Is the State of Plastic Surgery Changing?

I had a conversation with another local plastic surgeon yesterday and he lamented about the state of plastic surgery today. He’s been around a bit longer than I have and said he’s seeing things changing in our area. “People are advertising rock-bottom prices and red-tag sales,” he stated. We’re seeing a large number of non-plastic surgeons performing plastic surgery in the metro Detroit area, and the numbers of these practitioners appears to be increasing by the month. The worsening economic climate has probably pushed more and more non-plastic surgeons into our field.
I picked up a local glossy magazine and saw a special advertising section, featuring lasers and cosmetic plastic surgery. Many people see the large, glossy ads and automatically assume that means the physician is a reputable, board-certified plastic surgeon. So who are these doctors?

One is an osteopathic physician whom I think may be ENT-trained and fellowship trained in cosmetic surgery.
One is an internal medicine physician who is advertising liposuction.
One is an emergency room physician who is advertising all types of cosmetic plastic surgery.
One is an osteopathic board-certified plastic surgeon.
Two are plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

All of the ads are very convincing and well-written. No wonder patients get confused on who to actually go to!

Photo credit: plasticsurgeryhumour.com

Update on The Lifestyle Lift

Some new articles focusing on the Lifestyle Lift present further information for any of you considering these procedures:

1. Lifestyle Lift Website Sues Vendor for Negative Reviews (From PSP E Report) :
Santa Clara University School of Law professor Eric Goldman, who has advised RealSelf on the case, posts about the issue on his personal blog:
“No matter how many times I see it — and in the Internet era, I see it all too frequently — I always shake my head in disappointment and frustration when a company uses trademark law to lash out against unflattering consumer reviews. To these companies, trademark law is a cure-all tonic for their marketplace travails, and trademark doctrine is so plastic and amorphous that defendants have some difficulty mounting a proper defense. As a result, all too frequently, the threat of a trademark lawsuit causes the intermediary to capitulate and excise valuable content from the Internet.”

I do not perform the Lifestyle Lift. I disagree with how theis procedure is often advertised. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.