Cosmetic Surgery Consultants : : The Inaugural Issue

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Cosmetic Surgery Today (CST). The ONLY, FREE weekly e-zine focusing on quality and safety-covering information, news, and resources in the cosmetic/plastic surgery industry.

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COSMETIC SURGERY TODAY (CST)

Creating the Benchmark for Quality and Safety

Helping You Make Informed and Safe Decisions

December 11, 2000
Published by Pat Burgess/Cosmetic Surgery Consultants
© Copyright 2000

www.safecosmeticsurgery.com

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Peace-of-mind - Products/Services - Can I Trust My Doctor?
Publishers Desk - Inaugural Issue - Yeah, Yipee, Yahoo!!
Nip 'n Tip of the Week - A Podiatrist Doing Your Liposuction?
Don't Ya Hate It When.....
Horror Stories (And How To Avoid them) Eyes Wide Shut....Or Not
Success Stories (And How To Make Them Your Own)
My Rhinoplasty - The Best Gift To Myself - by Pat Burgess
Online Poll - What Is Your Biggest Fear?
Feature Article - Beware of Internet Yellow Pages
FAQ's - Pat Answers - Lipo and Weight Gain
Before & After Pictures - My Own!
Can We Talk?

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SPECIAL DEALS FOR YOUR PEACE-OF-MIND!

THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION…Can I Trust My Doctor / How Can I Check My Doctor's Credentials?
Now you can have peace of mind! Let us check your doctor and find out whether he has any disciplinary actions, or other license sanctions. Click here to learn more..... http://www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/medcheck.htm

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Is your plastic surgeon a "QUESTIONABLE DOCTOR"?
We'll look that up for you. Click here to find out more...
http://www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/question_drs.htm

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THE BOOK, Cosmetic Surgery Without Fear, has launched thousands of beautiful new faces and bodies! Pat Burgess, the nations' leading cosmetic surgery consumer advocate and her book, have been featured on over 250 radio/TV shows, print stories and internet chats. This is the "must-have" guide for helping you through your cosmetic surgery process. Available in paperback or as an e-book. Order your copy today at:
http://www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/book/bookdes.htm

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NO SCALPEL PREVIEW OF THE NEW YOU!
Let us sculpt your face or body with a computer rendition of the new you. Click here to experience fun, fast and painless computer surgery!
http://www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/before_after.htm

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PERSONALIZED TELEPHONE CONSULTATION
Have a confidential consultation with a CSC consultant. Ask questions, get answers, and maximize your chances of a successful surgical result! Get the details here... http://www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/consult.htm

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1. PUBLISHERS DESK - Inaugural Issue Jitters
Pat Burgess

All thoughts, suggestions, personal experiences, content contributions can be sent to: . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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Yep, I'm excited! As we launch this inaugural issue of Cosmetic Surgery Today (CST), I can hardly contain myself, but it is a little scary, also. If you are considering cosmetic surgery as I did almost 7 years ago (and certainly will in the future!), you know it too, is simultaneously an inspiring and scary thought. Those of us who have followed through and were blessed with great results know that it is one of the most exciting and rewarding decisions we ever made.

The mission of my company, Cosmetic Surgery Consultants, is to "create the benchmark for quality in an unregulated industry where just about anyone with a medical degree can perform cosmetic surgery." Therefore, the purpose of this newsletter is to inform, educate, share resources and create a community where individuals considering cosmetic surgery can gather to get what they need; confidence, peace-of-mind, information or maybe even a decision to post-pone or not to have surgery at all--based on an informed choice.

As a consumer advocate I have the luxury of highlighting the pros and cons, separating the hype from the hope, sharing various opinions from patients and plastic surgeons, stirring up some controversy, and poking fun at this often misunderstood subject. Surgeons, although well intentioned, may discuss only the techniques with which they are familiar, often have political agendas, and in most cases have never been cosmetic surgery patients.

My own story is a success story purely by accident. I never visited more than one doctor--never asked even simple questions that would be fundamental today. I had a wonderful experience with terrific results but have since spoken to others who have not been as fortunate. Yes, there are things I would have done differently had I known.

This newsletter is for all the people who want to "know". It is for those who have considered aesthetic surgery but are scared. It is also for those who have had cosmetic surgery and have been disappointed or worse. Friends, family and loved ones of cosmetic surgery patients who will be supporting or care taking during the cosmetic surgery process will benefit from this newsletter as well.

To regret having cosmetic surgery is an extremely disturbing experience. We go into cosmetic surgery "OK", we just want to come out better! My vision is that this publication become the catalyst for greater quality and safety so that the term "regret" is never even remotely associated with the cosmetic surgery decision. Oooooh, what a beautiful world it would be! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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2. NIP 'n TIP OF THE WEEK -

If you have a tip you'd like to share, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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Want your podiatrist to perform your liposuction?

This could happen if you are not finding out about the specialty of your doctor. Did you know that any doctor with a medical degree can perform cosmetic surgery whether or NOT they've had any training?

He may be a great podiatrist and board certified in that field, but he could take a weekend course or none at all, and begin performing cosmetic surgery procedures on you. You may wonder how this can happen in a such a regulated industry as healthcare. Remember, cosmetic surgery is generally paid for privately and is not "pooled" as is car or health insurance. Unless there are major, on-going violations, regulators do not get involved here. Also, many doctors feel that managed care has lowered their fees so much that cosmetic surgery is profitable and remains the only segment of healthcare where there is no insurance involvement and full payment comes directly out of the patients pocket.

TIP: Make sure you ask about the specialty in which your doctor is board certified. Depending upon the procedure (facial only/facial and body) if certification is not in one of the following specialties you may want look elsewhere.

NOTE: Certifying boards are different than professional member societies. Boards concentrate on academics and testing to measure qualifications. Professional societies usually concentrate on continuing education, training and political agendas. For a good start on selecting your doctor, look to the Board, not the professional society for certification.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
http://www.abplsurg.org/
Member Societies -
http://www.surgery.org/home.asp

Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Specializing in procedures of the head and neck.
Certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
http://www.abfprs.org/
(Most doctors certified by this board should also be board certified in "otolaryngology" or ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) and
http://www.aboto.org/
Member Society -
http://www.facial-plastic-surgery.org/

Cosmetic Dermatology
Certified by the American Board of Dermatology
http://www.abderm.org/
You should seek a doctor who specializes in Cosmetic Dermatology--not all dermatologists do. These procedures which may include laser skin resurfacing, soft tissue fillers, hair removal, vein treatment, hair restoration, skin treatments, and possibly liposuction.
Society Membership - http://www.aad.org/

Oculoplastic Surgery
This is a sub-specialty of Ophthalmology. These doctors have completed post-residency training and specialize in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures of the eye and surrounding tissues. Doctor should initially be board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology
http://www.abop.org/ Certification and Member Society - American Society of Ophthalmic and Reconstructive Surgery
http://www.asoprs.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have a tip you'd like to share, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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3. DON'T YA HATE IT WHEN...........What's wrong???"

DYHIW......other people wonder "what's wrong", because you want to have a cosmetic enhancement on a body or facial feature? It is as if something must be broken if we want to improve a feature. Hmmm..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have a gripe, concern, observation or vent, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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4. HORROR STORIES (and How to Avoid Them)
Eyes Wide Shut...Or Not

To share your horror story, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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When Pam Murphy of Atlanta, GA went in for blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), she had heard that it was a rather simple procedure, compared to abdominoplasty or breast augmentation. Comparatively--it is. Yet it remains extremely important that your doctor routinely performs whatever surgery you are contemplating.

Only under local anesthetic (first flag), her eyelid surgery was performed and she went home that afternoon. Within a week Pam became a bit concerned. She felt that she was not healing as quickly as she had been told and anticipated. In fact, her lower lids began to pull down and turn out. She developed what is called bi-lateral ectropian--a complication where the skin underneath the eyes retracts and rolls out exposing the inside of the lower lid. Pam lamented, "I looked like a monster and I had to go back to work looking like this."

After repeated follow-up visits the condition was only getting worse. Finally, Pam's surgeon admitted to taking out too much eyelid skin, and offered to fix the problem. His solution was to perform an upper lid blepharoplasty and use that skin to replace the skin on the bottom lids. That might have been acceptable under different circumstances, but Pam felt that she did not need an upper "bleph", nor did her surgeon upon the initial evaluation. Her concern was that if they took skin from the uppers to fix the lowers, when she did not need upper eyelid surgery in the first place--she might not be able to close her eyes because of the lack of adequate skin after the surgery.

By this time, she had lost confidence in this doctor, and was not going to have him perform the reconstruction. Fortunately, Pam called us at Cosmetic Surgery Consultants and we referred her to a surgeon locally whose expertise is in the correction of these, sad and mostly avoidable complications. Alloderm (processed human donor- (cadaver) tissue) was used to reconstruct her lower lids. Even one week after her reconstructive surgery, she looked great.

COMMENTS

* The doctor should have referred this surgery elsewhere if he was not proficient in this procedure. Good doctors refer when they are outside of their expertise or scope of practice

* When Pam asked the receptionist about the procedures in which the doctor specialized, she was told, "breasts and eyes". Pam's friends had great results with their breast augmentation surgery from this doctor, but she came to find out that he only performed about three "belphs" a month. Not enough in this case.

* It appears that Aetna/US Healthcare Inc. paid for the reconstruction costs, which is very rare.

* To the surgeon's credit, he not only admitted his mistake, but immediately refunded her money. If US Healthcare had not picked up the cost of reconstruction, the original doctor should have.

*Pam decided not to sue since she was brought whole again, yet is filing a formal complaint with the State Medical Board. She recounts the difficult time as one she wouldn't wish on an enemy.

THIS IS REAL SURGERY, SO REALLY DO YOUR HOMEWORK! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To share your horror story, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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5. SUCCESS STORIES
MY RHINOPLASTY - THE BEST GIFT TO MYSELF - Anyone who has ever wished for a new nose can relate!

To share your success story, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

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MY RHINOPLASTY

I had only contemplated a "nose job" for 24 years. Visualizing for that long, I almost prayed my new nose into place. The visualization worked. My nose is just as I believed it would be, so I don't feel as though I wasted my time. (I did forgot to pray for 1972 prices...heh) - Have you done the math, yet?

It was at age 12 or 13 when a routine exit from my brother's room landed my beak on the door jamb. My brother was hysterical with laughter, I suffered pain and bruised pride. Later, my friend in art class who drew my profile said I made a good subject because he could capture all the shadows from my prominent nose. "Gee, thanks," I thought. I longed for the shapely, nondescript noses to which I constantly compared mine. Those noses seemed to be on the faces of goddesses, and I secretly dreamed I was one.

Blessed with a healthy self-image, I usually managed to forget about the shape of my nose. I realized that it was pointless to blame my woes on my less-than-fortunate feature. However, when the shape of my nose was brought to my attention via pictures or videos at parties, I would feel sick because I truly could not believe that was me. It was as though someone else was parading in my clothes. I soon learned to offer, at most, an oblique angle to the camera. When I had full control, I allowed a front shot only, taken from slightly above. None of these photos looked orchestrated. I knew innately where the camera would be and how to make the most of its relentless, scrutinizing eye.

I waited 24 years to have surgery because of a shock I had when I was 16. As I was playing a tune on my flute in band one day, I looked down the row of my fellow flautists and saw, to my horror, Sally Ginsberg's birthday present. At my school, girls either got a Sweet 16 birthday party or a nose job. Sally should have chosen the party. Though bruised and swollen, the shape of her new nose was clear. It was piggish and upturned. You could see straight into her nostrils! "Oh, my God," I thought. When my parents offered me a nose job for my 16th birthday as well--I chose the party instead.

Much has changed since then. Years ago, surgeons never seemed to consider the shape of the face or whether a patient would look ridiculous with a Miss Piggy nose (most everybody does). Patients were given "off the rack" noses then--either a ski slope design or an attempt to be pert. For the next 20 years, I concentrated on developing other talents, but I secretly vowed to change my nose when surgery didn't look so barbaric and when packing the nose with gauze (and removing it) was punished as a terrorist act.

While looking at photographs of an outing to a petting zoo, I decided to go through with my plan. A picture of me feeding a cracker to a deer from my mouth--was too cute, except that my nose rivaled the deer's. With a felt marker I quickly created an "after" nose on one of the double prints.

In the surgeon's office, I saw the computer image depicting the nose of my dreams--straight, sculpted, and on MY face. "Unbelievable," I said in a hushed and reverent tone. Seeing what the surgeon could do to my nose made me inquire about other procedures. Surgery was scheduled. All in all, I had five cosmetic procedures that day--face-lift, brow lift, lower eyes, ear pinning, and my wonderful rhinoplasty.

Of all the procedures, it was my lovely and expensive nose that I loved most. I believe it was the best $4,500 I ever spent. The thrill, joy, and newness, unlike that of a new car or other high-priced purchase, never goes away. I still remember bursting into tears and startling the surgeon when the splint was removed. It was the most beautiful sculpture I had ever seen, and it was mine. I've been asking for close-ups ever since. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To share your success story, please e-mail us at . Please let us know whether we may use your first and/or last name. You may also request complete confidentiality.

6. ONLINE POLL
What is Your Biggest Fear About Cosmetic Surgery?

You may have more than one, but please just select the biggest fear out of those listed. Please vote at: www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/poll/121100.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have a topic you'd like to see polled, contact us at

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7. FEATURE ARTICLE
Beware of Internet Cosmetic Surgery Yellow Pages

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Beware of Internet Cosmetic Surgery Yellow Pages

The Internet can bring you anything you can dream of--at warp speed. Many of us rely on it, almost to the exclusion of other sources of data, when we are seeking information for our personal and professional lives. For example, CSC used the Internet to help us create the entire business plan for our company. We found everything from the template for our business plan to the statistics supporting our financial assumptions.

Cyber Dialogue, an on-line market research company, reports that 36 percent of Internet users are cruising in cyberspace to research medical information. That translates into 24.8 million U.S. adults, with the number of health and medical information seekers projected to grow to 30 million in the year 2000. Madeline Bickert, who prepared a report for Cyber Dialogue, indicates that this kind of usage has spawned at least 15,000 different healthcare sites.
The proliferation of these healthcare sites, which spew reams of information to your screen or printer, makes me wonder where this information is coming from and who is behind it.

Some analysts say the Internet can be likened to the days of the Wild West--when everyone had some snake oil to sell you. When the snake oil (or information) doesn't cost you anything, you need to be even more suspicious about where it comes from.

How are all these sites making their money? Looking at the niche market of cosmetic surgery, we found three distinct categories of purveyors on-line.

The first category includes individual enterprising doctors who smile at you from their electronic brochures. They attract you with a good-looking visage, a picture of their office and staff, some basic information on procedures, and some really great before-and-after pictures. This is a "direct" kind of sell. You know who's behind the site, and you know he or she wants you to visit the office and consult with the doctor on making your dreams come true. These individuals make their money if you schedule an appointment and have surgery.

The second category is professional organizations that promote the doctors who are members. I'm a little more suspicious of the information from these sites because some organizations promote their "clubs" over others. In addition, bad doctors could be protected simply because they pay their dues to an organization.

The third category is the Internet yellow pages, or information and referral companies. Several companies have gorgeous sites, with lots of helpful and well-organized information. After browsing through the content, you can click on the physician locator to be referred to a doctor.

This is where you should beware. What about the credentials of the doctors listed on the site? Believe it or not, in some cases, no credentials are needed. Some of these doctors are not even board certified; they could be podiatrists performing liposuction or dentists doing face-lifts. These sites make their money from the doctors, often paying $3,000-$10,000 per year to be listed on the sites. But this fact is often not disclosed.

The Internet is a great source of information, but if you want quality information, you must be prepared to pay for it. Would you go to a friend who had a legal battle once and rely on her advice if you were being sued? Or would you ask your babysitter, who happens to deal with a lot of children, how you should treat your toddler's ear infections? No, you'd pay a professional!

Scrutinize the source of any advice you may receive and find resources that will provide the kind of information you need to make an informed decision. You can obtain information on license sanctions, Medicaid and Medicare fraud, and other data about your doctor through a healthcare entity, but you will have to pay for it. Many different services are available; some provide limited information without a signed authorization from the doctor, while others provide more comprehensive data. Getting this data can take not only money but time, so plan ahead and be patient. Don't risk your looks or your life. Isn't it worth the minimal cost when someone is about to take a scalpel to your body? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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8. PAT ANSWERS - FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) Liposuction and Weight Gain

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Q: If I have Liposuction and gain weight, will the fat return?

A: While it is true that fat cells extracted will not return, that does not give you permission to ignore good eating habits.

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As a matter of fact, too much weight gain after liposuction can compromise the benefit of the procedure in the first place. Additional weight will accumulate in areas that have not been suctioned and can appear irregular or lumpy in comparison to the treated areas. In most cases a small to moderate amount of weight gain should not jeopardize your results. Liposuction is best reserved for someone near their target weight with areas of fat that are resistant to diet or exercise. Do not consider liposuction as an alternative to healthy eating and exercise habits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a question? Please e-mail us at

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9. BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES
Pat Burgess - Before and After

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If I plan to be in this business, I better be ready to "spill and show"--spill what I had done and show the results, so here are my before and after pics... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have pictures you'd like to share, please e-mail them as a JPEG file to . Tell us your name, city and state, what you had done and when.

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10. CAN WE TALK? Visit our message board at:

http://www.safecosmeticsurgery.com/wwwboard/board.htm

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This is an unmoderated board. Messages are posted in full immediately. Share your ideas and information with others who could benefit. Please be respectful with your posts. Feel free to discuss your experiences We ask that you refrain from naming doctors directly, whether for a positive or negative experience. Without all the facts from all parties, we feel that this would be unfair and disrespectful.

Should you have a concern or praise about a doctor, please let us know. That will help us in our credentialing efforts. We may also be able to assist you in finding additional information not readily accessible to the general public.

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This newsletter and resulting community is creating the "Benchmark for Quality". Please help us with that process. Tell us what you want, you interests, thoughts, suggestions or comments. Please e-mail us at

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