Nip V$ Tuck

Nip V$ Tuck

A lot of people think that Plastic Surgery is named as such due to us plastic surgeons using or inserting plastic into the body. Not only is this untrue, but it sort of undermines the original meaning of the phrase. Plastic Surgery comes from the Greek word “Plastikos,” which means: to shape or mold; referring to the way in which body tissue is utilized, in this case.

When I went through medical school, and certainly my residency – in which newly graduated med school students slowly learn and gain responsibility under seasoned fully professional doctors – Plastic Surgery residents were looked down upon, and we were often insulted by our peers, which always puzzled me. I switched into plastic surgery residency from orthopedic, as I thought I wanted to be an ortho until I actually did a rotation and found it boring for me, personally– so for any medical students or professionals out there, don’t fret– it’s okay to go back and switch so long as you do the residency training! Anyway, I bring this up because I wasn’t treated any differently in the ortho residency, but it was almost like stepping into another world when I started the plastic surgery residency, and I was always curious as to why the other specialties held so much animosity towards plastic surgeons, calling us “boob doctors” or “skin sissies” and silly names like that in the hallways. Well, to put it plain and simple, plastic surgeons got treated that way because of history.

All of us pledge to do no harm to patients above all else, but I’m contending that todays world is plagued by an iatrogenic disease, caused by counterfeit surgeons who no longer care about patient safety. The common enemy – for all specialties – is any doctor who is willing to throw their training to the wayside for another specialty, hide any information from patients, and especially those who are in it for the money, and not the patients. And I’m sad to say that, because of this iatrogenic disease, my entire practice now consists of doing Reconstructive Cosmetic Surgery.

I absolutely love getting the first crack at a patients surgery, but over the years, it’s become more and more rare. Usually, they’ll come in after being botched, begging me to lower my prices, and I do, but I deeply wish there was a way to at least get them the knowledge to find a surgeon that’s properly trained to do the procedure they want. And that’s why I started Nip Vs. Tuck. I’m calling out all doctors to follow their oath and get the counterfeit surgeons out of the protection of the cosmetic surgery umbrella. It’s time that we strengthened the doctor-patient relationship again, and that can only be done if we’re all willing to do the right thing. For doctors, that means being honest with the patients, and at least letting them make an educated decision. For patients, it means trusting your doctor once again, but only after they’ve earned the right to do your surgery by going through the proper avenues of training