Safety issues with cosmetic surgery

When the procedure is done in a doctor's office/non-hospital setting

You might have come across stories of plastic surgery nightmares in the media, particularly what was described as lipo-tourism gone bad. While most stories come from overseas clinics, believe it or not, many are from right here in the good old USA. So what went wrong that these patients had such horrible experiences when over 99% of the cases go just fine? They did not do their homework. While using titles like “doctor” or “board certified” might sound impressive, if you want you can add them too after your name and no one will bother you (please do not do it though - it is illegal). We simply do not have a good enforcement system to find out who is genuine and who is a crook, especially in the world of plastic surgery, where most of the procedures are done in a doctor’s office or in a clinic. Samantha Harris, a correspondent with E! News, recently examined cases of five women who went under the knife but got bad results because they did not research their surgeons well prior to surgery.  According to a report by Natasha Singer in the New York Times, South Florida has become the capital of black-market beauty treatments in the US. Miami's proximity to Central America and South America, along with a huge immigrant population and a party scene that caters to sculptured models and bodybuilders make it an ideal hothouse for bootleg procedures, Spencer Marc Aronfeld, a lawyer in Coral Gables is quoted as saying. He is reportedly suing unlicensed plastic surgeons on behalf of clients who have been hurt by plastic surgery procedures done by unqualified people.  (Related:  How to search for a plastic surgeon)

Since safety and good results are in the best interests of both doctors and patients, industry associations are working hard to make sure that only qualified professionals perform surgery that they are trained to do. Distinguished New York City plastic surgeon Dr. William Rosenblatt is on the forefront of the movement to protect patients undergoing outpatient surgeries performed in physician’s offices and other non-hospital settings, and was recently appointed by the New York State Department of Health to a committee exploring such issues.  He is diligently working to educate the public about ways that they can ensure that their surgeries are performed as safely as possible and that their physician is held accountable to specific safety protocols.

• How is the quality of the monitoring equipment?
• What kinds of safety backups are in place?  (Related:  Plastic surgery safety checklist)
• Is the medical team prepared for any emergency or complication that might happen during and/or after surgery? 
• Does the physician enjoy hospital privileges, indicating a history of medical competence?
• Will the procedure be performed by a board certified plastic surgeon or a technician?

Offshore plastic surgery     Board certified plastic surgeon   Myths about plastic surgery