Cosmetic surgery is ever more popular with women and men of all ages. The number of 15 to 25-year-olds who have cosmetic surgery increases particularly fast. In order to have an impeccable or more youthful body, people are considering ever more complicated surgical interventions. But the most important requirement for a successful cosmetic operation is the basic information regarding safe and verified surgical methods, the doctor performing them, the clinic and the costs.

Because cosmetic surgery is an extremely lucrative business - and therefore particularly attractive for 'black sheep'. More and more physicians work havoc on the beauty market selling themselves as "cosmetic surgeons". The problem: this concept is not protected. [more ...]

 

Asking the right questions - before the plastic surgery

Detailed information regarding the qualifications of the doctors performing the operation is crucial. Resorting to doctors with little or no operating experience is extremely risky. That's why you should always ask your doctor the same question: "How many such interventions (using exactly the same technique) have you already performed?" An entirely justified question. In the field of surgery, quantity is quality. "You can't say, Dr. Levy performs excellent breast reconstructions after breast removal, he performs three of them a year. If he performs only three of them a year, he's probably lousy at them", explains Joram Levy, specialist for surgery and plastic surgery.


More on the right questions as well as on the preparation for surgery can be found here.

 

Finding the right doctor

In our doctors' database you can find European plastic surgery specialists from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain - (mainland), Spain - Mallorca, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey

 

Simply suctioning the fat away?

Liposuction is nowadays one of the most frequently performed surgical interventions in the field of cosmetic surgery. The methods described in the following pages can in theory be applied on every part of the body: such as cheeks, neck, upper arms, breast, abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, haunches or vincula.

But as specialists never tire to emphasise, cosmetic surgery is not an alternative to losing weight. It is simply designed for the so-called diet-resistant cushions of fat, which are often perceived as very bothersome and can take a heavy toll on the enjoyment of life. [more ...]

 

Liposuction without surgical intervention?

LipoSonix's Sono Sculpt uses high-frequency ultrasound to dissolve fat accumulations in the tissues. This non-invasive technique could revolutionise the field of cosmetic surgery. For the time being this method, as well as a similar one from Ultrashape, is still being tested.

Reports on this have been presented at the 17th Biennial Congress of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) held last August in Houston. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is expecting that the approval of this technique by the FDA will generate more data through applications on patients and possible long-term studies.

 

About risks and side effects

Many lifestyle magazines overlook the risks of aesthetic plastic surgery. The interested parties are under the fatal impression that it is completely smooth, just like getting a haircut. But this impression is deceiving, as a study from the Bochum University shows. In the last 5 years, 13 people died as a result of liposuctions in Germany alone. About 50 others were faced with serious complications such as peritonitis, lung embolisms or thromboses after the removal of the fat.

These were, with certainty, not the only the victims of this surgical intervention, often described as 'harmless'. The dark figures may actually be somewhat higher, because many patients are too ashamed to register a complaint.