There's a story out today about a dentist who performed breast reduction and liposuction on a 15-year-old! Here's the link to the full story. Now, I've got a couple of issues with this.
First, what's a dentist doing working below the neck? This guy did go to medical school as well as dental school, but that doesn't make him a plastic surgeon. He never did an accredited residency or fellowship in plastic surgery, so, in my opinion, he shouldn't be venturing too far from the face!
Unfortunately, there are no laws against ANY kind of doctor performing ANY kind of surgery he/she wants, so long as they can do it in their own office! That's because no hospital would allow them to do those surgeries in their facilities--the hospitals don't consider them to be adequately trained to do such surgeries. If I wanted to really be reckless, and if I could find someone willing, I could do brain surgery in my office. I guess I could take some weekend courses before-hand, so I'd be "qualified".
Second, who does liposuction on a 15-year-old?! There was another story a few years ago about a 12-year-old who had liposuction, but that was a very unusual case, and there certainly is no accepted established precedent for such surgery. There is sometimes good reason to do breast reduction surgery at that age, but it's not common. There is, in my opinion, no good reason for liposuction on someone that age--that poor girl should have been encouraged to diet and exercise some more.
So, buyer beware: a "cosmetic" surgeon is often NOT a surgeon at all. Most ABPS-Certified plastic surgeons don't call themselves cosmetic surgeons because we're aware of all the non-plastic surgeons using that name.
How do you know if your cosmetic/plastic surgeon is legit? Check out your surgeon here. You'll find out if he/she is Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Can't find your surgeon there? Check him/her out here. You'll see exactly what specialty their board-certification is in (internal medicine, plastic surgery, emergency medicine, etc). And, check out your surgeon here, too. If they're an ASPS member, they have to be an ABPS-Certified plastic surgeon.
A female plastic surgeon's perspective on the world of cosmetic procedures
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