Who would ever consider getting someone who is completely untrained to inject unknown substance(s) into their bodies? Apparently, quite a number of people! Some of them have even died! Although these illegal injectors have been charged with all sorts of crimes, it does not magically bring their victims back. Some of these victims will have ill effects for life, and suffer the horrible deformities from years of chronic wounds and open draining sores on their bodies. But hey, they got a bargain, right? Here are some examples: Police in Philadelphia arrested Padge Victoria Windslowe on Feb 29-2012. She allegedly administered illegal “butt-enlarging” injections which may have caused the death of a 20 year old British woman (Claudia Aderotimi). In a separate case, Oneal Ron Morris was arrested in Florida for injecting cement, glue, and tire sealant. Wait, there are more… Whalesca Castillo was arrested for injecting liquid silicone into the [Read more...]

This is the third installment on the series of articles about plastic surgery prices. BBL -IPL Treatments (Intense Pulsed Light) This is a great technology to jump-start your skin care program. Get rid of fine lines, brown spots, and red spots and small veins. (This is not a laser treatment). Fees: $200- $400 per session. Most people need at least two sessions to start, then a maintenance program to keep their skin looking great. Laser Hair Removal I have been providing hair removal services since 1994, before almost anyone even knew it was even possible. My team performed some of the original research on this subject. Our staff is extremely experienced, and we have retreated patients who were treatment failures at other clinics, and we have assumed care for patients who were abandoned when the original clinic went out of business. Over the years, I have invested in new equipment [Read more...]

This is the second post in the series of articles about plastic surgery prices. Surgery Whenever one considers surgery, one has to add the cost of the facility in which it is provided, as well as the cost of anaesthesia. These can be significant, and are added to the cost of the procedure. The typical cost of anaesthesia is about $700 for a one-hour procedure. This covers the cost of the doctor (anaesthesiologist- a medical specialist who has spent about 5 years of extra training AFTER medical school) as well as all the equipment, drugs, and disposable items used to provide you a safe and effective, pain free experience. The facility fee includes the cost of the experienced operating room personnel, the monitors, equipment, fluids, iv’s, and all the other items used, as well as a use fee for all the items you will hopefully never need to use, but [Read more...]

We are always being asked to give prices, even before discussing the requirements of surgery. How much is that? The answer is never as easy as it should be, and it always looks as though we are trying to beat around the bush. Click on the title above to read on…

We have all seen those creepy images on magazine front covers of celebrities and wondered, why on Earth did they ever do THAT? These are rich and powerful people, and if they turned out like THAT what chance do I have of getting a good result from cosmetic surgery? This is a topic that we Plastic Surgeons sometimes cringe at (and sometimes secretly enjoy in a competitive schadenfreude, knowing that we have never had results that bad). Some patients are the authors of their own misfortune, when repeated complaining about a really minor issue that is out of all proportion to objective reality, finally results in a surgery that is just ‘way too much’. Surgeons are human and have the basic human desire to want to make people happy, and if you keep complaining about some small issue, you will eventually get the operation that you want, but it may [Read more...]

Fees will include the cost of the surgery, the facility fees, the anaesthesia fees, and the costs of the many single use items that are consumed in your surgery and aftercare. Included in the surgical fees are all your postop visits, your followup check ups, and all the aftercare required. When you are getting quotes from different doctors, remember that you are also comparing the quality of the care that you want. There are cheaper surgeons, and cheaper clinics, but the quality is what you should be comparing. Just think about the actual costs of providing your service. Is there adequate professional staffing of the clinic? Are there real registered nurses to help you in the operating room and the recovery room? What about the quality of the clinic and surgery center? Does it look like it is properly maintained and inspected? Are the safety systems in place properly maintained [Read more...]