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Saturday, October 18, 2008

Cosmetic Surgery - Realistic Expectations

By A Aaronson

While most plastic surgeons care about their patients' well being and satisfaction with their cosmetic surgery procedures, there are apparently some doctors out there who are only concerned about their own bottom line. At least that's the accusation the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) is making against several companies in the United Kingdom.

The BAAPS claims that unscrupulous surgeons are creating advertisements that create unrealistic expectations for potential patients. Some advertisements picture women with digitally enhanced breasts, falsely telling consumers that they can have larger-than-life breasts with implants and breast lift surgery.

"BAAPS has been increasingly concerned about the standard and style of today's cosmetic surgery advertising," said Douglas McGeorge, the president of the association and a consultant plastic surgeon. "Surgery is a serious undertaking which requires realistic expectations and should only proceed after proper consultation with a properly qualified clinician in an appropriate clinical setting."

In reference to a particular ad with a digitally enhanced breast augmentation, McGeorge added,

"This lady's bottom appears very slim to her top. But if you look closely it is abnormal. It gives a completely false presentation of what can be done and sets unrealistic expectations. If a woman with that figure had that body we know she would have to engage in years of correctional surgery."

The BAAPS is also upset about companies that promise "lunchtime face lifts," because such procedures do not exist. McGeorge commented, "It would be lovely to have a lunchtime facelift. But it simply does not exist."

The BAAPS is a voluntary association representing roughly a third of UK plastic surgeons, but the group has no regulatory power to change anything. They must simply lodge their complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority and hope that consumers sort out what it real from the fakes.

Former BAAPS president Adam Searle said, "Plastic surgery, when used well, is the most powerful tool to improve patients' well-being. What it should not be used for is to make money. It is the patient who should benefit not the surgeon."

Some of the most common cosmetic procedures include breast implants, breast lifts, body lifts, thigh lifts, rhinoplasty, and tummy tucks or abdominoplasty. Each of these is a major surgery that requires time, money, and a recovery period.

None of these should be undertaken without a realistic sense of what the results will be like. For example, a tummy tuck, otherwise known as an abdominoplasty, can significantly tighten and firm the stomach muscles and create a much smoother look, but it cannot take someone from a slightly overweight figure and magically give them the abs of a supermodel or weightlifter.

Plastic surgery like breast lifts, body lifts, and thigh lifts can dramatically improve the appearance of someone who has just experienced a massive weight loss, and they can help fight against gravity and the effects of aging, but they will not create a body like the ones people see in magazines, because these are digitally enhanced, and airbrushed to eliminate any scar or blemish.

If you are looking into cosmetic surgery for yourself, be sure that you understand the advantages as well as the limitations of the procedures and choose a doctor who is duly certified, licensed, and experienced.


Finding the right surgeon is the biggest hurdle you need to overcome in your quest for plastic surgery. If you're looking for the best plastic surgeons in Boston to do your tummy tuck or breast implant surgery, contact http://www.drmossthebeautyboss.com/.

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