CNN article on "wanna-be" cosmetic surgeons

Here's an article from CNN Health, which talks about how many physicians are trying their hand at cosmetic medicine and cosmetic surgery, regardless of their training, board certification, or experience.

Link

It's clear that some physicians think that the "grass is greener" on the plastic surgery side of the fence...but they don't want to invest the time to train properly in plastic surgery, since that takes years. So, more and more frequently, these docs take a one-day course on saturday, then start using their new laser or liposuction machine on monday. It's a recipe for problems, and the patient is the one who suffers.

I think the most insightful quote in the article is this one, from Dr. Brent Moelleken, a plastic surgeon in California. "If patients heard about a plastic surgeon expanding his practice to include Pap smears and hysterectomies, they would be horrified. But they think little of having laser procedures or liposuction done by a gynecologist. And there is no law against either."

Remember, just because it's cosmetic doesn't mean it isn't real surgery, with real potential for complications. Do your research. Stick with experienced, credentialled surgeons who practice within their field of training. Review their before and after pictures. Talk to some other patients. Extra time taken when selecting your surgeon pays dividends later.

Capital One exits cosmetic surgery financing

Capital One is pulling out of the health care financing market -- removing one financing option for medical services. As of April 10, 2009, Capital One is not accepting any new installment loan applications for cosmetic surgery, or any other medical expenses.

If you already have an approved Capital One loan, you're OK - that won't be affected.

While understandable from a business point of view, it's too bad. Capital One provided a helpful service, and their loan plan was one of the more popular ones with many of our patients.

Medical Tourism - American Style

It occurred to me, after attending a recent meeting, that the prices of Plastic Surgery procedures here in Central Florida have remained pretty stable over the last 15 years - while most other areas have gone up significantly by comparison.

That means, out-of-town patients can fly in from the Northeast, the Midwest, or the West Coast, have their surgery with us here in sunny Orlando, staying all the while in a resort hotel - and still save a significant amount of money compared to doing the same procedure at home, while under the care of an expert Board Certified Plastic surgeon and MD anesthesiologist, in a AAAASF-certified facility.

While it is difficult to determine exact prices in different cities, a little detective work on the web found these prices for breast augmentation, as reported by patients themselves.

New York City.....................$8000-10,000
San Francisco, Dallas (tie).......$8000
Newport Beach....................$7500
National Average................$7500
Chicago............................$6500

Little ol' me..............$4999 for silicone, $3999 for saline with our fall special

You don't need to go outside the U.S. to have reasonably priced surgery. Just fly to Orlando - America's #1 family travel destination! Now that's what I call Medical Tourism - American style!!