It is very common to try and select the best time of year for cosmetic surgery. Patients may wonder, “Is it better to have a facelift in the summer or winter?” or “Is it best to plan a breast augmentation before spring or after the kids go back to school”? The answer may be individualized, but overall, experts agree some seasonal planning for cosmetic surgery is a good idea for a variety of reasons.
Fall/Winter – The Ultimate Concealer
There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are changing color and its starting to feel like fall. The seasonal switch from the hot, sticky days of summer for many people may signal the time to think about undergoing some sort of plastic surgery. The early fall to winter season is a popular time to consider surgery, according to some experts. “I think the fall and the winter are substantially busy times for me, probably the busiest of times,” says Dr. Sean Doherty.
Doherty, a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in Boston, always plans for a fall rush. He says when cooler temperatures arrive, it’s the ideal time to consider plastic surgery. “My patients who ask for bigger procedures, like facelifts or abdominoplasty, that require some down time where they need to hide from things a bit more – those patients come to see me in the winter for that.” Doherty says bulkier clothing like sweaters and scarves can hide scars and bruising from a liposuction or tummy tuck.
Additionally, often people may have large chunks of time off during the holiday season, which is a good time to schedule major procedures like an abdominoplasty or liposuction, which require a few weeks for recovery.
Spring Prep
While the flowers bloom in early spring, so does business for most plastic surgeons. Spring is typically a very hectic time as people gear up for summer, the season when the body is on natural display the most. “The spring is crazy and it starts sometime in late spring, like March or April,” says Dr. Christine Hamori, also a board certified plastic surgeon practicing near Boston. Dr. Hamori says she is always prepared for an overflowing office by spring break with people anxious to get “summer body ready”.
“Women are thinking about wearing their bikinis and that’s when we are doing a lot of breast augmentations and planning when to do the surgery.” Experts say the best way to be ready for plastic surgery in the spring is to lose the holiday weight before you consider surgery. Spring is also a good time of year for body contouring or facial surgery.
Dog Daze of Summer
If there is an off peak season in plastic surgery, most plastic surgeons will agree it is the dog days of summer when vacations and time off are at a high. Most experts advise that during the summer it’s a good to consider non-invasive treatments like fillers or Botox that require no down-time or recovery.
Would-be patients should consider pushing off major procedures until the fall or winter; it’s no fun to sit poolside while recovering from surgery. Plastic surgeons say when the kids head back to school in late August, their calendars start to book up again. Dr. Hamori says that’s when she sees her schedule really pick up. “Usually it’s only slow a couple of weeks while the moms get kids settled with school, and then it’s busy again.”