Plastic Surgery Articles

Sometimes it takes a high profile tragedy to create consumer protection that should have been there all along.  In Los Angeles in November of 2007 a Mrs. Donda West died the day after undergoing a number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures including breast reduction, liposuction and an abdominoplasty – more commonly known as a tummy tuck.  While these procedures are not without risk, they are also common plastic surgery procedures and are often performed (on a single basis) as outpatient procedures.

Deaths following plastic surgery are also not unheard of; generally they are followed by a liability suit and the usual recriminations.  The difference in this case is that Mrs. West is the mother of hip-hop artist and producer Kanye West.  He’s a high profile young man, a star in his field and respected in both his public and private personas. 

Legislative Initiatives

Apparently Mrs. West had heart problems and in retrospect was a questionable patient for plastic surgery, let alone multiple procedures.  Her death has prompted two California legislators to call for tighter controls on the industry.  Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas has introduced a bill calling for mandatory inspections of outpatient plastic surgery clinics, at
a minimum of every three years.

Assemblywoman Wilma Amina Carter has introduced legislation requiring that every prospective plastic surgery patient undergo a complete physical.  According to the story in the professional periodical Medical News, Mrs. West was turned down by one plastic surgeon because of her health history, only to find another doctor willing to perform the liposuction, the tummy tuck and the breast reduction.

Lack of Statutory Requirements and Controls

This case highlights some fairly severe gaps in the consumer protection net for plastic surgery.  Aesthetic plastic surgery has become a mainstream pursuit, its prices reduced and procedures simplified such that seventeen million plastic surgery procedures were undertaken in 2007 in the U.S.  Lacking in the plastic surgery medical market niche are the protections that apply to general surgery and to acute care hospitals. 

In most states, an M.D. can declare himself or herself a cosmetic plastic surgeon regardless of training.  Moreover, the number of plastic surgery procedures now available for body enhancement has doubled over the last twenty years.  Serious aesthetic surgeons are beginning to specialize, because the body of knowledge required to be an expert in every procedure is vast. 

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery – Different from Other Medical Practices?

You will find practices where a plastic surgeon will specialize in breast procedures: implants, reductions and lifts.  Other practices will include surgeons that focus solely on the face: eye and brow lifts; injections of Botox or other fillers; rhinoplasty (nose jobs); and the various tucks that are used to minimize facial lines.  Surgeons on hospital staffs that are specialists are required to have done residencies in their specialty.  In the field of plastic surgery, specialty is a self-proclaimed choice. 

Plastic Surgery Clinics – No Medical Standards

Because of simplified and non-invasive techniques, the large majority of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures are conducted in outpatient plastic surgery clinics.  These clinics are used for everything from simple Botox injections to complex face lifts that require general anesthesia.  The rules that apply to hospitals with regard to such matters as licensed anesthesiologists; sanitation; the physician’s credentials and qualified support staff do not exist for plastic surgery clinics.

Hospitals must undergo accreditation inspections on an annual basis.  These inspections cover hundreds of details, from staffing levels and staff credentials to waste disposal to emergency care to operating room procedures and daily patient care.  While there are two respected accrediting bodies for outpatient surgical clinics (also known as ambulatory care facilities) the inspection process is strictly optional.  It’s up to the clinic to request an inspection and to comply with its findings.

Medical Standards for Medical Procedures – It’s up to the Consumer

Cosmetic plastic surgery is an extremely popular and lucrative field.  Some day spas have expanded in that direction by offering Botox injections and chemical face peels.  Some plastic surgeons have extended their offices/clinics to include typical spa offerings such as massages, mud baths and assorted beauty treatments. 

Because cosmetic plastic surgery is optional and has only recently become a common occurrence in our society, it has not received the same scrutiny that general medicine – both practitioners and facilities – are subjected to.  That’s why, for the moment, it is still up to the consumer to find a good plastic surgery clinic staffed by thoroughly trained professionals.