Introduction to Cosmetic Surgery

Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

Ideally, the stranger to whom one plans to trust his or her well-being will be wise, competent, well-educated, and confident. This can be difficult to determine and is often times based on minimal information, particularly regarding the surgeon’s ability to perform the specific surgical procedures planned. Compounding the dilemma is the knowledge that there are doctors who call themselves plastic surgeons who have minimal training and are gaining experience by working on you. Restraint of trade laws in the United States allow any physician to do anything he or she chooses once they have a license to practice medicine. It is the responsibility of the patient to understand to whom they trust their future cosmetic success and what organizations are available to provide quality control over that surgeon. Evaluation for certification by a board sanctioned by the American Board of Medical Specialties is an important criterion in evaluating a doctor’s background, as it verifies completion of a multi-yeasimpler training period and passing of both written and oral examinations. Membership in state and local medical societies also suggests attention to safety and efficacy in surgery. 
My MASA page
My Mobile Medical Society page

In order to have privileges in an accredited hospital, a doctor must have undergone an analysis of his or her training and clinical abilities by the specific hospital granting them privileges. One way to know if a surgeon has training in a particular procedure is to confirm that the surgeon has or has had privileges to do the same procedure in a hospital. Dr. Park has hospital privileges at the Mobile Infirmary, Providence Hospital, Springill Medical Center, and the University of South Alabama Hospitals. 
http://www.mobileinfirmary.org/
http://www.providencehospital.org
http://www.springhillmedicalcenter.com/
www.usouthal.edu/usacwh/
www.usouthal.edu/usamc/

Having completed his residency training, learning from esteemed physicians in the field of plastic surgery, and serving as a faculty member at Wake Forest University Medical Center, http://www.wfubmc.edu, Dr. Park is well versed in all of the techniques and latest modifications for each cosmetic procedure. 

The Consult
Dr. Park and the staff of MPRSD and The Park Clinic want you to feel comfortable communicating your motivations and goals in seeking cosmetic enhancement and your privacy and safety are our priorities. Dr. Park will answer your questions and explain his recommendations. Pre- and post-operative photographs may help to demonstrate procedures, but these are only examples of experiences that other patients are willing to share with you. 

Cosmetic Surgery Statistics
There has been a significant increase in cosmetic surgery procedures in the United States over the past two decades. The most common surgical procedure is breast augmentation, followed by rhinoplasty, liposuction, eyelid surgery, and abdominoplasty. The most common presenting complaint, however, is facial aging. Minimally invasive procedures such as fillers, Botox®, Retin-A®, chemical peels, and laser skin resurfacing are the most common procedures in the management of facial wrinkling and are becoming very popular. Males now account for 9% of all individuals seeking cosmetic surgery. There has also been an increase in younger people seeking cosmetic surgery operations and the majority of patients are between 40 and 54 years old (45%). 
View statistics from the ASPS.

Cosmetic surgery procedures are rarely covered by insurance companies and usually must be paid in full ahead of time.  The costs of an operation include the surgeon’s fee, the operating room costs, and if required, the cost of a nurse or physician anesthetist, the cost of any implants, and the cost of an overnight hospital stay. The following chart shows surgeon’s fee for the most common cosmetic operations from the ASPS. View PDF for average surgeon's fees for 2007.

Anesthesia
Some minor procedures can be done with topical or local anesthesia. Topical anesthesia requires a delay after application and is rarely completely anesthetic (without feeling). Local anesthesia is infiltrated by injection either along the path of a major nerve (nerve block) or locally around the surgical site. If true sedation is required, a physician (anesthesiologist) or a nurse anesthetist (CRNA) may be necessary but will increase the cost of a procedure. 

All of the descriptions for the various procedures are condensed from the text of the upcoming textbook written by Dr. Christopher Park and Dr. Malcolm Marks and are copyrighted, "The Artistry of Plastic Surgery: Exploring the Experience” .