The Los Angeles Times, on June 16 2010, published an article titled Finding a reputable plastic surgeon and alluded to the fact that finding a good plastic surgeon involved more work than just reading up on advertisements and business listings.

Patients need to find a good and reputable plastic surgeon if they want to get a safe and desirable outcome. The key factors are finding a plastic surgeon that is qualified and the most significant aspect of this is to check the board certifications of the doctor. The American Board of Plastic Surgery has a very strenuous and rigorous qualification process and the candidates that successfully achieve board certification have a certain level of knowledge and skills. This certification gives validation to the patient that this surgeon has the completed the appropriate credentialing.

Another way to choose the correct surgeon is to browse their websites and its content and to check the surgeon’s background especially their training and education, their fellowship experience and their areas of expertise. This will allow the patient to check if the area of expertise and interest of the plastic surgeon matches the area in which the patient wants to have work done and may result in a better outcome. Patients should also check the doctor’s before and after pictures and take the time, if they feel necessary, to talk to current and past patients so they may be able to receive honest feedback.

Dr. Forley M.D., F.A.C.S. is a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in aesthetic facial, breast and body contouring surgery. He has been in private practice in Manhattan since 1994. Dr. Forley is affiliated with the Beth Israel Medical Center, New York Eye & Ear Infirmary, and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Forley advises that the American Board of Medical Specialties gives a method to research plastic surgeons that one might find through advertisements and business listings. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), a not-for-profit organization, assists 24 approved medical specialty boards in the development and use of standards in the ongoing evaluation and certification of physicians. The ABMS suggests that patients ask one’s  trusted physicians like the family doctor for references and advice on choosing surgeons they know and have worked with. There is a lot of misinformation about board certifications as even though a doctor may be certified, it is important to ensure that the certification is from a reputable source. This is because some boards are not recognized by ABMS and hence do not have rigorous standards of certification. There are a lot of boards that are in existence right now and not all of them are recognized by the ABMS. The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is recognized by ABMS and hence surgeons certified by ABPS have undergone training and have been tested thoroughly on their knowledge and skills. Dr. Forley cautions that even though doctors claim that they are Board certified, one must dig a little deeper and do one’s due diligence to confirm that the certification has some significance.

At the end of the day  patient’s need to engage and do their homework when selecting a plastic surgeon.

A group of unhappy facial cosmetic surgery patients in the UK are voicing their frustration over the lack of oversight in London’s cosmetic surgery industry, and they are demanding change.

The British paper The Times reported that six women are campaigning for more regulation of London’s cosmetic industry. These women have all suffered botched cosmetic filler procedures and say they are now disfigured.

Solicitor Paul Balen, who is representing the women, told the Times he believes there are many more victims just like them, but few fight back.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons released survey results showing that two out of five of its members had corrected complications caused by permanent filler injections. One in five surgeons, the survey showed, corrected problems caused during body contouring operations.

While British legislators look for ways to improve regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry in the UK, American patients who are considering injectable fillers or another cosmetic procedure should look at their doctor’s credentials to minimize their risk. Doctors who are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery have undergone years of rigorous training and passed oral and written exams to ensure they are fully equipped to help patients achieve the best possible outcomes.

A recent online survey of more than 120 facial plastic surgeons nationwide has resulted in the bad–and frankly surprising–news that only half of them know how to properly wash their hands.

A research team at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital conducted the survey to establish the current hygiene knowledge and standards among a group of Ear, Nose and Throat trained facial plastic surgeons. And overall, the survey showed what the final study termed “suboptimal” hygiene standards.

Only 53 percent of the surgeons were aware that alcohol-based cleaners were best against bacteria on hands that appeared clean. Seventy-four percent of them were aware that soap and water is best on hands that appear dirty.

But only 42 percent of the surveyed surgeons knew the correct answer as to how often they should clean their hands during an operation – which is before and after having contact with a patient and before and after wearing examination gloves.

Proper hand hygiene is crucial, since it is the best way to prevent the spread of germs and infection in any hospital setting and certainly during facial surgery.

The low survey results do indicate that correct standards aren’t being met, and the reasons may include misinformation, a lack of time among surgeons, a shortage of sinks or possibly aversion to chemicals that irritate skin.

However, Dr. Geoffrey Keyes, MD, FACS, a Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon and expert on patient safety, says patients should not be overly concerned by the findings. Most hospitals and surgical centers provide pre-packaged sponges for doctors to use during hand-washing, which contain chemicals that kill germs and bacteria. Since most surgeons rely on these sponges to do their dirty work, it’s not surprising that they don’t recall the specifics of when to use alcohol versus H2O when they scrub in.

Meanwhile, the study researchers suggested that hospitals provide written guidelines and easily accessible cleansing products, and monitor hand-washing practices.

Interestingly this is already the standard at all accredited surgery center and hospitals. What is not clear from this study is whether the lack of knowledge of hand washing trivia actually translates into any problems with the surgical procedure. The infection related complications in facial procedures is exceedingly low.

This study also surveyed facial plastic surgeons, who go through a different training pathway than Board Certified Plastic Surgeons via the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

In the world of marketing, few ideas have more power than The Next Big Thing. With each new device, technique, and product that is released to the market, the popular media explodes in a flurry of activity, pushing out news of the latest breakthrough to the hungry masses.

But how much of what we read, see, and hear about plastic surgery is real news, and how much is just marketing hype?

The problem of marketing spin being presented as legitimate news in not new, nor is it confined to the plastic surgery field. After all, that’s what good public relations is all about. And savvy journalists know this, and have learned to do the “due diligence” necessary for accurate reporting.

But today, the line between hard news and hard sell is less clear. The 24/7  nature of modern media demands a constant stream of content, and some reporters have become adept at packaging promotional material as pure news – and that’s risky, because patients today look to the television media for information more than ever before.

For example, a local newscast in Dallas, Texas, recently featured a doctor performing a procedure to transfer fat taken from the stomach area to increase the size of the breasts. At no point, however, did the reporter mention that the doctor was not a board certified plastic surgeon, and the patient interviewed for the story was only three-weeks out from her surgery–not enough time to determine whether the procedure would have a lasting effect.

In short, although television news reports can be an excellent source of information about certain procedures, always be sure to do your homework. And if you’re considering an invasive plastic surgery procedure, make sure your doctor is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

The cities of Tracy and Stockton California have been rocked by reports of a plastic surgeon sexually assaulting his patients. Investigators believe there may be as many as 64 victims, one a 16 year old minor.

Dr. Peter Chi was arrested in February on charges he raped 8 patients. Since that time, dozens of women, including former employees, have stepped forward with similar reports.

Chi now faces 64 felony charges for sexual battery by fraud, rape, and commission of a lewd act on a minor. Bail was set at half a million dollars.

Although the San Joaquin County DA’s office requested a 2.3 million dollar bond, the judge denied the motion on the basis that Chi is not believed to be a flight risk.

As of this report, Dr. Chi is out on bond and hasn’t entered a plea, but has surrendered his medical license pending trial. Dr. Chi is also an ear nose and throat specialist, and is a facial plastic surgeon, a different pathway than typical plastic surgeons Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.