Cosmetic surgery comes in all shapes and sizes and as with everything, there are many things to consider. I can’t stress enough that surgery of any sort is serious business. You only get one body and you should treat it with the utmost care.
While most people think of cosmetic surgery as being glamorous, there is a darker side to consider. I always recommend people do their homework and try to cover as many bases as possible.
But it’s impossible to know everything.
I started Trusted Surgeons out of frustration. Being a registered nurse, I want people to be making decisions around surgery from a place of understanding and knowledge. I want the public to have a voice, somewhere to speak out about the problems with in the industry. Trusted Surgeons is a not-for-profit educational platform that only promotes board certified plastic surgeons. Surgeons you can trust.
It’s baffling that the industry that requires the most trust seems to be the least transparent. Unfortunately, not all surgeons are upfront and honest about the risks of surgery or issues such as anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) which has been associated with breast implants.
While discussion about cosmetic surgery is now free of the stigma it used to carry, there are still sides to plastic surgery we don’t talk about enough. There are many faces to the unexpected outcomes of having surgery.
After becoming so self-conscious that she didn’t even like her partner seeing her breasts, Taryn decided that she wanted to have a breast augmentation. She researched for eight months, asking people about their experiences in forums, meeting with surgeons. She lived and breathed the process.
Taryn had several consults and got quotes for surgery. With all the information, she believed she was making an informed decision and decided to go to Thailand. The lead up to the procedure – and the procedure itself – went without a hitch, but once the surgery was complete, Taryn noticed a shift, only seeing her surgeon once post-surgery in the seven days she was there. It was a five minute examination.
Top Comments
So after she "researched for eight months", "asking people about their experiences in forums", "meeting with surgeons", "lived and breathed the process", she used a cosmetic tourism company to travel to some doctor in a developing nation, and when there were complications, was all surprised that they were no where to be found?
I think the government should make policy that if someone travels overseas for discount COSMETIC surgery, if there are complications, the public health system has no obligation to treat them. I think people would then be more circumspect regarding cosmetic surgery tourism.
In the setting of lax laws allowing people who are not fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to refer to themselves as "cosmetic surgeons" (as opposed to "plastic surgeons") and perform certain procedures, it is indeed wise to perform due diligence into the doctor you choose to perform cosmetic surgery. However, the author of this piece would do well to not refer to "board certified" doctors, because in Australia, we don't really have "boards" - it's American terminology there. It is more informative if you educate the public about post graduate training and fellowships of training colleges, rather than falling back on empty nomenclature which has no meaning in this country.
I understand from a social perspective, cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery are different. But from a medical practice perspective, shouldn't they be considered equivalent?