There has been a lot in the media concerning  the economy and how it may effect cosmetic plastic surgery.  Fortunately over the years my practice has been quite resistant to changes in the economy and I have remained busy.  Members of our community are seeing decreases in stock value as well as possibly decreases in their income.  I think that it is important at this time that people to not panic and make poor decisions regarding their health care based upon finances.  I think it is inappropriate for patients to consider having discount or bargain basement procedures as a replacement for quality plastic surgery.  Should you be considering having a facelift, it may seem attractive to have a less effective “quick” procedure performed by a poorly trained or inexperienced surgeon based on their mass marketed questionable results.  Not only will you pay a considerable sum for a lesser quality procedure which is likely not to meet your desires, you may end up with a problem that could end up costing more to have fixed than a well done procedure in the first place.  Keep in mind that Plastic Surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and who are members of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The American Society of Aesthetic Surgery are committed to bringing you the best quality results at a reasonable price.  Typically surgeons like myself are committed to offering patients procedures which are peer reviewed at Plastic Surgery Meetings  and have survived the scrutiny of established Plastic Surgeons and perhaps more importantly “The test of time”.  Over the last year or so I have seen a number of patients who are unhappy with results performed by the “weekend ” trained surgeons and also patients who have had surgery in foreign countries with poor results.  They have no recourse with their surgeons and are looking at expensive procedures to fix their problems.  I saw one patient who had a breast augmentation in Mexico and 6 months after the surgery the phones were disconnected and the web site was gone!  She was given no information on her breast implants such as size, manufacturer, filler.  Qualified surgeons are reluctant to take on such a patient because the information on the previous procedure is so lacking.  She is in a pickle with a poor result.

Poor results are not limited to surgical procedures.  Beware the discount Botox.  When your only tool is a hammer everything in the world looks like a nail.  More to come on injectables next week.

If a surgical procedure seems out of reach financially at this time slow down and look at the big picture.  Consider putting it off until things improve (and they will).  Fillers and Botox can help to take care of some issues until you are more ready to go ahead with surgery.  Don’t make a decision you may regret.