In 2007, a small-framed lady visited Rady Rahban and asked for a breast lift procedure along with breast augmentation to go up to a D cup. Dr. Rahban, who happens to be plastic surgeon with board certification, advised the lady to go for a C cup, considering her tiny frame. The lady chose to consult another doctor but returned to Dr. Rahban’s clinic after her augmentation surgery. Unfortunately the other doctor had botched up the operation and the blood supply to half of her one areola was restricted. Sadly, even with his expertise, he could not do anything to rectify the damage or revive the dead tissue.
In a recent spike that many established doctors like Dr. Rahban have witnessed, it seems that a lot of people are coming in to have corrective surgery done for their botched nose jobs, breast lifts and enhancements, tummy tucks and many other cosmetic procedures. Unfortunately, unqualified and inexperienced doctors have initially performed many of these surgeries, a majority of who do not have board certification. Instead, they have mastered the art of selling their services and creating an image of being amazing plastic surgeons on Instagram. This abundant self-promotion is what keeps their cash registers ringing. And with Americans spending upwards of $16 billion to get various plastic surgeries performed on them in 2016, there is a lot of money to be made!
We must understand two important things here, as the customers seem to be at the losing end. Firstly, these plastic surgeries are not cheap, and most of them are not even covered by a patient’s health insurance plans. Secondly, when the results of a cosmetic surgery is less than desirable, anyone would want to reverse the damage, and this corrective surgery, too, costs lot of money.
The problem starts when a prospective client fails to research their plastic surgeon and carry out the due diligence required to select a good cosmetologist. The “plastic surgeons” who carry out these surgeries may just as well be a regular doctor who has undergone a few weekend courses in cosmetology and now call themselves cosmetic surgeons. With Instagram being their free platform for promoting their work, beware of hashtags such as #breastlift, #plasticsurgery or #nosejob. But if you’re looking for good plastic surgeons; then follow these 5 steps to find one;
1) Don’t shy away from homework.
If you were undergoing major surgery like a kidney transplant or any such procedure, you would research your doctor and the procedure you are about to undergo. It would be wise to do the same if you’re even contemplating plastic surgery. Look for a doctor who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has his or her name listed on their website. If their name does not appear on the list; ditch them. If they do figure on the website, follow the link to be directed to The Federation of State Medical Boards which can be used to pull up any previous formal complaints for that particular doctor. If your doctor says that they are board certified, ask if they have a board certification specifically for plastic surgery.
2) Ask for as many “before” & “after” images as you can get
Most doctors who perform cosmetic surgery will publish their before and after surgery photos on their websites or provide them to you if you put in a request. Ask for as many as 20 to 25 images for only the kind of surgery you want performed on you.
3) Don’t be fooled by a doctor’s social media popularity
It may look like a surgeon is ‘good’ if they have many likes, retweets and followers, but let that now sway you to go with them. The popularity on social media has no connection with how good of a surgeon your doctor is. Also, you may remember that social media followers can be paid to boost people’s image. Avoid this illusion at all costs.
4) Consider reviews, but don’t rely solely on them.
Websites like Yelp! Let you review restaurants, shops and even surgeons, where people also posts their experiences. It is okay to go over the reviews, but do not take them to heart as these reviews may be posted by people who were not verified patients of the said surgeon. On the flipside, if you see too many positive reviews, which are posted around the same date and have similarly worded content, you can 100% question its authenticity.
5) Inquire who is to close the incision
Would you be okay if the lawyer who you hired, sends a paralegal instead to represent you in court? The same goes for who gets to stitch back the incision, which might be made for your plastic surgery. Some cosmetic surgeons hire technicians to do the job, which could just be a sign of laziness and shows a poor approach to their patients. Because closing the incision is very important due to issues such as scarring and infection, it is best that the surgeon themselves close up the wound.
