 |
|
|
One
of the social phenomenons of the past quarter century has been the ever-intensifying
mania for plastic surgery.
A half century ago it was employed by society women and actresses
to protect their assets. All of it was done on the Q.T. For years
there was a private hospital in the East 60s called the Leroy
where refined ladies went for a “rest,” i.e. to recover
from their facelifts. The Leroy was also just a few doors away
from the Colony (for decades the chic lunch spot) so the ladies
didn’t have to endure hospital cuisine while they healed.
Today plastic surgery has become commonplace even among teen-agers
in certain income stratas. Scores of books and thousands of newspaper
and magazine articles discuss it ad nauseum. And everyone talks
about it openly, around the dinner table. Dr. Gerald Imber told
me recently that the difference between the patient of years gone
by and today is that today the prospective patient seems to know
all about the procedures, new and old, as well as the tricks of
the trade.
Once upon a time it was about a nose job, or a lift. Today there
are nose jobs, boob jobs, liposuction, tummy tucks, derriere lifts,
the eyes, the mouth, the cheeks, the chin. And at times, among
the men too. I’m thinking of the recently separated husband
of a legendary star who is so obsessed with fixing his face that
he has had not one but two cheek implants (he didn’t like
the results of the first). All this to make him look ... different.
Which is putting it nicely.
To a lot of people these days, it’s as simple as having a
manicure and they pursue it with the same casual attitude.
Last week a woman who went under the knife for plastic surgery
at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary died on the operating
table. End of casual. The cause of death was attributed to the
anesthetic but it was the plastic surgeon, a man considered one
of the very best in the world, whose name was being bandied about
in hushed tones, as if he were the responsible one.
The woman’s death comes only weeks after the death of author
Olivia Goldsmith from the anesthetic administered for plastic surgery.
Death from anesthetic during any kind of surgery is
rare but not uncommon. It long been something that has crossed
the mind of many
of us who have undergone surgery.
However, people tend to think of cosmetic surgery as mainly “skin-deep” and
therefore less risk-related. So when something goes wrong, it would
seem logical to blame the doctor.
Several years ago a woman I knew in Los Angeles died after her
plastic surgery. She contracted pneumonia in the hospital and died
within days. It also so happened that the woman had just barely
recovered from a serious case of the flu when she went in for her
nip-and-tuck – which is how casually she considered it. She
never told the doctor about her recent ill-health. Had she, she
might still be alive today.
Regarding the business of death and plastic surgery, I asked a
prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. John A. Grossman what
his thoughts on the matter were. He replied:
|
“Deaths
occurring in the Operating Room are the catastrophes that every
surgeon dreads. This is particularly true for those of us plastic
surgeons whose practices are limited to elective cosmetic procedures."
“How do you possibly explain to a family that their apparently healthy
relative, whose only complaint was about the appearance of a particular feature
(face, nose, breast, etc.) is deceased?"
“How do you explain it to yourself - the physician?"
“It defies explanation and is a sad but real fact of medical and surgical
care."
“Surgery of any kind carries with it risks that include death. While many
of those cases have to do with the interaction of the human body and anesthesia,
deaths can occur even with local and regional anesthesia."
“In cosmetic surgery, 'local anesthesia' usually means a combination
of local anesthetic numbing agents together with heavy sedative drugs. Many anesthesiologists
believe that that combination is riskier than a fully controlled general anesthetic."
“Regardless of which argument is correct, all of this just confirms the
fact that cosmetic surgery is still 'real surgery', with all of the
attendant risks including loss of life."
What conclusions should we draw:
1) be suspicious of the hype; don't consider cosmetic surgery a form of glorified
cosmetology;
2) choose your surgeon, surgical facility, and anesthesiologist wisely;
3) understand that a full and complete medical examination including all
of the appropriate tests should be mandatory before cosmetic surgery;
4) be entirely candid about your medical history, any new symptoms, and medications
-including over-the-counter supplements- that you are taking. (my itals)
“Your life may depend upon all of these."
“Patients, fearing that the surgeon might refuse to perform a desired
operation because of certain symptoms or medications being taken, have withheld
this information with disastrous outcomes.” |
| What
the doctor did not say, but what I’ve heard more than once
from other doctors on the subject, is that a woman (or a man)
who has cardio-vascular problems, or is a smoker, or has other
medical problems are, like my late friend in Los Angeles, not
good candidates, at the moment at least, for cosmetic surgery.
Doctors cannot be held responsible for what we conceal from,
or don’t tell, them. |
|
|
|
|
