“Anyone can wear a white coat” says the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, “but not everyone is board certified in plastic surgery.”
A new media campaign is spreading awareness about physicians who are performing plastic surgery without the rigorous training of board certified plastic surgeons.
“Despite all she’s been through, Denora Rodriquez feels lucky. She underwent surgery to have her breast implants replaced, but woke up to much more than she ever bargained for.”
“The surgeon botched her implants, causing them to merge together (a complication called symmastia). To make matters worse, during the same surgery, he decided to operate on Denora’s eyes, without her permission.”
Now she says she can’t close her eyes completely and must care for them constantly. She says she has to use medication and the experience has been “very uncomfortable.”
Dr. Steve Teitelbaum, plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, was able to fix her breasts. “We reconnected her skin over the breastbone down to the breastbone and then created two separate pockets for the breast implants, one behind each breast,” he explained Dr. Teitelbaum to CBS2 news.
The doctor also criticized the medical system that allows non-board certified plastic surgeons to perform plastic surgery. Only a few states have laws that require physicians to be transparent about their credentials, and there’s no law on a national level.
It’s up to you, the patient, to learn exactly what your doctor is qualified to do, before doing anything at all, warns the ASPS.
