News » Thinking About Plastic Surgery?
Are you considering cosmetic surgery? Read these guidelines before you go any further.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) offers these safety guidelines for anyone considering cosmetic surgery.
Credentials: Selected surgeons should be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). Any doctor (even one from a nonsurgical specialty) can legally perform surgery. On the other hand, certification by the ABPS ensures at least five years of surgical training, including two years of training specifically in plastic surgery.
Patients undergoing a cosmetic procedure should select a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) to help ensure that their surgeon has extensive cosmetic surgical experience and has met ASAPS requirements for continuing cosmetic surgery education.
Hospital privileges: Cosmetic plastic surgery is often performed outside the hospital in an office-based surgical facility. Wherever the surgery is to be performed, selected surgeons should have hospital privileges to perform the specific procedure in an acute care hospital.
Facilities: Published data show that accredited office-based facilities have a safety record comparable to that of hospital ambulatory surgery settings. Ambulatory or office-based facilities should be accredited by a nationally or state-recognized accrediting agency, or be state licensed or Medicare certified.
Health: Candidates for cosmetic surgery should be in generally good physical health and must be candid with their physician about any drugs they are taking.
The medical history should include hormones (oral contraceptives and estrogen replacement) and even aspirin, vitamins, and herbal medications since these substances can interfere with blood clotting or interact with medications used during surgery and could increase surgical risk.
Patient education: Before surgery, patients should be educated about all aspects of the planned surgery, including whether to discontinue certain medications and stop smoking.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) offers these safety guidelines for anyone considering cosmetic surgery.
Credentials: Selected surgeons should be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). Any doctor (even one from a nonsurgical specialty) can legally perform surgery. On the other hand, certification by the ABPS ensures at least five years of surgical training, including two years of training specifically in plastic surgery.
Patients undergoing a cosmetic procedure should select a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) to help ensure that their surgeon has extensive cosmetic surgical experience and has met ASAPS requirements for continuing cosmetic surgery education.
Hospital privileges: Cosmetic plastic surgery is often performed outside the hospital in an office-based surgical facility. Wherever the surgery is to be performed, selected surgeons should have hospital privileges to perform the specific procedure in an acute care hospital.
Facilities: Published data show that accredited office-based facilities have a safety record comparable to that of hospital ambulatory surgery settings. Ambulatory or office-based facilities should be accredited by a nationally or state-recognized accrediting agency, or be state licensed or Medicare certified.
Health: Candidates for cosmetic surgery should be in generally good physical health and must be candid with their physician about any drugs they are taking.
The medical history should include hormones (oral contraceptives and estrogen replacement) and even aspirin, vitamins, and herbal medications since these substances can interfere with blood clotting or interact with medications used during surgery and could increase surgical risk.
Patient education: Before surgery, patients should be educated about all aspects of the planned surgery, including whether to discontinue certain medications and stop smoking.