Plastic surgery procedures rates are growing rapidly each year in the United States. From 2009-2010 t there was a 9% increase in procedures and in 2010 there were 1.6 million procedures alone in one year; Breast augmentation being the number one cosmetic procedure. Many patients look meticulously to find a doctor that can fit their needs, but not everyone is aware of the different types of plastic surgery certification.
To become an official board certified plastic surgeon, doctors must go through a residency that is five to six years in both general surgery and plastic surgery. They must also pass a six hour written exam with 400 questions and a two-day oral exam focused on their recent cases and some unknown ones meant to test judgment.
But there is another type of "plastic surgery certification" that doctors can obtain by taking a two day workshop, with 5 to 6 "live demonstrations" of the procedure. This option is made available to doctors who already have a primary doctor's license but want to have "supplement" income by adding plastic surgery to their services.
These services are usually appealing to patients because they are cheaper procedures. Specifically in breast augmentation, the procedure is known as an "awake breast augmentation", the price is cheaper because the use of general or local anesthesia. This type of "awake" procedure is controversial to many board certified plastic surgeons. "Board-certified plastic surgeons continue to express alarm over the ability of other doctors to bypass years of training and use short courses to add services such as liposuction, tummy tucks and implants -- "practice drift," they call it."
A pending malpractice lawsuit was in the news last week in which Adriana Paula Da Silva Toledo had alleged fatal complications after she underwent surgery for breast augmentation at Dr, Sanjeez Sharma's, "Sharma's Destination Beauty MedSpa" in Framingham, MA. Her autopsy report from the state medical examiner lists surgical complications as causing her death last August.
Dr. Sharma's plastic surgery procedures were $1,000 cheaper than that of a nearby plastic surgeon and his office was one frequented by her fellow Brazilian neighbors. The problem is, Adriana Toledo might not have been aware that Dr. Sharma's only had his license in family medicine not in plastic surgery. He had gotten his plastic surgery certification with a two-day course in California.
Dr. Sharma was practicing legally when he performed Mrs. Toledo's breast augmentation. Massachusetts does not require his office to hold a license or gain accreditation from a recognized group like, The American Board of Plastic Surgery. The Massachusetts Board of Medicine trusts that doctors will not practice outside their legal area of medicine and expertise, only intervening after the fact if the office does not comply.
He was licensed to do this procedure after he took the 2 day course in California held by the National Society of Cosmetic Physicians, which included five to six live surgical demonstrations and two short topical sessions. Dr. Sharma performed the "awake breast augmentation" with a combination of local anesthesia and oral medications, a tactic that saves money but whose pain control effectiveness some plastic surgeons question.
Many board certified plastic surgeons have problems with the type of accreditation program Dr. Sharma is licensed under. "But surgical skills, judgment and risk assessment take time to develop, said Dr. George Volpe, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Boston and president of the Massachusetts Society of Plastic Surgeons."
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is working on a campaign in Massachusetts to raise awareness and require doctors to put their qualifications in their ads.
"I don't think the public knows the difference," said Dr. Christine Hamori, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Duxbury asked to speak to the Daily News by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "And that's very dangerous."
It is important to know the difference between the types of doctors that perform plastic surgery. While a number of groups and some doctors use the term "board-certified", there is only one organization recognized by state licensing boards: The American Board of Plastic Surgery. The public must be educated so they are able to make safer medical decisions
At Sheff Law, we put victims of medical malpractice first. If you or a loved one has a medical malpractice related injury call an experienced Boston attorney at Sheff Law at 617-227-7000 or 888-423-4477 (toll free) to discuss your legal rights.
Following death, plastic surgeons raise concerns about certification, Metro West Daily News
