However, individuals vary greatly in their anatomy and healing ability, and there are a number of factors that may increase the risk of complications in healing. In general, a customer is considered to be a higher risk if he or she is a smoker; has a connective-tissue disease; has areas of damaged skin from radiation therapy; has decreased circulation to the surgical area; has HIV or an impaired immune system; or has poor nutrition. If you regularly take aspirin or some other medication that affects blood clotting, it's likely that you'll be asked to stop a week or two before surgery. In addition, everyone heals at a different rate and plastic surgeons cannot pinpoint an exact "back-to-normal" date following surgery. They can, however, give you a general idea of when you can expect to notice improvement. Thus, the outcome is never completely predictable.
