Plastic Surgery: Beyond the Hype

Monday, November 22, 2010

WHAT KIND OF PLASTICS DO YOU USE?

Greek Statue
I get asked all the time what kind of plastics I use in plastic surgery. The answer is none! The “plastic” in plastic surgery actually comes from the Greek word “plastikos,” which means to shape or to mold. This is what plastic surgeons do. We shape or mold tissue. We spend our entire surgical training learning how to manipulate tissue whether it is with a scalpel, a syringe, or a laser. The surgical techniques and principals learned apply equally to cosmetic or reconstructive surgery. There are those that would have you believe that cosmetic surgery is a unique surgical discipline, but that is disingenuous at best and misleading at worst. To put it simply, it’s not true. The distinction between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery is largely an artificial one, initiated by the insurance companies to determine what a covered benefit is. Remember, from a previous episode that insurance companies are in the business to make money, not to take care of YOU.
If your needs happen to get met, consider that a bonus.

Cosmetic surgery is considered surgery on “normal” body parts and therefore, not covered by insurance. On the other hand, reconstructive surgery is surgery on “abnormal” body parts and therefore, is covered. But try telling the boy with excessive breast development, or the child with the protruding ears, who both get teased unmercifully by their classmates, that their “condition” is cosmetic, while the sagging upper eyelids on their grandmother is reconstructive.

The surgical principals and techniques that go into lifting a sagging breast (not a covered benefit), are the same ones used in reducing a large breast (a covered benefit, at least for now). There are some insurance plans out there that no longer consider breast reduction a covered benefit. But try telling that to the woman with the 38-DD breasts, who has chronic neck and shoulder pain, gets heat rashes, can’t exercise and can’t find a comfortable bra, that her condition is considered “cosmetic”! How can this be? It is because the insurance companies are run largely by men, and ENTIRELY FOR PROFIT.

Putting a face back together after a car accident and rejuvenating a face require the same knowledge of anatomy and principles of tissue manipulation. Plastic surgery is more than abnormal vs. normal; it’s about making people feel better about themselves. People often ask me why I went into plastic surgery. I am often also asked what my favorite procedure is, and my answer is always the same: the one that makes someone happy!

Monday, November 15, 2010

MEDICINE IS A BUSINESS AND EVERYONE IS OUT TO MAKE A PROFIT WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Pick Me



What happened? How did we go from Marcus Welby, M.D. to Dr. House? From Dr. Kildare, to mediagenic doctor clowns in “muscle” scrubs? From the fun-loving “MASH” doctors whose bottom line was taking great care of our soldiers, to “Nip/Tuck” and cocaine-filled breast implants? What’s next? Doctors in loud suits looking like used car salesmen? What happened?

Let’s look back 20 years when “managed care” came on the scene. Yes, it has been 20 years since managed care came about with the promise of affordable, quality healthcare. Not only is it less affordable than ever, but YOUR out-of-pocket expenses are higher than ever with increased deductibles and higher co-pays.

So where does all that money go? To the healthcare providers, right? To the doctors that are treating YOU? Nope! I am paid roughly half of what I was paid 20 years ago for performing the exact same surgical procedures. Doctors are working twice as hard to stay “even”. However, the bulk of the money goes to the middle men! The CEO of Anthem Blue Cross’ salary is over $13-million! By and large, doctors are relatively smart people and are increasingly turning to alternative ways to make a living. That is why your family practice doctor wants to do to your laser hair removal, your dermatologist wants to do your facelift, and your OBGYN wants to do your mommy-makeover! “Managed care” has forced them to give up the jobs they were medically trained for, and pushed them out into the field of cosmetic surgery where they can make more money hustling YOU for procedures their original medical discipline never trained them to do. The dilemma for you is should you let them perform procedures on YOU?

Reason number 2: the recession! Money is tight. Fewer people can afford health insurance, which translates to less people going to the doctor or putting off non-life threatening procedures like hysterectomies or colonoscopies. People who are worried about their jobs are not out getting nipped and tucked! With a smaller financial pie to work from, some doctors are going to greater lengths to get your business! Desperate times bring out desperate behavior and guess who gets stuck holding the bag…YOU!

And lastly, let’s face it. Another reason things have gotten this way is because of you. You want to believe and trust that the doctors out there want what is best for YOU! The sad reality of things is that MEDICINE IS A BUSINESS where profit margins all too often trump patient needs. Don’t believe me? Think about how often a doctor tried to talk you out of something, rather than into something.
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