Plastic Surgery Safety and You
There has never been a better time to consider plastic surgery than today. With better techniques in plastic surgery and new and evolving technologies, it is becoming safer than ever before to improve your appearance. Today there are many choices for cosmetic surgery, both surgical and non-surgical. In many cases there is little or no hospital down time! The best way to ensure your peace of mind and minimize risk is to do some homework BEFORE you make a choice of doctor or facilities.
Here are a few things to watch for when considering plastic surgery and choosing a surgeon:
• The first thing is go to a REAL Doctor. Never have anything injected in your body by a non qualified professional. Do NOT have surgery by the “doctor from another country” who flies in once a month to perform surgery. Anybody who is willing to come to your house to perform a procedure or surgical treatment BEWARE . Unfortunately these are not jokes but daily occurrences here in Southern Florida. Remember if you choose to use a non licensed practitioner and you get a complication. The complication could severely disfigure you. It will also be very hard to find a doctor to treat you. It will most likely costing you many times the original fees you paid to the unlicensed person. A bill more than $100,000 for hospital for a botched surgery is very common
• Find out the qualifications of the surgeon; is she or he Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)? The ABPS is the only board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Do not be confused by people who say they are “cosmetic surgeons”. Plastic Surgeons who are board certified have at least 5-8 years of post medical school training. A “cosmetic surgeon” can call themselves that without any training.
• Make sure the doctor has privileges for performing the procedure that you want in a hospital. Even if you choose not to use a hospital setting. The standards of a hospital must be met prior to that doctor having hospital privileges.
• Check the surgeon’s FL State medical license; has it been suspended, any other issues? You can check for the license here: https://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00PRAES/PRASLIST.ASP . Most states have a web site where you can access your doctor’s license records. It can be scary what you might find out.
• If you will be having anesthesia ask to see the credentials of the anesthesia provider. They also should be board certified.
• Take a tour of the facilities prior to surgery, check the layout, and make sure you feel comfortable with the size, age and condition of the building. Is the building clean? Does the facility have adequate and up to date equipment? What accreditation does the facility posses? Remember in Florida a Doctor can operate in any place they deem fit within the zoning guidelines? There are unfortunately, less then scruples doctors and businessmen, who operate in non licensed facilities in violations of codes and laws all over Florida and the country.
• Find out if the facility has proper recovery rooms and service. What happens if your recovery runs long? Will they ship you to the ER or another facility?(with an attached large bill) What staff do they keep late in the day. What will happen if you have an emergency? Check out the staff, they should have a registered nurse in the recovery and operating rooms. Is there a limit to how long you can stay in recovery, will they end up moving you to another facility you haven’t researched?
To sum it up, if you aren’t comfortable with your doctor or the facilities, DON’T get your surgery there. Do your research; the patient that could be saved from dreadful results, could be you.
• Make sure you know your risk of surgery, do you have any pre-existing conditions such as a heart or lung condition, as some illnesses may increase your risk dramatically. Please be honest with your doctor and other medical specialist who are getting you prepared for surgery.
• You should not smoke prior to surgery! Minimize or stop alcohol prior to surgery.
• You should keep a good nutrition, keep hydrated, and drink plenty of liquids, no starvation diets prior to surgery.
• Increase your exercise tolerance. You should walk 30 minutes twice a day or at least 45 minutes once day at minimum to be able to tolerate elective cosmetic plastic surgery. If you can’t walk or are severely limited by injury or illness this needs to be discussed prior to your surgery.
• Don’t take any aspirins, ibuprofen, or any blood thinning products prior to surgery unless directed by your surgeon 1-2 weeks before your surgery. Many natural or herbal products have blood thinning properties.
• Discuss with your surgeon all medications, or any over the counter and herbal products you are taking.
• Start taking a multivitamin each day and Vitamin C (1000 to 1500 mg) a day and continue taking through your recovery. The healthier you are, the quicker your recovery will be, but NO mega doses of Vitamin E.
• Be extra careful about hygiene and make a habit of washing your hands frequently, and make sure you report signs of cold, infections or any other problems prior to surgery.
The day of surgery and after:
• Follow you doctor’s guidelines explicitly.
• Do not take additional medications that your doctor did not approve for you.
• Do not smoke!!!
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Walk, walk and more walking. You need to walk the day of surgery. This can help greatly decrease multiply complications. It will help reduce the risk of blood clots, pneumonia and other serious problems. I have my patients walk for 5-10 minutes every hour when awake after surgery with assistance the day of surgery. This then increases to 10 minutes of walking an hour the next day.
• Also please shower with antimicrobial soap prior to going to facility for your procedure.
Above all, be prepared for surgery, both mentally and physically, this will make everything go much smoother. The goal of your surgeon is to help making your operation as less stressful as possible. Your surgeon should check your medical history and current health before deciding if it is safe for you to go on with surgery. It’s important that you share any important medical information so your surgeon can better determine the risks involved. Make sure that your goals and expectation match with your doctors. Above all, enjoy the life altering experience
• The first thing is go to a REAL Doctor. Never have anything injected in your body by a non qualified professional. Do NOT have surgery by the “doctor from another country” who flies in once a month to perform surgery. Anybody who is willing to come to your house to perform a procedure or surgical treatment BEWARE . Unfortunately these are not jokes but daily occurrences here in Southern Florida. Remember if you choose to use a non licensed practitioner and you get a complication. The complication could severely disfigure you. It will also be very hard to find a doctor to treat you. It will most likely costing you many times the original fees you paid to the unlicensed person. A bill more than $100,000 for hospital for a botched surgery is very common
• Find out the qualifications of the surgeon; is she or he Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)? The ABPS is the only board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Do not be confused by people who say they are “cosmetic surgeons”. Plastic Surgeons who are board certified have at least 5-8 years of post medical school training. A “cosmetic surgeon” can call themselves that without any training.
• Make sure the doctor has privileges for performing the procedure that you want in a hospital. Even if you choose not to use a hospital setting. The standards of a hospital must be met prior to that doctor having hospital privileges.
• Check the surgeon’s FL State medical license; has it been suspended, any other issues? You can check for the license here: https://ww2.doh.state.fl.us/IRM00PRAES/PRASLIST.ASP . Most states have a web site where you can access your doctor’s license records. It can be scary what you might find out.
• If you will be having anesthesia ask to see the credentials of the anesthesia provider. They also should be board certified.
• Take a tour of the facilities prior to surgery, check the layout, and make sure you feel comfortable with the size, age and condition of the building. Is the building clean? Does the facility have adequate and up to date equipment? What accreditation does the facility posses? Remember in Florida a Doctor can operate in any place they deem fit within the zoning guidelines? There are unfortunately, less then scruples doctors and businessmen, who operate in non licensed facilities in violations of codes and laws all over Florida and the country.
• Find out if the facility has proper recovery rooms and service. What happens if your recovery runs long? Will they ship you to the ER or another facility?(with an attached large bill) What staff do they keep late in the day. What will happen if you have an emergency? Check out the staff, they should have a registered nurse in the recovery and operating rooms. Is there a limit to how long you can stay in recovery, will they end up moving you to another facility you haven’t researched?
To sum it up, if you aren’t comfortable with your doctor or the facilities, DON’T get your surgery there. Do your research; the patient that could be saved from dreadful results, could be you.
Here are some things to consider before surgery day:
• Make sure you know your risk of surgery, do you have any pre-existing conditions such as a heart or lung condition, as some illnesses may increase your risk dramatically. Please be honest with your doctor and other medical specialist who are getting you prepared for surgery.
• You should not smoke prior to surgery! Minimize or stop alcohol prior to surgery.
• You should keep a good nutrition, keep hydrated, and drink plenty of liquids, no starvation diets prior to surgery.
• Increase your exercise tolerance. You should walk 30 minutes twice a day or at least 45 minutes once day at minimum to be able to tolerate elective cosmetic plastic surgery. If you can’t walk or are severely limited by injury or illness this needs to be discussed prior to your surgery.
• Don’t take any aspirins, ibuprofen, or any blood thinning products prior to surgery unless directed by your surgeon 1-2 weeks before your surgery. Many natural or herbal products have blood thinning properties.
• Discuss with your surgeon all medications, or any over the counter and herbal products you are taking.
• Start taking a multivitamin each day and Vitamin C (1000 to 1500 mg) a day and continue taking through your recovery. The healthier you are, the quicker your recovery will be, but NO mega doses of Vitamin E.
• Be extra careful about hygiene and make a habit of washing your hands frequently, and make sure you report signs of cold, infections or any other problems prior to surgery.
The day of surgery and after:
• Follow you doctor’s guidelines explicitly.
• Do not take additional medications that your doctor did not approve for you.
• Do not smoke!!!
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Walk, walk and more walking. You need to walk the day of surgery. This can help greatly decrease multiply complications. It will help reduce the risk of blood clots, pneumonia and other serious problems. I have my patients walk for 5-10 minutes every hour when awake after surgery with assistance the day of surgery. This then increases to 10 minutes of walking an hour the next day.
• Also please shower with antimicrobial soap prior to going to facility for your procedure.
Above all, be prepared for surgery, both mentally and physically, this will make everything go much smoother. The goal of your surgeon is to help making your operation as less stressful as possible. Your surgeon should check your medical history and current health before deciding if it is safe for you to go on with surgery. It’s important that you share any important medical information so your surgeon can better determine the risks involved. Make sure that your goals and expectation match with your doctors. Above all, enjoy the life altering experience
About Anire Okpaku, MD, FACS:
Doctor Anire Okpaku is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and the Medical Director of Ocean View Plastic Surgery, serving the needs of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and South Florida. He specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery.
He is an active member of the Bayside Medical Center at Mercy Hospital where he performs most of his surgeries. He also holds privileges in multiply other South Florida Hospitals.
Dr. Okpaku graduated from the prestigious Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, relocating later to Miami to where he completed his general surgical residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital University of Miami. He went on to complete a Plastic Surgery Fellowship at the University of Texas Health and Science Center, in San Antonio.
1900 Brickell Avenue
Miami, FL 33129
Phone : (305) 856-9566
Site : www.DroBodies.com
