Avoiding Risky Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Procedures
Are you one of more than 9 million women a year in the U.S. who are contemplating cosmetic procedures? Serious surgeries like liposuction, breast surgery, and body contouring require the same meticulous surgical skills you would expect from a heart surgeon or the doctor who is setting a compound fracture. Even less complex procedures like laser hair removal or chemical peels require skilled and highly trained staff. Yet, many states allow any medical doctor to perform or supervise cosmetic procedures. Unfortunately, this lax area of legislation has led to unqualified doctors performing plastic surgery procedures with disastrous results.
A growing number of unscrupulous doctors who may also lack a plastic surgery specialty background urge patients to have even complex surgical procedures done in their office suites. While hospitals are required to follow standard practice guidelines, from using an anesthesiologist and nurse for more serious procedures, to strict medication and sanitation guidelines, an unprincipled doctor may choose risky shortcuts if he or she performs procedures in settings that are not inspected or certified.
These scenarios put the patient at increasing risk, from botched outcomes, to higher rates of infection and side effects, and even death. In just one recent example, a 51-year old woman died of a lung embolism from fatty tissue that had reached her bloodstream after buttocks augmentation surgery. A brief Google search brings up hundreds of similar stories.
“These scary examples of risk with plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures are greatly reduced if the patient chooses a board certified plastic surgeon who follows rigorous practice guidelines and has achieved very strict and high qualification standards,” says Esana’s Dr. Pan. “And just to be clear, there is no such thing as a ‘cosmetic surgeon’—any doctor, regardless of specialty, can use that term.”
If you choose a highly skilled board certified plastic surgeon who has a stellar reputation for excellent work, you will be able to enjoy the highest chances of a successful procedure rather than worrying about long-term outcomes.
