Chose your Cosmetic surgeon wisely
I was recently interviewed by KSAT12 in San Antonio about the dangers of illegal, black market silicone butt-pumping injections. I suppose this is because there have recently been several arrests of women who were guilty of performing dangerous injections using industrial grade silicone in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
A young lady died as a direct result of these illegal silicone injections and others were disfigured. I have successfully helped many victims by removing the offending industrial grade silicone and still was able to maintain a normal appearing butt.
http://www.ksat.com/content/pns/ksat/news/2015/02/06/cosmetic-surgeon–black-market-silicone-shots-put-lives-at-risk.html
An important component of the interview is that silicone injections are NOT cosmetic surgery. Non-physicians in beauty salons and hotel rooms provided these illegal silicone injections. These people are criminals, not doctors.
There seems to be a lot of misinformation on the Internet and in the media confusing silicone injections as “cosmetic surgery” performed by “non-certified plastic surgeons” (See links below). I believe that this misinformation is due, in large part, to an advertising campaign sponsored by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) against the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. (ABCS)
http://time.com/3687030/andressa-urach-tv-stars-plastic-surgery-disaster-tests-brazil/
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/01/05/botched-breast-enhancement-performed-by-non-certified-plastic-surgeons-leads/
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has recently launched an educational advertising campaign called “Do your homework,” to remind patients how important it is to properly research the training and credentials of a surgeon before undergoing any cosmetic surgical procedures. We all think is a good thing. However, the hidden agenda in their messaging strategy is to make it sound like you need to be careful if using a cosmetic surgeon. A Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon, Certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery is a licensed physician that must also be board certified in another medical specialty and have completed extensive cosmetic surgery training before that physician can apply to sit for an extensive examination to obtain board certification from the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery.
Example, I’m a board certified cosmetic surgeon, board certified surgeon, fellowship trained cardiothoracic surgeon, and fellowship trained general plastic surgeon. I studied cosmetic surgery under some the best surgeons in the nation before opening my own practice.
Sadly, however, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons continue to take a very negative approach and use scare tactics to imply that only board certified general plastic surgeons are properly qualified to safely perform cosmetic surgery or aesthetic plastic surgery. Shame on them.
As part of their campaign, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons also recently published a negative advertisement against the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. For more details visit the ABCS website. www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/newbeauty-open-letter
Board certification is extremely important, but board certification in general plastic surgery does not ensure expertise in aesthetic plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, or cosmetic surgery. Board certification in general plastic surgery merely provides a basic foundation of surgical knowledge upon which further advanced training in a yearlong aesthetic plastic surgery or a cosmetic surgery fellowship can build expertise.
Visit my Revision Breast Augmentation webpage to watch the Fox News interview and meet Kristina, an intelligent young lady, who thought she had done her “homework”. She selected a board-certified general plastic surgeon for her breast augmentation procedure and she suffered a horrible complication (symmastia, also known as “uniboob”) that results directly from poor surgical technique.
What makes board certification in cosmetic surgery so unique is it ensures that your surgeon has completed American Board of Medical Specialties core surgical specialty requirements (such as general plastic surgery, general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, or otolaryngology), but also dedicated an additional full year of advanced specialty training in cosmetic surgery.
Perhaps more importantly, make sure that your surgeon has experience and positive outcomes in the specific procedure you are seeking. This can be accomplished by looking at their before and after results of the procedure you are considering. Also, inquire as to when the photos were taken so that you can get an idea of that surgeon’s recent work.
Cosmetic surgery is difficult to characterize, and difficult for patients to visualize without having the opportunity to speak directly with the surgeon about their specific case. Every case is unique. Meet with your surgeon, research your surgeon, and ask pointed questions about your surgeon’s expertise in the procedure you are considering.
By: Dr. Filiberto Rodriguez, Board-Certified Cosmetic Surgeon
