Why "Board Certified Plastic Surgeon" Has Real Meaning
I have the utmost respect for our capitalistic society. Competition works to create better products, higher standards and a better society as a whole. That is except in cosmetic medicine. All plastic surgeons at some point in their career start to see patients that are unhappy with their cosmetic procedure that was performed elsewhere. What is becoming incredibly disturbing are the number of patients I see that have had procedures by non-plastic surgery physicians.
I recently saw two unacceptable results. The first was a patient who had Radiesse injected for a lower lid deformity and botox for glabellar wrinkles-by her primary care doctor. The Botox didn’t work initially, probably because they didn’t use enough or were too superficial, and the Radiesse was injected very superficially. This is a significant problem. Radiesse is designed to be injected deep as it is too thick for superficial injection. Secondly, because it is composed of hydroxyapatite it has the potential to form bone when injected too superficially. She now has 2 very noticable lines of filler under each eye.
The second patient came to me for significant contour irregularity after liposuction from a dermatologist. This physician made a pin cushion out of the patient by using at least a dozen incisions in the abdomen. The contour irregularity is significant but the physician refuses to revise the procedure.
To become a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon we have to achieve a significant standard of excellence not only in surgical skill but in decision making as well. These two cases exemplify why patients need to be informed and educated why they should only see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for cosmetic procedures.
If you live in Fairfax, Reston, Manassas, Gainesville, Arlington or Loudoun and would like to discuss your cosmetic concerns with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon click here or call our office at 703.752.6608 for a complementary consultation with Dr. Christopher Hess.