With social distancing the new norm and so many cities on lockdown, save essential retail and services, people are spending unprecedented amounts of time at home—sequestered alone or with family, looking at a stretch of endless weeks ahead of them out of the public eye. For anyone who's maybe a little bored and thinking about utilising this time to schedule an elective treatment, plastic surgery, or any cosmetic procedure that requires downtime and recovery—stop that train of thought right there. Because even though the idea of a secret procedure and built-in stay-at-home recovery time might seem tempting, the COVID-19 crisis is no time to be putting yourself and others at risk.
While we all know that hospitals in impacted areas are packed or bracing and preparing for a potential influx of coronavirus patients, it hasn't stopped some people from inquiring.
"Early on, when we were just beginning to have more cases of COVID-19 and before most closures, patients were asking for procedures so that they could recover from home," says Dr Gary Linkov, a facial plastic surgeon based in New York City and founder of CityFacialPlastics.com. "But as the pandemic worsened, especially in New York City, the state mandated that all elective surgery stop, which made it impossible to continue offering procedures even if patients requested them."
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What to do if you already have an elective cosmetic procedure scheduled
"For people who have long-standing scheduled procedures, broadly speaking, almost all types of procedures should be postponed," says Dr Constance M Chen, a board-certified plastic surgeon and breast reconstruction specialist practicing in New York City. "There is no reason to undergo elective procedures during the coronavirus epidemic."