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Comestic Surgeon Vs Plastic Surgeons for Lipo on Stomach Area?

asked 2 years ago by mochababy4you in san diego
Latest answer by Tom J. Pousti, MD
Question viewed 688 times
Tags: flanks, stomach, love handles

There is an ER doctor who also is a comestic surgeon that does liposuction awake. I am considering letting him do Liposuction on my stomach, flanks, and love handles. I was wondering, should I trust a comestic surgeon who invented the technique of the percedure that I want? Are comestic surgeons and plastic surgeons now in competion with one another? I am also concerned with how the doctor would know if he removed all of the lidocaine out of the patient.

16 answers to Comestic Surgeon Vs Plastic Surgeons for Lipo on Stomach Area?

Surgeon for Liposuction on stomach area

Dear Mocha Yes, plastic surgeons are in competition with every other speciality that provides cosmetic surgery. Ultimately competition is a good thing because comparison makes doctors work harder to provide better, safer, and occasionally cheaper services. In the state of California (and pretty much ever other state in the Union) a physician simply needs to complete an additional year of training after medical school and they can hang out a shingle proclaiming that they practice anything. ... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Cosmetic or Plastic Surgeon?

Thank you for the question. There is no doubt in my mind that you will have a better chance of successful outcome with a well-trained experienced plastic surgeon than someone who has tried to “shortcut” the necessary training//experience. BE CAREFUL!

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

ER doctor vs. plastic surgeon to do liposuction

I think this would be an interesting experiment...go to an ER doctor to have your liposuction, go to an eye doctor to set your broken bone, go to a dermatologist to operate on your kidney, and go to a psychiatrist to remove your gallbladder. Why not? If everything goes well and you survive, you may have demonstrated that the entire system of medical specialty training, the accreditation of specialty residency programs, the setting of stringent standards for board certification by REAL... more

Robert M. Grenley, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

www.seattleplasticsurgery.com

Cosmetic surgeon for Liposuction

Unfortunately, governing authorities have chosen to look the other way when it comes to the outpatient arena, so anything goes when it comes to elective Plastic Surgery. As I would hope you would think it ridiculous for me to manage your heart condition or your gynecologic needs, it is equally ridiculous for you to expect a liposuction procedure from an ER doctor. I cannot state it any more simplistic than that. Go to someone who is properly trained and maximize your chances of achieving an... more

Sam M Sukkar, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

See the doctor with the most experience

I am always amused to hear plastic surgeons, just out of training state that they are better trained to perform liposuction. Many dermatologists, like me, have individually performed thousands of liposuctions over the last two decades or more, as well as publishing countless research papers. Experience with liposuction, like any endeavor, is paramount. It is best to see the most experienced liposuction expert in town.

William Coleman III, MD
Metairie Dermatologic Surgeon

Safety with Liposuction

No one ever removes all of the anesthetic when doing the liposuction. Dr. Jeffrey Klein, who invented tumescent liposuction has a great background in pharmacology and has studied the metabolism and distribution of residual serum levels of the lidocaine anesthetic over the first day post operatively. Board certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons can do an excellent job if they have had excellent training. OTher specialties may not have had experience or training in this procedure... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Safer to go with more training and experience

A plastic surgeon can do your liposuction awake using tumescent anesthesia. This may be the best for you. It may be safer if doing multiple areas to do it asleep in order to minimize the amount of lidocaine. Your plastic surgeon has many more alternatives and much more training and experience than an ER doctor. For your body, go for the best!

Keith Denkler, MD
Marin Plastic Surgeon

Finding the right Liposuction doctor

It goes without saying that from your surgeon you want brilliance, understanding, resourcefulness, great training, the best hands and eyes in the business, and a calming manner. But you also need him or her to have professional qualifications. No matter whom you pick, your doctor should have the proper certification and experience necessary to perform liposuction. You should expect your doctor to be more than just aware of, but positively fluent in, such recent and dramatic advances.... more

Michelle Copeland, MD, DMD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Choice of Liposuction surgeon up to the patient

As a board certified Plastic Surgeon, I find that it is up to the patient to determine which specialist they care to use. I would try to not discourage the use of cosmetic surgeons to anyone. But in my mind the first prerequisite would be training, second experience, third hospital privileges to preform a like operation, fourth other patients, fifth your personal feeling about each surgeon you see. I am 99% cosmetic surgery now but it took 20 years of doing both reconstructive and... more

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Cosmetic Surgeon vs. Plastic Surgeon for Liposuction

What surgical training has this ER doctor had? Why would you choose to have elective surgery with someone other than the best trained surgeon possible? Would you have your eye doctor deliver your baby? I think it makes sense to visit more than one surgeon to get a sense of who you are comfortable with, just make sure that both are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Visit this website http://www.plasticsurgery.org to learn more about why this is important. You are... more

Elizabeth Lee, MD
Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

Cosmetic surgeon vs plastic surgeon

There is no comparison between a plastic surgeon and an ER doctor when it comes to doing aesthetic surgery. First of all a Board Certifeid plastic surgeon has done at least 6 or more years of training after medical school totally immersed in the art of surgery while an ER doctor has had about 2 years with no surgery training at all. In my opinion, you'd be crazy to go to an ER doc for liposuction especially when we just had a lidocaine toxicity death in Seattle from liposuction. This... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Surgical procedures should be done by surgeons

There are a lot of people willing to do your cosmetic surgery for you if you let them. The question is, who is best qualified and trained to do surgery; an ER doc or a surgeon? Just because a person uses the word surgeon, doesn't mean they had any surgical training or board certification. Buyer beware! I can tell you that a board certified plastic surgeon is qualified; anything less is a guess. Best Wishes Dr. Peterson

Marcus L. Peterson, MD
Saint George Plastic Surgeon

Difference between Cosmetic Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon

The basic answer is that any type of physician can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon, regardless of their training or credentials. There is no test or certification needed to become a "cosmetic" surgeon, wheras plastic surgeons go through a more rigorous training, and their credentials can be checked.

John LoMonaco, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Lidocaine toxicity

Unless you want a small amount of fat removed, performing liposuction awake, on multiple areas becomes dangerous as you need a higher dose of lidocaine. There is no way to completely remove the lidocaine once it is injected into the area, some will be removed with the liposuction, not all of it will be. Consider having the procedure performed in an accredited operating room. As far as the doctor, that choice is up to you. You need to feel comfortable with the doctor who will be performing... more

Sharon Theresa McLaughlin MD
Long Island City Plastic Surgeon

See an experienced liposuction surgeon

I would get another opinion. Their are many people who have been doing liposuction for a limited time. See a surgeon who has been doing this for years and look at his before and after results and speak with some of his patients.

Toby Mayer, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Comestic ER surgeon vs Plastic surgeon for stomach Lipo

Would you go to this ER doctor / Cosmetic surgeon to - deliver your baby? - do your spine disc surgery? - do your hysterectomy? IF the answer is "YES" - you obviously believe that all doctors are equally trained and willing to risk yourself to prove it. The truth is that doctors are NOT trained equally. Our medical schools are not equal; Our residency programs and fellowship programs are not equal and the skills of the doctors going through them are far from equal. If you want to... more