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Plastic Surgery Gone Bad: How Common?

asked 3 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Stephen Prendiville, MD
Question viewed 7,091 times

ABC News retold the story of Korean plastic surgery addict who used a syringe with cooking oil to inject her own face. While this is an extreme case, how frequently do you see bad plastic surgery? What are the most common cases and causes?

5 answers to Plastic Surgery Gone Bad: How Common?

+8

Yikes!

It is always a touchy subject to discuss bad surgery. Surgery can have a bad outcome for many reasons: Adverse effects can happen to anyone, regardless of the surgery or doctor. Things like infections, drug reactions, implant rejections or skin necrosis (wound healing problems) can happen to anyone. I always say that if you do not want any risk of complications then don't have surgery. Adverse effects can happen because of poor patient selection. Many patients actually do not help... more
Robert M. Freund, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+2

Not too often

Fortunately, most surgeons are very competent and the majority of patients get good to excellent results. On the other hand, patients do seek me out for revisions of many types of aesthetic surgery.  But, the % of patients that fall into this category in my practice is very low.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+2

Plastic surgery gone bad: Don't be fooled

While the patient in your question injected herself, it is still a good question to inquire about bad plastic surgery. My first suggestion if you are considering surgery is to go to someone trained specifically in plastic surgery. There are many people out there claiming that they are surgeons or cosmetic surgeons who don't even have medical degrees. There is no good regulation about who can do procedures, especially if people are doing it in their private offices. If it seem... more
David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Plastic Surgery Gone Bad?

There are a great number of very qualified Board certified Facial Plastic Surgeons and Plastic Surgeons in this country who are technically skilled and practice ethically.  Ethical practice includes a well performed procedure and thorough follow up.  Really "bad" results often stem from inadequate follow up and therefore a lack of timely intervention when a problem exists.  A case in point would be a patient who travels abroad for a Facelift, develops a hematoma... more
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Bad plastic surgery can be avoided by doing research

As you mention, the case of someone injecting themselves with cooking oil is very rare and extreme. "Bad" plastic surgery can be avoided by doing due diligence and researching your potential surgeon. It is important to verify that any surgeon you see is Board Certified; meaning they have the highest standard of certification and experience. I also recommend that you look at before and after pictures of previous patients to see if the surgeon's aesthetic matches yours. Make... more
Scott W. Mosser, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

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