Cosmetic surgery has become increasingly popular and accessible in the world today. It’s easy to jump onto the bandwagon with cosmetic surgery choices aplenty and after selecting your choice of cosmetic surgery, intense research and selection of your preferred surgeon and facility, you’re all ready and set to commit to the surgery. Wait! You’ve forgotten one important thing – You! Having focused severely on all other matters pertaining to your decision on cosmetic surgery, you’ve neglected to turn your research onto another person and that is yourself. Are you ready for it? Your answer would be yes – understandably that would be your instant reaction, after all you’ve done all you can to prepare yourself for this commitment. Here’s the bombshell! Not everyone is suitable for cosmetic surgery. While your surgeon has vet your candidacy for your desired procedure, you should still take steps to determine if you should walk through the doors of that cosmetic surgery centre in the first place. Take a look at the following 5 criteria to establish if you’re an ideal candidate for cosmetic surgery:- Your Physical Health The first consideration is whether you are healthy enough to undergo the surgery. Defining healthy would mean that you do not have a weak or compromised immune system, susceptible to negative reactions to certain types of medication or anaesthetic and if you have a shaky medical history, cosmetic surgery might be risky for you. You must ensure that your cosmetic surgeon is fully informed of your medical history before your surgery. Your Emotional Preparation It is important to be emotionally healthy and prepared for the mental effects of the surgery. Many patients have been reported going through mild depression for a few days after cosmetic surgery. You must be prepared for this and know what to do if the depression does not subside. It is best that you go into surgery with a stable emotional frame of mind in your life. Sometimes people turn to cosmetic surgery thinking it will help through a difficult period in their lives, like for example, after traumatic events such as after the loss of a loved one or after a divorce. Do not make that mistake. Understanding Surgical Risks You will need to consider surgical risks even you have been cleared as physically qualified for the cosmetic surgery procedure. They are cases where fit patients develop complications after surgery such as pneumonia, blood clots, infection, scarring, mild bleeding, numbness and tingling from nerve damage, etc. You should understand that no matter what kind of surgery you are having, there are always risks involved. Openly discussing this matter with your surgeon and being completely informed on all the possible outcomes of the surgery (even negative ones) is the best and healthiest way for you to enter into this decision. Follow Your Doctor’s Orders You must be absolutely prepared to follow your doctor’s orders about what to do and what not to do during the recovery period after cosmetic surgery. Do not get back to your usual routine or over exert yourself to avoid slowing down the healing process or any other complications. Do not get upset if you’re bruised or swollen for a week or longer after surgery as healing times vary for each procedure and each patient. Only take medications or supplements prescribed by your doctor. Being Realistic About Your Goals Being realistic about your cosmetic surgery goals for your body is critical as over-expectation can lead to self-disappointment. For example, obese people undergoing weigh loss surgery will not look like a supermodel straight after the procedure. It involves many years of physical therapy, proper diet and exercise to completely achieve that goal; likewise a complete transformation may also require more surgeries. Having a realistic healthy sense of goal should be – improvement, not perfection – you want to look like yourself but you want to look better! Good To Go Having comprehensively checklist yourself on the 5 criteria above, you would be good to go for your intended cosmetic surgery. Overall, good cosmetic surgery candidates look after themselves physically and mentally, before and after surgery for optimal results. That said, compliments to you being an eligible cosmetic surgery candidate.