Is It Safe to Have VASER Liposelection and SmartLipo Done by a Regular MD?

If he had the training to use those machines and had performed over 100 surgeries, is he still qualified to conduct the procedure/s? I got a good feeling about him during consultation, but I'm worried because he's not a plastic surgeon. Should I have a plastic surgeon do the procedures instead ? Please help. Thanks.

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9 Doctor Answers | Asked by Angelika

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Absolutely don't go there!

You have uncovered a real problem in aesthetic medicine - namely the fact that any doctor can perform procedures without formal residency training and Board Certification! There are no regulations against it and it is a "buyer beware" market! I have recently seen a patient who went to a Board Certified General Surgeon who claimed to be a national trainer for Smart lipo. She was destroyed by the procedure he performed. He has never had one day of plastic surgery training and is only doing... more

Is it safe to have plastic surgery by a Non-plastic surgeon?

Hi there- I see at least one patient every month who has a significant deformity because they made poor assumptions and choices... They assumed that because a doctor was doing a certain procedure that he/she was competent to do it and able to achieve the outcome they desired. They assumed that the few days or weeks of training these physicians got in liposuction is equivalent to the YEARS of supervised training that Board Certified Plastic Surgeons obtain. They assumed that doctors are fundament more

SmartLipo by a General Doctor

Angelika, I'll answer your question with another question. If someone you love needed open heart surgery, would you let a family doctor perform that open heart surgery or would you insist that a cardiac surgeon perform it? Board certified plastic surgeons have years of training in every aspect of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Physicians who are not board certified in plastic surgery may be well meaning and may even have some skill, but you cannot truly believe that a few... more

Beware the lipsuctionists

When we were in medical school, we all had the opportunities to sample different specialties and figure out what we wanted to be when we grew up. Despite the rigors and the endless training, some of us chose to become plastic surgeons. We devoted our minds and time to the refinements of the craft. Some chose to be family practitioners. We were vey different, still are. I can't respect someone who gives up their values and personality to chase dollars in a tough economy. Liposuction... more

For any plastic surgery procedure, see a Plastic Surgeon

Unfortunately it’s all too easy these days for liposuction of all types to be performed by physicians ill-equipped or improperly trained to perform the procedures. A few days or few weeks of training is nothing when compared to the many years of supervised instruction a board certified plastic surgeon undergoes. And often surgeons will undergo a couple of years of additional focused training specializing in liposuction while working under doctors of approved residency programs. The... more

If you want Plastic Surgery, see a Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction of all types (tumescent, VASER, Smartlipo, Cool lipo, Laser lipo) is done by all types of doctors now adays. A lot of doctors are poorly trained or untrained in liposuction procedures. When they buy a liposuction machine, the manufacturing company sends them to a weekend class on how to use the machine. These doctors have had 2 days of training in liposuction and the rest of their training is done by practicing on paying patients....So BUYER BEWARE!! Plastic more

If you like gambling with your appearance - have your liposuction done by a Non-Plastic Surgeon

It is were not so pathetically shameless and commercially self-serving, it would be amusing to hear the constant cacophony of inadequately-trained non-Plastic surgeons shamelessly boasting of their uniquely endowed magical powers of understanding and being at one "with the skin', of being members of so many (self-created , prestige pumping) societies, of being the innovators of every manner of fad and trend in cosmetic surgery, all the while demeaning real Plastic Surgeons. There is... more

If you want plastic surgery........See a Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction is much more complicated then it sounds, with complications and revision rates signifigantly underreported. If you're considering surgery, go with the gold standard which would be a fully trained Plastic Surgeon in most instances.

Usually dermatologists are more familiar with liposuction and lasers, making them the best choice

Dermatologists and plastic surgeons have very different approaches to liposuction, but without a doubt, any one of these fields are going to be better than going to a newbie to the field who is experimenting with you in order to pay off his laser investment. As the past president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery, I can only say that I saw horrible cases during my presidency that were done by non-trained doctors who had a weekend course and were off to... more