When it comes to Plastic Surgery, there is no shortage of opinions and suggestions. Family, friends and the internet provide an abundance of information and misinformation. Sometimes the recommendations are inconsistent or outright contradictory. We consulted with Connecticut-based board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Richard J. Restifo to learn about the most common facts, fads, and fallacies about plastic surgery. FALLACIES 1. “Cosmetic surgeons” and “plastic surgeons” are the same thing. mozallowfullscreen>One of the most common assumptions patients make is that the terms “Cosmetic Surgeon” and “Plastic Surgeon” are interchangeable. This is not true. It is commonplace and legal for a practitioner to call themselves a “board-certified cosmetic surgeon” without having undergone any formal plastic surgical residency training. A patient’s first question should be: “Board-certified in what?” Board-certified plastic surgeons have undergone six or more years of specialized surgical training. Only a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery has achieved the highest possible level of plastic surgery qualifications. Patients deserve no less. Savvy consumers should gain a thorough understanding of the expertise of the person that will be altering their body. This can make the difference between achieving optimal results and risking the possibility of revisional surgery and associated costs. Learn more about the Difference Between Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeons. See Mommy Makeover Transformations by a Board-Certified Surgeon. Informed consumers are also well-advised to spend time reading Real Patient Reviews, reviewing before/after Plastic Surgery Photo Galleries, and relying on curated Patient Education Resources. 2. Liposuction will remove pounds and tighten loose skin. Liposuction is a technique designed to remove fat from underneath good quality skin. The amount of fat that can safely be removed in this manner is, at most, a handful of pounds. Liposuction is not a weight-loss method but rather a shaping method that is only effective for patients at or near their ideal body weight that have stubborn, localized fat deposits. The skin itself will not be tightened, despite what some will claim, and skin often becomes looser once the fat is removed. Liposuction candidates must be carefully chosen to ensure good results. See Tummy Tuck Transformations by a Board-Certified Surgeon. ... Before and After Tummy Tuckoriginaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 450height 263 Not sure if you need Liposuction or a Tummy Tuck? Watch this: 3. Plastic Surgery is only for “wealthy” people. The popularity of plastic surgery has spurred the development of innovative methods of financing so that plastic surgery is more widely available for the masses. Patients will often find that they can have their procedure right away and pay it off over several years with manageable monthly payments. Learn common ways patients pay for plastic surgery. FADS 1. Fat transfer to the breasts. Although fat transfer for a Brazilian Butt Lift is wildly popular and effective, this isn’t typically true for fat transfer to the breasts. See Brazilian Butt Lift Transformations. There is currently an uptick in the number of patients requesting fat transfer to the breasts. It seems like a great idea – take fat from where you don’t want it and put it where you do want it. About every ten years this fad resurfaces only to die out again because it simply doesn’t work very well. The reality is that the breast, since it is partly fibrous rather than totally fatty, does not accept a significant amount of fat transfer. Therefore, the volume increase is relatively small; perhaps half a cup size for most patients. Some physicians also express concern that fat transfer may change a woman’s mammogram results. That’s why most patients who want breast enhancement choose breast implants. See Breast Augmentation Transformations Here. Get Special Pricing on Breast Implants. 2. Non-invasive fat reduction methods. These office procedures are based upon an expensive piece of machinery that will apply cold, or heat, or an invisible sound wave or radio wave, and this will reduce fat in the treated area. Sometimes a chemical compound is injected into an area and causes the dissolution of fat. Thinking that sounds too good to be true? These methods do “work”; they would not be FDA-approved if they did not show some effect. The question becomes, “Do they work well enough to make a difference for you?”. If a patient needs a little bit of fat reduction, which is what these techniques can deliver, losing five pounds is probably a better option than spending thousands of dollars. If patients need more significant fat reduction, a procedure such as Liposuction or Tummy Tuck may be required to achieve it. 3. Plastic surgery tourism. In order to have plastic surgery done less expensively, some patients travel abroad where the fees may be lower. However, there are significant implications of doing this. Patients should consider: How much money will be saved once travel and lodging costs are factored in? Does the country where they travel have the same standards of safety as in the U.S.? Although Americans often complain about our litigious society, it does make for very high safety standards. Patients should also consider what they will do if there’s a problem once they’ve returned home and are thousands of miles from their primary surgeon. The reality is most surgeons in the U.S. are reluctant to treat patients who are experiencing complications from surgery done elsewhere. FACTS 1. Plastic Surgery can succeed where diet and exercise fail. Diet and exercise are usually the first line of defense against undesired shape changes. This is a good thing, because it promotes good health and puts one in a better position to undergo the surgery with a better result afterwards. Yet, there are some things diet and exercise cannot achieve. Loose and damaged skin will not be tightened by any amount of exercise, nor will muscle that is stretched out of position be repaired by any amount of exercise. The most obvious example of this is a woman’s belly after several pregnancies; it may have flabby skin and a bulging, almost pregnant shape, which can only be fixed by tummy tuck surgery. 2. Your plastic surgeon’s experience matters a lot. Plastic surgery is a diverse field, treating everything from facelifts and nose jobs, to breast augmentations and tummy tucks, to hand surgery, burn reconstruction and congenital anomalies. Consumers should inquire about what their surgeon does most of the time? This is fairly easy to determine just by perusing his or her Webpage and Photo Galleries. If you want your nose straightened, it doesn’t make sense to choose a plastic surgeon that does mostly Breast Augmentations. As in all fields, specialization is very important. Patients should be sure that their plastic surgeon performs the operation they are seeking on a frequent basis, so that he or she has learned all the nuances and pitfalls to ultimately deliver high-caliber patient safety and satisfaction. See Before & After Plastic Surgery Transformations. 3. Plastic Surgery has a very high satisfaction rate. By using the RealSelf “worth it” rating prospective patients can get a good sense of how many people are pleased with the result of their plastic surgery. For the majority of plastic surgical procedures, the “thumbs-up” rating is in the range of ninety percent or higher. Real Patient Reviews can help consumers make an informed choice also. 4. Plastic surgery continues to increase in popularity. According to data compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the total number of plastic surgical procedures performed by board-certified plastic surgeons in the U.S. has gone up every year for the past five years. The reasons for this are likely based upon the commitment to safety and satisfaction that undergirds the practice philosophies of many of the highly qualified plastic surgeon members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. See what’s most popular here. So there you have it…an assessment of the truths, half-truths, and outright non-truths concerning the field of plastic surgery. For consumers considering plastic surgery, it’s wise to spend the same amount of time researching plastic surgeons that would be spent on any other important life decision. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Richard J. Restifo, call or text 203-772-1444 or visit www.RestifoPlasticSurgery.com