Choosing the Right Doctor
By far the most important decision you will make when contemplating any type of cosmetic surgery, is your choice of surgeon.
There are countless media reports of botched surgery resulting from poorly-qualified and inexperienced doctors, and inappropriate use of anaesthetics.
ABC News – Patient Lives at Risk
60 Minutes – Cosmetic Cowboys
A Current Affair – Botched Ops
Daily Mail Australia – Surgery Warning
ABC 7.30 Report – Knife’s Edge
These stories highlight the dangers of choosing ‘cosmetic doctors’ over Specialist Plastic Surgeons.
It is not a well-known fact, but there is a significant difference between a ‘cosmetic doctor’ and a Specialist Plastic Surgeon. Currently in Australia, it is legal for any doctor to perform surgery and call themselves a ‘cosmetic doctor’.
Consequently, the training, skills and experience of ‘cosmetic doctors’ varies greatly, as can the operating environments used and the use of anaesthetics.
The key difference at Assure Cosmetic Centre is that our surgeons are fully qualified and accredited Specialist Plastic Surgeons – not doctors without specialist training and experience calling themselves ‘cosmetic doctors’.
Importantly, your surgery takes place in a fully-accredited hospital under general anaesthetic, administered by a fully-qualified anaesthetist accredited with ANZCA (the Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists).
Specialist Plastic Surgeon
For any cosmetic procedure, it is essential to check that your surgeon is a specialist plastic surgeon and member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.
In Australia, Specialist Plastic Surgeons:
- Have trained in the specialty field of plastic surgery for a minimum of 5 years and have at least 12 years’ medical and surgical education and experience;
- Are Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons – look for ‘FRACS Plast’ qualification after their name;
- Have undergone extensive training to perform invasive surgical procedures covering all aspects of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, frequently undertaking fellowship training overseas with experienced plastic surgeons; and
- Are members of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, recognised by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons as the only legitimate professional body representing the field of cosmetic surgery in Australia.
At Assure, all our surgeons are Specialist Plastic Surgeons in full-time practice. They are also plastic surgery consultants at tertiary hospitals and are actively involved in postgraduate surgical training programs for the specialty of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
‘cosmetic doctor’
According to the Medical Board of Australia, under current Australian law, practitioners do not need to be a fully-qualified plastic surgeon to perform cosmetic surgery.
“Even a GP who has done no training can call themselves a ‘cosmetic doctor’,” says Board Chair, Dr Joanna Flynn.
A news story by the Daily Mail Australia highlights this issue, serving as a harsh warning to anyone considering cosmetic surgery.
“Unaccredited medical practitioners without specialist surgical accreditation from the Australian Medical Association can legally perform cosmetic surgery in Australia,” the report states.
The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons has also raised concerns about the use of general anaesthetic in office-based operating environments.
“In general, if you’re getting any anaesthetic, you want an anaesthetist to take care of you while the surgeon is doing the surgery,” Dr Flynn said.
The current anomalies in Australia’s legal framework means there is a significant difference in the level of accreditation and training across the spectrum of doctors calling themselves ‘cosmetic doctors’.
Reduce Your Chance of Risk
All surgical procedures carry risk, but you can reduce your chance of risk and complication by consulting a Specialist Plastic Surgeon who is properly trained, qualified and accredited to perform cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
To find out if your surgeon is appropriately qualified, you can search the official register of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons here.
To speak to one of our team of fully-qualified Specialist Plastic Surgeons, we encourage you to book a consultation.
At Assure, we offer a package for breast augmentation patients, for one all-inclusive price of $13,490 – covering surgery performed safely in a fully-accredited hospital in Perth. You can read more about our All-Inclusive packages here.
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