Cosmetic and plastic surgery have become extremely popular, and still many people overlook the fact that most plastic and cosmetic procedures are first and foremost surgeries.
While some estimates figure about ten million Americans will go ahead this year with the cosmetic enhancements about which they have always dreamed, more than a few patients are reporting less-than-desired outcomes.
The range of botched cosmetic procedures today can run from the sublime to life threatening cases.
“We’re seeing many more cases in emergency rooms of people returning from overseas with botched procedures that were done on the quick and by insufficiently trained surgeons,” says George Orloff, M.D., the physician who treated Lynn.
While some miffed patients in plastic surgery hotspots like New York, Florida and California report being displeased with, say, the tips of their noses or the number of remaining crow’s feet around their eyes, other serious cases are periodically reported.
Statistics of botched cosmetic and plastic procedures are hard to find, experts say. According to a survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS,) complications from inferior surgeons are so widespread that, of the more than 150,000 Rhinoplasties (nose jobs) done each year, nearly 21 percent are corrective procedures.
Stanley Frileck, M.D., a Los Angeles plastic surgeon and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, surveyed his practice and found about 25 percent of his practice involves fixing incomplete procedures.
“Cosmetic surgery is real surgery even with the world’s best surgeon and there is always the potential for complications,” says Dr. Christopher P. Godek, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Toms River, N.J.
And, as with any surgery, there are small risks involved, even in the best of hands.
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