Ready or not, the holiday season is right around the corner. You may already have decided a cosmetic procedure is an excellent gift for the hard-to-shop-for person on your list. While we agree that a procedure such as a brow lift or blepharoplasty surgery can excite many gift recipients, you should keep some considerations in mind before putting facial rejuvenation in your loved one’s stocking. Here are our top tips for outdoing Santa himself this year.

1. Don’t schedule a procedure for someone else without their consent.

As much as you might want to increase excitement around your gift by keeping it a surprise, arranging a surgical or non-surgical treatment in secret could backfire on you. For example, recovering from some surgeries takes time, and perhaps your loved one can’t commit to that because of work or family responsibilities. Or, maybe your gift recipient has something in their health history that disqualifies them as a candidate for the procedure you wanted to give.

For any successful cosmetic treatment, your loved one should meet in person for a consultation with a board-certified cosmetic surgeon of their choice. Doing so will enable them to ask any questions they have and get their concerns addressed, and they will also be able to meet the doctor and get a sense of whether the medical team’s personality and aesthetic philosophy aligns with theirs. Instead of choosing a procedure on someone’s behalf, set up the consultation and promise to pay for the surgery or non-surgical treatment, if both the patient and the physician agree it is appropriate.

2. Don’t gift a procedure to someone who has never expressed interest in facial rejuvenation.

Changing any aspect of your appearance, no matter how minor it might seem to you, is an intensely personal decision. Unless someone you care about has explicitly mentioned wanting to get a specific procedure, don’t take it for granted that it’s something they’re interested in.

For instance, perhaps you assume your mom would enjoy getting dermal fillers to minimize the parentheses lines surrounding her mouth, but she has always been fond of her smile lines because she thinks they give her face character. Or, maybe you think your brother would benefit from a facelift, but he’s hesitant to be anesthetized.

As much fun as it usually is to spring a holiday gift on someone who is in the dark about what you’re planning to give them, cosmetic procedures typically don’t make a good surprise. Even when you have good intentions, you could make your loved one feel more self-conscious about their appearance by pointing out imperfections or suggesting they should want to look younger. On the other hand, if your loved one already gets treatments such as Botox® injections, the gift of their next touch-up appointment can be a welcome surprise to find in their holiday stocking.

3. Emphasize that you love them the way they are. 

Even well-thought-out presents can go astray if your recipient misconstrues your motivation. If you’re gifting a facial rejuvenation procedure, especially to a spouse, you could say, “I love you no matter what, but if you’re dreaming of this procedure, I’ll be happy to pay for it.”

4. Don’t forget to be there for them after the procedure.

The gift of plastic surgery should include supporting your loved one’s recovery process. Here are some ideas for doing so:

• If you’re giving a surgery such as a facelift or eyelid lift, volunteer to drive them home after surgery and stay with them for the first few hours afterward. 
• Help ensure they follow their post-procedure care instructions diligently. 
• If they have young children, offer to provide childcare while they rest. 
• If they opted to get an eyelid lift, their eyes will tire easily, and they’ll need to avoid visual activities like reading or watching TV. To provide entertainment while they recover, you could provide them with plenty of audiobooks, music, or podcasts.

An Oh-So-Merry Holiday 

The holiday season has become an increasingly trendy time of year to get cosmetic procedures. Many people are already planning to take time off from work anyway, so they may have a built-in recovery period. The shorter days of winter are also the best time to get treatments such as laser skin resurfacing, since successful post-procedure care includes avoiding exposure to sunlight.

Gifting facial rejuvenation can help get your loved one ready to start off the new year on the right foot. Call us to learn more about our top procedures and find out how to give your loved one a gift they’ll be excited to receive.