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Is it Safe to Visit a Cosmetic Surgery Clinic for Treatment post COVID-19 Lockdown?

Apr-23-2020

As the world suffers at the hands of a pandemic, COVID-19 has affected all forms of life worldwide. Seeping across borders at an unimaginable pace, governments have been forced to section many areas of their country to go into lockdown. The massive outbreak has resulted in a halt in social and economic activity. This halt has extended to the beauty industry, causing a shutting of doors of most cosmetic surgery clinics.

What is COVID-19?

A novel coronavirus, the COVID-19 is a never-before-seen type of virus which spreads at a fast pace. Supposedly having originated at a wet market in the disease’s epicentre Wuhan, China, the virus began its spread from there and has until now been transmitted into most countries of the world.

Being a novel coronavirus, the troubling aspect of COVID-19 is the lack of vaccine or medicine to result in 100% prevention and care from the virus. While the virus does not have a very high fatality rate – it especially affects those with low immunity i.e. those already fighting a major disease, as well as the elderly.

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE CONTRACTED THE VIRUS? ALTHOUGH SYMPTOMS MAY TAKE 1-14 DAYS TO SHOW UP, MOST AFFECTED PATIENTS COMPLAIN OF HAVING FELT THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS:

• Dry Cough

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Runny Nose

• Body Pains

How does COVID-19 affect Cosmetic Surgery Clinics?

COVID-19 has affected all forms of work and life, resulting in most offices to opt for a ‘work from home’ strategy. The main problem of the virus, therefore, is the eased form of transmission. When an affected person coughs, sneezes, or has a discharge from the nose, the droplets containing the respiratory virus are spread in the air up to 1 meter around. If these droplets land on the nose, eyes, and mouth of any passersby, the individual could contract the virus.

Also Read: What Is This Cosmetic Surgery called Blepharoplasty?

The troubling element is, however, that the virus can even stay on surfaces for days on end – contaminating the surface and making it a possible mode of transmission. This directly affects Cosmetic Surgery Clinics. For example, if a patient of COVID-19 sneezes on any surface in the clinic, the surface is now affected until properly cleansed with a disinfectant. If not cleaned properly, any individual who touches the surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth with the same hand can become affected with COVID-19.

While it hasn’t been confirmed, there have been instances of COVID-19 virus staying on surfaces for very long:

Metal: 5 days

Wood: 4 days

Plastic: 2-3 days

Stainless Steel: 2-3 days

Ceramics: 5 days

Glass: Up to 5 days

Should you visit a Cosmetic Surgery Clinic for treatment post-COVID-19 lockdown?

Since most apparatus in the Cosmetic clinics is forms of steel, glass, metal, or plastic, the probability of catching the virus becomes high – especially if the right sanitation measures are not ensured. Since you can never be sure whether each surface is squeaky clean, visiting a cosmetic surgery clinic even post COVID-19 lockdown may not be a wise move.

Another element of concern is the large incubation period of 1-14 days. While the person in front of you may seem healthy, they may have contracted the virus and be unaware. Thus, whether the staff or doctor available in the clinic is perfectly healthy and not affected – is another question that might not have a sure answer.

Furthermore, the vicinity of the clinic is also of major concern. The only way to prevent contracting the virus is via social distancing (3-6 meters) from all affected. There are many such clinics located within major hospitals or within walking distance – thus making them high-risk areas of contracting the virus.

The government has closed most cosmetic surgery clinics during the lockdown because:

1. Most services offered by such clinics are non-essential, and thus pose an unneeded risk to the health of multitudes of people.

2. The space has been taken over by many hospitals to provide make-shift ICU beds to patients.

3. The doctors of such clinics have responded by fulfilling their civic duty in such times, instead of continuing to offer non-essential services such as most cosmetic surgeries.

Therefore, closing of the cosmetic surgery clinics has been a wise move to flatten the curve. Even after the lockdown, any time of medical clinics are not safe enough for a non-essential treatment visit (especially if it had makeshift ICU beds for COVID-19 patients earlier).

If, however, your visit is absolutely essential, try

• Facetiming the doctor for prescription of any medication

• Making an appointment at a safe, sanitized, cosmetic clinic via maintaining all requirements of prevention from the virus.

• Await for guidelines from CDC regarding safety of resuming elective cosmetic surgeries.