Simple Steps for Avoiding
Trouble in Plastic Surgery

By Dr. Paul G. Pin
Dallas Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon

Every patient considering plastic surgery wants their results to be the very best possible. Moreover, they seek to avoid any preventable bad outcome. Many experience a great deal of anxiety over just how to accomplish these two goals. This article presents a few common sense steps to guide the potential plastic surgery patient.

Since your treatment will be largely controlled by your plastic surgeon, it is essential to evaluate the doctor's training, community standing, and just how his or her practice works. First and foremost is your doctor's personality. He or she should immediately strike you as being open, honest, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. If not, follow your instincts and find someone who is! Your doctor should be able to demonstrate he or she understands your goals and be able to explain to you whether or not they are achievable. You must develop rapport with your doctor.

However, simply liking your doctor is unfortunately not enough. You must determine for yourself whether he or she has the ability to deliver the outcome you want. Since you are in their office you probably have some general idea of their reputation, but need to confirm this for yourself. Take advantage of time spent in the "reception" area with some of the other patients. Do they seem happy and pleased with their treatment? At some point, most plastic surgeons will show you pictures of their work. You must be able to find a result amid those photographs that would be pleasing to you. If not, consider another doctor or contemplate not having the surgery at all.

The simplest thing to check is his or her training. Plastic surgery should be done by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. It really is that simple! If you do not think so, consider this: would you go to a plastic surgeon to have your tonsils removed? If not, then why would you go to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor to have a breast augmentation? The most full-proof way to verify that he or she is board certified is to ask to see their certificate issued by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Any reputable plastic surgeon will have it displayed in his or her office for you to see.

Next, you must make certain whether the medical community feels your doctor is capable of performing the procedures in which you are interested. This is necessary because in many states (including Texas where I practice) it is legal for any doctor to perform any procedure they so choose. This may be hard to believe, but legally I can do brain surgery even though I have no training or experience in brain surgery. Likewise, any doctor who wants to can call himself a cosmetic surgeon and perform any procedure he wants. Fortunately, there is an easy approach to this problem. Quite simply, your doctor should be able to perform any procedure you desire in a hospital in your community. Hospitals everywhere are required every two years to certify a doctor's competence to perform procedures based on the doctor's training, education and experience. Hospitals rely on other plastic surgeons and their medical staffs to verify your doctor's ability. Therefore, if your plastic surgeon does not have privileges to perform plastic surgery in a hospital, you have a substantial reason to question whether he or she is as competent as they should be.

A final assessment of your plastic surgeon should concern what type of practice he or she has. For instance, if they do a hundred facelifts a year, but only five liposuctions, you might consider them for a facelift, but look elsewhere for liposuction. Where and how your doctor performs surgery also matters. If the surgery is performed in the office the facility should be AAAAPS certified or even better, certified by Medicare. Otherwise you might be operated on in a facility that is not up to date and does not possess the necessary safety equipment. Additionally, you should inquire about the type of anesthesia you will receive during your surgery. The gold standard is to have anesthesia administered by a Board Certified Anesthesiologist, that is a doctor specializing in anesthesia. If you had your knee operated on, your gallbladder removed or a hernia repaired, you would probably be put to sleep by an anesthesiologist. There is really no reason to settle for less just because your plastic surgery is elective and cosmetic. If you do have a nurse anesthetist, he or she would not be a doctor but a nurse specializing in anesthesia. While a nurse anesthetist can be very experienced, they have nowhere near the training an anesthesiologist does.

Overall, just be prudent like you would be in any major life decision. Try not to be overly impressed by a flashy brochure or a fancy office. Instead, find a plastic surgeon you feel good about, who is objectively competent and who you can trust.

Paul G. Pin, M.D.
Board Certified,
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dallas, Texas
www.paulpin.com

Any plastic surgery procedure is real surgery and involves risks such as bleeding, infection and scarring. Results vary. Dr. Pin will be happy to discuss these and other risks.