|
Many have heard of the recent unfortunate death of a young woman having body liposuction. There is specific concern that the doctor performing the procedure was not a specialist in surgery. Prospective patients have expressed very reasonable concerns about the credentials of practioners in cosmetic surgery.
You should know that plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery can be safely performed by surgical specialists from several specialties. These include plastic surgeons (who are trained in plastic surgery of the whole body), facial plastic surgeons (otolaryngologists - head and neck surgeons who specialize in head and neck plastic surgery) and oculoplastic surgeons (ophthalmologists who specialize in plastic surgery around the eye). What all three of these specialists have in common is at least 5 years of surgical training following their medical degree.
Although not trained as surgeons, there are some dermatologists who took additional training in surgical procedures, especially those related to skin cancer removal and reconstruction.
What is most important is for you to carefully check the training and experience of the surgeon you select, especially to confirm that they have the credentials for the specific procedures you are interested in. The FRCSC designation (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada) is the most reliable one related to surgical training. The American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, which some Canadians surgeons belong to, reflects additional training or experience beyond the level of the FRCSC designation.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has said it will review its regulations to prevent this type of tragedy from occurring again. In the meantime, take responsibility for finding out about your surgeon's qualifications and experience - remembering different types of surgeons are well qualified to do cosmetic procedures in their area of specialization. And also, remember that, in general, having cosmetic surgery is very safe and provides highly satisfying results for the vast majority of people.
|
