• 14
  • September
    2011

To most people "plastic surgeon" and "cosmetic surgeon" are interchangeable terms; both sets of surgeons provide elective, aesthetic procedures. Unfortunately, there is a difference between the two -- one is board-certified and required to undergo a residency with a senior plastic surgeon and the other is a doctor whose primary training is outside of plastic surgery but has done some plastic surgery training on the side. Since cosmetic surgeons generally do not have the same experience and training as plastic surgeons, there is a greater risk that cosmetic surgeons could cause a post-surgery complication.

A Miami man has learned just how dangerous a cosmetic surgeon's lack of training can be. Over a year ago, his wife met with a cosmetic surgeon for what should have been a simple liposuction procedure. Instead, his wife tragically died the day after her surgery because she had been given too much of the painkiller lidocaine during the surgery. After the husband found his wife dead on the couch, he sought the help of attorney Philip Freidin "to find out what happened to her."

Freidin discovered that the doctor that performed the surgery not only was not board certified in plastic surgery, but that he was not board certified in any medical specialty. Nor was his office registered as a surgery center. In fact, the plastic surgeon who is an expert witness in the husband's suit against the cosmetic surgeon believes that the amount of lidocaine found in the woman's body indicates the cosmetic surgeon failed to look out for the woman's safety.

What draws patients to cosmetic surgeons is cost. Cosmetic surgeons are generally able to charge less than a plastic surgeon because they can cut costs by using local anesthesia. Local anesthesia can be administered in a doctor's office whereas intravenous (IV) or general anesthesia must be administered in a registered surgical facility or hospital by an anesthesiologist. The reason cosmetic surgeons rely on local anesthesia, however, is because they don't have enough training to use safer IV or general anesthesia.

It is important that if you undergo a surgical procedure, whether it is elective or required, you must take care to choose a qualified and experienced surgeon. While other physicians can provide a better price, you run the risk of poor health, disfigurement, pain or death.

Source: USA Today, "Lack of training can be deadly in cosmetic surgery," Jayne O'Donnell, Sept. 13, 2011