Cosmetic Surgery Larceny
June 2nd, 2009
Today The Orange County Register reported the surrender of the “Big Busted Bandit ” to the police. Allegedly she stole a breast enlargement surgery through identity theft. She was tracked down through her implant manufacturer serial numbers, according to the paper. It makes sense that with the advent of relatively inexpensive cosmetic medicine procedures popping up in some retail settings rather than established clinics and hospitals, this kind of thing has become more “popular.” I am sure that difficult economic times have played a role as well.
Cosmetic surgery larceny is nothing new. I first saw this occur in my practice some 20 years ago. A breast enlargement patient stopped payment on her check, on the very afternoon after having surgery. I was unable to re-collect the fee even though I tried. A difficult and expensive lesson to learn as a new plastic surgeon in practice.
All goods and services including cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine are at risk for theft. Most long standing plastic surgery practices have been victims at some level and recognize the risk. Measures are often taken to reduce the risk of this type of fraud. Requiring prepayment by 7-10 days if paying by check is a common practice and credit card payments may also be limited, as these charges can be contested by less than honorable patients. The last responsibility needed by a physician is chasing after a fee!
Over Plumping
May 5th, 2009
Foster Farms vintage ad campaign for their chicken products uses a parody of over-plumping with artificial fillers. In their television commercial, chickens are seen in a plastic surgeon’s office receiving injections to make them plumper. It is quite obvious that they are way too plump.This situation is underscored by the distorted facial appearance of the surgeon’s nurse when she finally reveals her face to the camera. This crazy parody pokes fun at the sometimes over-zealous use of fillers in Hollywood.
I see over-plumping all the time, especially in the lips. The individuals, usually women, lose all of their natural lip shape. The over-injection usually masks all natural proportion. The television commercial effectively uses this phenomenon for optimum comedic effect. However, I agree with the tagline, “over-plumping” is never good.
A word of caution, the over-injection of any area of the body can lead to skin loss and terrible, uncorrectable scarring. The large volume of material simply reduces the blood flow to the treated area in such a way that the skin, muscle and fat die. Fortunately, this complication is very rare when only modest amounts of filler materials are used.
Finally, please avoid all silicone injections for cosmetic reasons. The risk of chronic long term inflammation which arises is not worth it. Fat Grafting is a natural technique used more commonly now for facial rejuvenation and avoids the use of artificial fillers. See more on fat grafting injections.
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