulaze™, require longer recovery but produce results much more striking and lasting.*

Yet, there are always exceptions. Facial injectables such as fillers and neuromodulators require no downtime, and younger-looking, smoother skin is usually the quick and noticeable result.*

When contemplating an outpatient cosmetic procedure, make sure you are an appropriate candidate, consider the downtime, and evaluate what type of results you desire.

Robert Benson, MD
American Board Certified Dermatologist
Dermatological Surgeon and Cosmetic Surgeon