When you begin your plastic surgery and cosmetic treatment search and look for different options to feel your best, you may come across the terms invasive and non-invasive. These terms help people understand what type of surgery will be performed, how major the surgery is, as well as the recovery time.
Before you decide on your procedure, make sure you understand what each of these terms means, as well as what it could mean for your specific situation.
What is Invasive Plastic Surgery?
Understanding the invasive procedure meaning is crucial for anyone considering surgery. The definition of invasive surgery involves breaking the skin during the procedure. This could be small cuts or larger ones that require more stitches. Invasive surgeries will most often leave a scar since the skin is broken at the procedure’s entrance point. Keep in mind that even through scarring will occur, plastic surgeons do their best to reduce scarring, and if possible, make the incisions in inconspicuous areas of the body.
You might be wondering why someone would want to undergo invasive surgery when it leaves scarring, but there are a lot of benefits of invasive surgeries. In most cases, invasive surgeries will last longer, and the results are more noticeable. The results can also be felt or seen more immediately than non-invasive.
One thing to think about before deciding on invasive plastic surgery is the cost and recovery time. While the results with invasive surgery may be better, the cost will most likely be higher due to the skill it takes, and the fact that most invasive surgeries require local or general anesthesia. And for recovery time, invasive surgeries usually require an extended recovery period and restrictions on certain activities.
Types of Invasive Plastic Surgery
What are Non-Invasive Cosmetic Treatments?
Now that we know what invasive plastic surgery requires breaking of the skin, non invasive treatments means that the procedure doesn’t require the doctor to break skin. These procedures don’t require an incision and are normally smaller procedures than invasive. Non-invasive has been a hit with a lot of people because it doesn’t cause scarring on the skin, and the recovery time for non-invasive isn’t as long.
Even though invasive surgeries may provide quicker results, non invasive procedures, technology, and medicine have come a long way, and the results can be very similar. Even if you are happy with the results of your non-invasive procedure, there may come a time where the effects wear off and you have to receive more treatments as time goes on.
Types of Non-Invasive Cosmetic Surgery Procedures
- Chemical Peels
- Injectables (like Botox)
- Laser Skin Resurfacing
- Different Skin Care Treatments
Minimally Invasive Surgery
There is a third surgery type called minimally invasive, also known as less invasive. Minimally invasive procedures typically involve making small incisions in the skin. These procedures offer advantages such as shorter recovery times, reduced scarring, and lower overall risks compared to traditional invasive surgeries. For instance, liposuction is a minimally invasive approach, utilizing small incisions to achieve effective results with minimal disruption.
Should I Go with a Non-Invasive or Invasive Procedure?
Choosing what type of procedure, invasive or non-invasive, really depends on what you are looking to have done. For something like a breast surgery, there may not be a non-invasive opportunity, leaving you only with the invasive surgery option. But if you want to feel refreshed and turn back some signs of aging, there are both invasive and non invasive opportunities for you. To better understand what type of procedure you will be looking at, discuss your goals with one of our medical professionals who can help determine what path is best for you.
