"Should I have my cosmetic surgery in a hospital?"

This is a very important question that we are frequently asked. It touches on three crucial areas that every aesthetic patient should know about.

SURGEON’S CREDENTIALS

Patients should ALWAYS double check the credentials of their doctors.
TV shows, ads, and websites of plastic surgeons are good resources, but patients should confirm the credentials of their doctor with state and national licensing boards. This is very easy to do! Patients can check whether or not their surgeon is board certified in plastic surgery by going to: www.isyourdoctorboardcertified.com Patients can check the practice history of any Florida doctor at: www.checkyoursurgeon.com

Another way to check your doctor’s credentials is to ask at which local hospital can they do your cosmetic surgery. A patient can then check with the hospital to make sure the doctor is on the Plastic Surgery staff there. Hospitals are very strict about checking each doctor’s credentials. A patient can take advantage of this strict screening process by seeing if their surgeon can operate there too. Patients should be careful with doctors who are only allowed to operate in their office. They may not have the highest level of certification. They may not even be real plastic surgeons. Although this group here in Miami never had hospital privileges or board certification in Plastic Surgery, it took the police to finally stop them from operating in their offices.

PATIENT SAFETY

The best place for a patient to have cosmetic surgery depends on the patient’s health and the complexity of the procedure. Simple procedures on a healthy patient can safely be done in an accredited operating suite in the surgeon’s office. Multiple procedures or a the patient with some medical issues may be a candidate to have surgery at an accredited ambulatory surgical center. Complex procedures should be performed in a hospital. During your consult and pre-op visits, patients should make sure that their health is fully evaluated, that pre-operative tests are performed, and that the appropriate facility is chosen.

Healthy aesthetic patients should also keep in mind that the hospital is not the safest place for elective surgery. Remember that as an aesthetic patient, you may be the healthiest person in the hospital! If the patient’s medical condition allows, an office OR or a surgery center can be the safest place to have an elective surgery so that a healthy patient can avoid catching an infection from the hospital setting. With the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, this becomes even more important!

COST

The final issue that aesthetic patients should consider is cost. Hospital facility fees for aesthetic procedures tend to be 2 or 3 times as much as ambulatory surgery centers or office OR suites. Considering this and the higher risk of catching an infection in a hospital, you can see why patients and surgeons tend to avoid hospitals for simple elective surgery.

Although you may not ultimately have your surgery in a hospital, make sure that your surgeon has passed hospital criteria and can perform plastic surgery there!

Be sure that your whole health is evaluated before surgery and that the best and safest place is chosen for your aesthetic procedure.

Hispanics lead minority groups in cosmetic surgery!

This week, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) released their 2006 Plastic Surgery Statistics. This survey highlighted several interesting trends in American plastic surgery.

The study noted that the number of cosmetic procedures in this country is at an all time high at 11.5 million! And that women receive 92% of these procedures. The study also showed that across the nation, Hispanics accounted for 9.7% of these procedures, African-Americans for 6.6%, and Asians at 4.7%.

Although, I think that the exact numbers may vary depending on where you are located, I think that the overall trend is correct. In my Miami plastic surgery practice, we are seeing a growing demand in cosmetic surgery and non-invasive procedures, especially from the Hispanic and the African-American communities.

I think that part of this is cultural- plastic surgery is VERY popular throughout South America and we are blessed to have many Latin Americans live here in South Florida. We also have patients who fly in for their procedures and to enjoy beautiful South Florida while they recover. Lastly- the word is out- cosmetic techniques have proven to be safe and effective! As these procedures have evolved, they have produced better, longer-lasting results with minimal down time. I think that this has opened the doors to busy professionals and other people who in the past would not have considered themselves candidates for cosmetic surgery.

It's important to note that these communities do have very particular needs- every procedure (esp those for skin tone correction and tightening) need to be approached with the individual's skin type, color, and thickness in mind. Educating patients on their options is as important as always- that's why all our staff and all our office literature is multilingual! Thank God I'm from Ecuador. Adios!