What You Should Know about Cosmetic Surgery

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“Board Certified” Isn’t Enough  
A surgical dentist, without a medical doctor degree or further training, can legally claim to be “board certified and perform face lifts, nose reshaping, eyelid, brow, and neck lifts in fifteen states.  Less than one third of the physicians listed in certain phonebooks and print publications meet BI’s standards, and many aren’t even close. For legal purposes, we readily admit there may be some excellent doctors and dentists who practice cosmetic surgery without being an ABPS diplomate, but we feel it is important to know the distinction as the ultimate decision is yours. 

Only One Board Is Recognized By the ABMS With Plastic Surgery In Its Name
There are twenty-four medical specialty boards recognized by American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is the only board on the list that specifically contains “Plastic Surgery” in its name.  My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor, Inc. goes further than just checking the surgeon’s for board credentials, it does a thorough review of each surgeon and identifies many other important factors.  It is extremely important to note that once a surgeon becomes an ABPS diplomate, his recognition is very, very, very difficult to lose.  For example, an ABPS diplomate surgeon may have multiple disciplinary actions, including a medical license suspension related to patient deaths or multiple malpractice lawsuits, yet retain their ABPS certification.  My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor reviewing goes far beyond just credentials.  We perform ongoing criminal and civil background checks on every plastic surgeon.  We check for DUI convictions, and we check medical license status.  And we study their skills and consider their reputation among colleagues through peer reviews by fellow ABPS plastic surgeons.

Many Insurance Policies Do Not Cover Complications Arising from Elective Cosmetic Surgery
That’s right—Believe it or not, in many cases, your health insurer will not cover any complications arising from your elective plastic surgery procedure.  Therefore, it is essential that you select your plastic surgeon carefully.  All the surgeons reviewed and recommended by My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor have a submitted to a Practice Malpractice Audit.  And, as we believe our surgeons possess superior skills, experience, and dedication to safety, we encourage you to compare the records and reputation of the surgeons we recommend with other surgeons in your community.

Practice Malpractice Audit
All surgeons recommended by My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor have had their malpractice lawsuit record checked.  This is our Practice Malpractice Audit policy. 

Have you checked your “plastic surgeon’s” malpractice record?  Researching your surgeon’s records is time consuming and difficult, and asking your surgeon about their malpractice record can be very uncomfortable. What if your surgeon were to say, “If you have been practicing as many years as I have, it is normal for a few lawsuits,” “The lawyers name everyone in a lawsuit if anything goes wrong,” or “I have no more than the average cosmetic/plastic surgeon in the U.S. where everybody can sue anybody for anything.”  But this is information may be very important to you.  Don’t you want your plastic surgeon be one of the elite My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor surgeons who agreed to a Practice Malpractice Audit?  

TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR PLASTIC SURGERY

Requesting Multiple Cosmetic Procedures Simultaneously Is Reasonable and Logical
Just make sure you consult your doctor first or let My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor get you to a top doctor.  Whether it is the individual and combined impacts of age, childbirth, acne scarring, sun damage, or simply wanting to enhance your overall looks, many concerns can often be addressed at the same time.  In fact, quite frankly, in many cases, it may be beneficial to you to have multiple procedures performed simultaneously.  Eyelid surgery to achieve youthful eyes, for example, might make sagging jowls even more evident.  Why not consider a consistent and complete youthful appearance?  In fact, a common set of procedures desired by moms is combining a breast lift and breast implants with a tummy tuck to regain their pre-pregnancy figure.  It is can be wise to have complementary procedures performed at the same time, for best aesthetic results and to save money too.  However, only your doctor can tell you whether multiple procedures are right for you.

Set Realistic Expectations
All cosmetic procedures, including non-surgical injectibles such as Botox and Restylane, have limitations.  You must have realistic expectations and understand the limitations of the procedure you are considering.  Surgeons and patients can certainly expect good results, but no one can offer any guarantees.  And, you need to ask yourself if you want a new you or simply a better you.

Tell the Truth—To Your Doctor (and Yourself)
Be honest about any underlying medical conditions that you have.  Tell your surgeon about any drug use (recreational, homeopathic and prescription) and discuss your full medical history.  Also, discuss any conditions such as allergies, neck stiffness, or back pain, and any special circumstances, such as nausea when anesthetized, so your surgery and postoperative recovery can be as comfortable as possible.

Smoking Can Be Particularly Dangerous
Most surgeons refuse to perform surgeries on smokers because nicotine can cause healing problems.  Nicotine decreases the blood flow through the skin by constricting small blood vessels in the skin.  Nicotine patches and pills have the same effect on the skin as cigarettes.  Thankfully, if you can stop smoking for several months, most doctors will reconsider their refusal to operate.

Want to know more? Talk to an Advisor.

¹Background checks are performed quarterly via unaffiliated third party databases. My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor does not warrant the accuracy of these third party information sources and encourages each and every prospective patient to perform their own extensive research.