The April Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery had a good study with juicy numbers. The paper’s real title, “Who is Providing Aesthetic Surgery? A detailed Examination of the Geographic Distribution and Training backgrounds of Cosmetic Practitioners in Southern California,” could likely be shortened to my blog title.
They studied the San Diego and LA area. They looked at minimally invasive procedures like HA fillers (Juvederm and Restylane) and invasive procedures like liposuction.
What I considered the juicy findings:
- nearly 40% of doctors offering liposuction in Southern California had no specific surgical training (!!!)
- Of the 1,876 “cosmetic practitioners” from San Diego to Los Angeles only 495 of them were trained in plastic surgery
- Primary care physicians made up the fourth-largest group of liposuction providers following plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and otolaryngologists.
No law prevents doctors from doing other parts of medicine. (Yup. I could call myself a pediatrician or gynecologist if I wanted.) The place where this kind of thing gets caught is by the hospitals. I can call myself anything, but in order to get admitting privileges in a hospital, they require I prove things like… oh… I did a residency in that specialty, I am board certified in that specialty… pesky things like that. But the little doctor office “surgery” suite doesn’t have that review.
In the study, the authors state, “We feel that the provision of such a potentially hazardous treatment by physicians with no training in surgery poses a genuine threat to the safety of patients.” Another issue the authors bring up is the franchising of medicine. Medispas and mall spas which offer medical services may not have an association with a particular provider. The doctors are considered to be interchangeable and replaceable. Patients need to know: just who is responsible for their care? “The divorce of the practice from the name of the responsible physician...” When did we change from going to Dr. So and So to going to the Cosmetic Institute of America?
What to do? Government is a poor regulator. There are always loopholes and back office doors to go through. The real issue is EDUCATION. You, the consumer, need to know who is doing your procedure. Are they trained? Did they do years in residency to learn or did they take a weekend course?
The study has great information in it. One of my favorite points is this, “The American Society of Plastic Surgeons committee on patient safety recognized that liposuction is in fact major surgery… According to a recently published survey of fatalities caused by liposuction, the “lack of surgical experience was a notorious contributing factor, particularly regarding the timely identification of developing complications.”
I know you are tired of hearing about “he or she is not a real plastic surgeon.” You want a real surgeon. You want a trained, true surgeon who did years of residency in surgery. I wouldn’t want an untrained doctor doing surgery on you. Don’t be lured by the flashy office, great advertising, or cheap pricing. Look for quality.