Cosmetic Surgery Referral Services are becoming increasingly popular, with many prospective patients using these kinds of services to do the "leg-work", from making sure the clinic is reputable and the surgeon is skilled and accredited, to helping to find the best prices for cosmetic surgery.
Doing this does definitely have its benefits, but a few words of caution...
You will still need to make sure that the referral service itself is reputable. There are several agencies that are seemingly unconcerned about the services that the clinics that they refer patients to are of the highest quality. This can understandably lead the patient to go into surgery with a false belief that their clinic is going to be of a high standard, with an accredited and experienced surgeon. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
The kind of referral service that I would advise all prospective patients to steer well clear of are those which ask for an upfront referral fee. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of agencies that are most heavily-promoted on the internet, as webmasters will get a good commission for placing adverts for these types of services on their websites.
The smart cosmetic surgery patient should avoid paying any upfront fees. It can, in effect, commit you to using the services that the referral company has recommended to you, as the patient is unlikely to want to lose such a large sum of money, with nothing to show for it.
I suspect that is what these kinds of offers are counting on!
If a patient would like to research several of these kinds of companies offerings, then they will have committed to hundreds of dollars-worth of expenditure before the actual cosmetic surgery fees. I'm sure that there are some reputable companies offering this kind of service, but I am equally sure that there are plenty of dodgy ones, as well.
For this reason, I would recommend anyone considering cosmetic surgery to research a little further, before committing to any referral fees.
Also, if you have paid a cosmetic surgery referral fee, but are having doubts about the level of service the company offers, it will be far better for you to back-out, and just lose the money than to risk your health. You may be able to pursue the company through the courts, if it appears that the agency was insufficiently transparent.
For more advice and information like this, visit Cheaper Cosmetic Surgery Abroad.com
Showing posts with label dangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dangers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Friday, 26 November 2010
Another Tragic Plastic Surgery Accident
I haven't posted recently as I've been busy on other things, but one recent news story needed to be drawn attention to.
I'm referring to the tragic death of Wang Bei, the popular star of the extremely successful Chinese talent show Super Girl.
Wang Bei had an incredible talent, and was a natural beauty, which makes it all the more surprising that she should have felt the need to resort to plastic surgery, especially at the young age of 24. The procedure she was undergoing was chin reduction surgery, intended to make her jaw-line more narrow. Even the harshest critic would not have been able to tell her was necessary.
The operating surgeon cut through a blood vessel, and the blood-flow could not be stopped, filling her lungs.
The medical facility where this occurred is quite legal and above board, illustrating the need for greater supervision of such practices, and also the need for there to be more checks on the expertise of surgeons. All to often, surgeons are able to perform operations that they are simply not skilled or experienced enough to perform. This is a problem in all countries, and it is one that the industry itself need to address.
Otherwise, this is the result. Young, promising lives, such as Wang Bei's, being prematurely ended. I appeal for anyone opting for cosmetic surgery to do thorough research on both the clinic and the surgeon who will operate. Ask for photos of previous customers, ask for certificates of training and accreditation. Don't allow yourself to become a statistic.
I'm referring to the tragic death of Wang Bei, the popular star of the extremely successful Chinese talent show Super Girl.
Wang Bei had an incredible talent, and was a natural beauty, which makes it all the more surprising that she should have felt the need to resort to plastic surgery, especially at the young age of 24. The procedure she was undergoing was chin reduction surgery, intended to make her jaw-line more narrow. Even the harshest critic would not have been able to tell her was necessary.
The operating surgeon cut through a blood vessel, and the blood-flow could not be stopped, filling her lungs.
The medical facility where this occurred is quite legal and above board, illustrating the need for greater supervision of such practices, and also the need for there to be more checks on the expertise of surgeons. All to often, surgeons are able to perform operations that they are simply not skilled or experienced enough to perform. This is a problem in all countries, and it is one that the industry itself need to address.
Otherwise, this is the result. Young, promising lives, such as Wang Bei's, being prematurely ended. I appeal for anyone opting for cosmetic surgery to do thorough research on both the clinic and the surgeon who will operate. Ask for photos of previous customers, ask for certificates of training and accreditation. Don't allow yourself to become a statistic.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Is it really more risky to get plastic surgery abroad?
The media often describes the dangers of plastic surgery abroad, illustrated with shocking cases from overseas cosmetic surgery clinics. It is positive that these incidents are reported to the public, but does it mean that there is a danger of prospective patients starting to assume that the more expensive clinics in the UK will automatically be safer, more reputable and more competent? If so, then the following report about the real standards in UK clinics ought to be a real eye-opener!
With great regularity, the media goes into overdrive about botched cosmetic surgery in foreign countries. While it is quite right that the shoddy workmanship of poor surgeons at mediocre clinics abroad should be highlighted, it is important to retain a sense of balance, and realise that the same things can, and do, go wrong in British clinics.
The problem is that the media that are reporting the dangers of overseas surgery are all too often dependent on advertising revenue from the domestic cosmetic clinics. God Bless the BBC, then, for publishing a report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, showing just how far from ideal British clinics often are. (The BBC is, as we know, one of the few major corporations in the media that are mostly independent from private business and advertising, which is why they have been able to publish.)
One fundamental weakness was identified, that in many ways is the cause of many of the other failings. Out of all the cosmetic surgeons practicing in Britain, only a third of them are members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. It is clear that legislation and tougher regulation is needed.
For instance, it is recommended that a cosmetic clinic performs a set minimum number of a specific given operation per year. The reasoning behind this is that without practice, it is less likely that surgeon will be able to keep their skills up, which is really just common sense. An airplane pilot is not able to retain his license to fly without a certain number of flights per year, for the same reasons.
In the instance of plastic surgery, a minimum of twenty operations per year is recommended; however, the reality is that a great proportion of British clinics perform far less than this set level, yet still feeling confident to undertake surgeries that they rarely perform. Just one-tenth of the 361 sites reviewed managed to perform this number of ear pinning surgeries, while only 20% managed to reach this number of breast reductions. One quarter of the sample of clinics performed a sufficient number of facelift operations.
The results show that a large number of cosmetic surgery procedures in this country are being performed by surgeons of insufficient experience. In fact, what is being highlighted is more of a “have a go” mentality, rather than the experience and professionalism you would expect.
This was not where the criticisms ended. Just one third of the clinics, who have not been named, bothered to carry out any kind of psychological evaluation of the patients.
And while it a two-stage consent process is in place, to allow patients to properly consider their surgery options, less than a third of clinics manage to follow this recommendation.
More than half of all the clinics were insufficiently equipped, and one in five had no emergency readmission policy in place. Monitoring of patients before and after surgery was also found to be lacking.
It should not necessarily be inferred from this report that British Cosmetic Surgery Clinics are more or less dangerous than overseas ones. More, the prospective patient should use the results of this information to understand that in any country there may be superb clinics and also ones of a lower standard. The patient must make sure that the clinic they are considering does follow industry regulations and guidelines, and particularly that the surgeon who will be operating on them has sufficient experience. What the report does illustrate is that just because the prices are higher in the UK than those for cosmetic surgery abroad does not necessarily mean that the quality of surgery can be expected to be better.
With great regularity, the media goes into overdrive about botched cosmetic surgery in foreign countries. While it is quite right that the shoddy workmanship of poor surgeons at mediocre clinics abroad should be highlighted, it is important to retain a sense of balance, and realise that the same things can, and do, go wrong in British clinics.
The problem is that the media that are reporting the dangers of overseas surgery are all too often dependent on advertising revenue from the domestic cosmetic clinics. God Bless the BBC, then, for publishing a report by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, showing just how far from ideal British clinics often are. (The BBC is, as we know, one of the few major corporations in the media that are mostly independent from private business and advertising, which is why they have been able to publish.)
One fundamental weakness was identified, that in many ways is the cause of many of the other failings. Out of all the cosmetic surgeons practicing in Britain, only a third of them are members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. It is clear that legislation and tougher regulation is needed.
For instance, it is recommended that a cosmetic clinic performs a set minimum number of a specific given operation per year. The reasoning behind this is that without practice, it is less likely that surgeon will be able to keep their skills up, which is really just common sense. An airplane pilot is not able to retain his license to fly without a certain number of flights per year, for the same reasons.
In the instance of plastic surgery, a minimum of twenty operations per year is recommended; however, the reality is that a great proportion of British clinics perform far less than this set level, yet still feeling confident to undertake surgeries that they rarely perform. Just one-tenth of the 361 sites reviewed managed to perform this number of ear pinning surgeries, while only 20% managed to reach this number of breast reductions. One quarter of the sample of clinics performed a sufficient number of facelift operations.
The results show that a large number of cosmetic surgery procedures in this country are being performed by surgeons of insufficient experience. In fact, what is being highlighted is more of a “have a go” mentality, rather than the experience and professionalism you would expect.
This was not where the criticisms ended. Just one third of the clinics, who have not been named, bothered to carry out any kind of psychological evaluation of the patients.
And while it a two-stage consent process is in place, to allow patients to properly consider their surgery options, less than a third of clinics manage to follow this recommendation.
More than half of all the clinics were insufficiently equipped, and one in five had no emergency readmission policy in place. Monitoring of patients before and after surgery was also found to be lacking.
It should not necessarily be inferred from this report that British Cosmetic Surgery Clinics are more or less dangerous than overseas ones. More, the prospective patient should use the results of this information to understand that in any country there may be superb clinics and also ones of a lower standard. The patient must make sure that the clinic they are considering does follow industry regulations and guidelines, and particularly that the surgeon who will be operating on them has sufficient experience. What the report does illustrate is that just because the prices are higher in the UK than those for cosmetic surgery abroad does not necessarily mean that the quality of surgery can be expected to be better.
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