IF anyone doubted the how much the trial lawyers own the Democratic party, please check out this little present to the ambulance chasers tucked away in the 1900+ page healthcare reform bill
In Section 2531, entitled “Medical Liability Alternatives,” establishes an incentive program for states to adopt and implement alternatives to medical liability litigation. [But]…… a state is not eligible for the incentive payments if that state puts a law on the books that limits attorneys’ fees or imposes caps on damages.
So basically it says states are free to experiment with alternative settlement systems, but keep your hands off the big contingency fees of our donor base or we'll withhold federal money. Ironically, this bill would also incentivize states to encourage more frivolous suits by removing existing caps on non-economic damages.
This is absolutely disgusting!
Rob
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Courtney Love Quits Plastic Surgery...Because of Jocelyn Wildenstein?
Courtney Love has apparently sworn off plastic surgery after seeing "The Lion Woman" Jocelyn Wildenstein up close. According to Zimbio.com:
Love ran into the 63-year-old socialite recently and was shocked at the way Wildenstein looked after $4 million worth of cosmetic procedures. Jocelyn is rumored to have had everything from a face lift and lip implants to cheek, chin and breast implants. Courtney said, "I could do with another boob lift, but no way. I don't want to end up looking like her. She looked freaky."
I sometimes see patients who've had grossly overdone facial plastic surgery for consultation. Most people would be surprised at how many of these patients don't want corrective surgery, but are there to get more changes made. These are the ones who can 'scare' off new patients in the waiting room. Can you imagine walking into your plastic surgeon's office and seeing Jocelyn Wildenstein waiting to be seen too? Would you turn around and leave?
photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Courtney Love Quits Plastic Surgery...Because of Jocelyn Wildenstein?
Courtney Love has apparently sworn off plastic surgery after seeing "The Lion Woman" Jocelyn Wildenstein up close. According to Zimbio.com:
Love ran into the 63-year-old socialite recently and was shocked at the way Wildenstein looked after $4 million worth of cosmetic procedures. Jocelyn is rumored to have had everything from a face lift and lip implants to cheek, chin and breast implants. Courtney said, "I could do with another boob lift, but no way. I don't want to end up looking like her. She looked freaky."
I sometimes see patients who've had grossly overdone facial plastic surgery for consultation. Most people would be surprised at how many of these patients don't want corrective surgery, but are there to get more changes made. These are the ones who can 'scare' off new patients in the waiting room. Can you imagine walking into your plastic surgeon's office and seeing Jocelyn Wildenstein waiting to be seen too? Would you turn around and leave?
photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Welcome to the return of the weregild - your life on the healthcare balance sheet
You may not remember it much, but most of those of us who were forced to endure studying the epic poem, Beowulf were introduced to the concept of the weregild. In the 2007 CGI adaptation of Beowulf, apparently the side plot discussing the weregild was cut to make more time for Angelina Jolie's CGI-enhanced, naked, high heel wearing turn as Grendel's mom. Probably a smart decision by the producers in terms of the box office :)
The weregild was literally a "man price" you paid as compensation for killing someone, and there was a price on everyone from the dregs of society all the way for one prescribed for regicide (killing the king). It's a fascinating social compact that was used to try and temper blood feuds with their cycles of repeat violence and revenge. The Roman Catholic church eventually enacted their own version of "tort reform" on the weregild, condemning it and forcing elimination of the practice near the end of the 1st millennium AD.
From Wikipedia's entry,
The standard weregeld for a freeman appears to have been 200 solidi (shillings) in the Migration period, an amount reflected as the basic amount due for the death of a ceorl both in Anglo-Saxon and continental law codes. This fee could however be multiplied according to the social rank of the victim and the circumstances of the crime. For example, the 8th century Lex Alamannorum sets the weregeld for a duke or archbishop at three times the basic value (600 shillings), while the killing of a low ranking cleric was fined with 300, raised to 400 if the cleric was attacked while he was reading mass.
The size of the weregild was largely conditional upon the social rank of the victim. A regular enslaved man (ceorl) was worth 200 shillings in 9th century Mercian law (twyhyndeman), a nobleman was worth 1200 (twelfhyndeman). The law code even mentions the weregeld for a king, at 30000, composed of 15000 for the man, paid to the royal family, and 15000 for the kingship, paid to the people. An archbishop is likewise valued at 15000. The weregild for a Welshman was 110 if he owned at least one hide of land, and 80 if he was landless.
NOTE: For those interested, there's a fascinating catalog of such fines from the Salian Franks (a German dynasty)here, which covers the price of various offences, ranging from stealing your cow to gang raping your wife
Ok Rob, why are you talking about weregilds on Plastic Surgery 101 anyway?
There were several articles about healthcare I read this week that all kind of intersect at the fringe of the debate on healthcare and got me thinking about the equivalent of the modern weregild.
"A Place Where Cancer is the Norm", which describes Houston's MD Anderson cancer center.
"Cancer Society, in Shift, Has Concerns on Screenings" which describes a pullback from the American Cancer Society on just how effective mammograms and prostate cancer screening (via PSA tests) on affecting death from cancer.
"Can 'bundled' payments help slash health costs?" in USA Today
Sunday Night's 60 Minute's piece (click here to view)on more then $60 billion annual loss to Medicare fraud and how the Feds have been inept at policing it.
An article in Oregon's Statesman Journal, "Government Audits Are Hurting Small Business Owners" describing the federal government's Recovery Audit Contractor(RAC) program for Medicare fraud.
The articles on cancer screening and exotic treatments at MD Anderson hospital to me point towards a more strict cost-benefit analysis coming on cancer treatments. The tertiary chemotherapy drugs and adjuvant radiation treatments described are budget busters with very marginal utility in terms of outcomes. The care described in the article, where chemotherapy treatments were literally thrown against the wall to see what sticks, is not a sustainable model. We're going to asking more and more, "How much are 'x' additional months of this cancer patient's life worth?" in order to balance our health care budget. It is unavoidable that we don't end up with some federal utilization committee who's job it will be to tell us what we cannot do in terms of palliative care for cancer or other chronic diseases. Other countries already do this without much controversy, but President Obama won't touch this with a 10 foot pole.
The USA Today article on bundling payments seems unworkable in situations where physicians are not employees of the hospital or system involved. I would not trust a hospital corporation to distribute that money equitably to independent providers once they have it in their coffer. Would I have access to audit a hospital's books to make sure their accounting is accurate? What's the resolution process for disagreements on the balance sheet? Much like insurers, the temptation for them to slow-pedal payments to collect the interest would be impossible for them to resist. Except in certain "closed system" situations (where all MD's are employees)like the Mayo Clinic, the Cleavland Clinic, or the Kaiser network in California, this bundling would be a unacceptable working situation to most physicians.
The 60 Minutes piece on Medicare shows why no one who is familiar with healthcare believes that the federal government can run a single-payer system. They are unable to investigate or follow up on even the most blatant examples of fraud costing hundreds of billions over dollars a decade.
So what do they do instead? They reauthorize the "RAC" program to aim at providers and hospitals for fraud that may be pennies on the dollar compared to the fraud described in the 60 minutes piece. The feds have outsourced the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC)program to incentivized companies to autopsy medicare billing going back over 3 years by hospitals and providers where any inaccurate billing (using our byzantine CPT system) is assumed fraudulent and due back with interest and penalties. Analysts expect that inaccurate coding underbills at least as often as it overbills, but do you know what these auditors have produced. What do you get however when you incentivize these companies to claim 8-12% of any recovery (but don't reward refunds)? You get 96%+ of these RAC audits finding overbilling only.
Rob
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Maria Shriver - Botox Brow?
I've seen Maria Shriver on TV quite a bit lately, and am always surprised by how her looks have changed over the last 10+ years. To me, she exhibits the classic Botox Brow: A shiny forehead that doesn't move combined with overly arched eyebrows creating a sinister look. The most obvious sign of overdone Botox (or Dysport) is when a person's forehead and eyebrows just don't move, no matter what their expression.
Her face has gotten so gaunt, too. A little facial fat grafting would do wonders for her.
Photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Maria Shriver - Botox Brow?
I've seen Maria Shriver on TV quite a bit lately, and am always surprised by how her looks have changed over the last 10+ years. To me, she exhibits the classic Botox Brow: A shiny forehead that doesn't move combined with overly arched eyebrows creating a sinister look. The most obvious sign of overdone Botox (or Dysport) is when a person's forehead and eyebrows just don't move, no matter what their expression.
Her face has gotten so gaunt, too. A little facial fat grafting would do wonders for her.
Photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Trend or TORTURE?
The Fox News Channel aired an interesting video on three fashion trends and how they can actually cause health problems. These include:
1. Wearing High Heels
2. Carrying Heavy Bags
3. Wearing Heavy Earrings
If you watch closely you may notice an appearance by my evil twin, Dr. David Youn.
Click here for the video.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Trend or TORTURE?
The Fox News Channel aired an interesting video on three fashion trends and how they can actually cause health problems. These include:
1. Wearing High Heels
2. Carrying Heavy Bags
3. Wearing Heavy Earrings
If you watch closely you may notice an appearance by my evil twin, Dr. David Youn.
Click here for the video.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wall Street Plastic Surgery
I was asked by Cityfile.com to assess the plastic surgery 'needs' of several of Wall Street's most influential players. Although I don't have the foggiest notion who any of these people are, I'm sure each one of them is worth a heck of a lot more than I am. They may have more power than me, more money than me, and a bigger house than me, but I do have one thing that can trump all of them... I'm much younger than they are.
For more on Wall Streeters and plastic surgery, click here for the Cityfile.com article.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Wall Street Plastic Surgery
I was asked by Cityfile.com to assess the plastic surgery 'needs' of several of Wall Street's most influential players. Although I don't have the foggiest notion who any of these people are, I'm sure each one of them is worth a heck of a lot more than I am. They may have more power than me, more money than me, and a bigger house than me, but I do have one thing that can trump all of them... I'm much younger than they are.
For more on Wall Streeters and plastic surgery, click here for the Cityfile.com article.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Lindsay Lohan - Aging and Plastic Surgery Through the Years
Aol.com has an interesting post on Lindsay Lohan. They asked me to discuss why she looks like she's aging prematurely. Can it be drugs, booze, plastic surgery, or all-of-the-above? Check out their article here.
photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Lindsay Lohan - Aging and Plastic Surgery Through the Years
Aol.com has an interesting post on Lindsay Lohan. They asked me to discuss why she looks like she's aging prematurely. Can it be drugs, booze, plastic surgery, or all-of-the-above? Check out their article here.
photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Stephanie Pratt - Trout Pout
Is this the same person? Surprisingly this is Stephanie Pratt before and after she apparently had her lips plumped up with a filler like Juvederm. While a little filler looks nice, too much filler can be a mess. I can't blame her, though. Being the sister of that tool Spencer Pratt can cause even the most stable person to go off the deep end.
At least her lips will settle down within a few months and her trout pout will turn into more of a flounder face...
Photo credit: The Hollywood Gossip.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Stephanie Pratt - Trout Pout
Is this the same person? Surprisingly this is Stephanie Pratt before and after she apparently had her lips plumped up with a filler like Juvederm. While a little filler looks nice, too much filler can be a mess. I can't blame her, though. Being the sister of that tool Spencer Pratt can cause even the most stable person to go off the deep end.
At least her lips will settle down within a few months and her trout pout will turn into more of a flounder face...
Photo credit: The Hollywood Gossip.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Friday, October 16, 2009
Schwarzenegger Signs Donda West Plastic Surgery Law
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Donda West plastic surgery law this week. This law requires anyone getting plastic surgery to have medical clearance prior to undergoing the procedure. The law is named after Kanye West's mom, who died after having plastic surgery by a non-board certified plastic surgeon. Some believe that she should never have undergone the surgery in the first place due to pre-existing heart problems.
"Sometimes patients may think they are well enough for cosmetic surgery, but in reality are not," said Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, one of the leading sponsors of the bill. "This bill will potentially save lives."
Patient safety should be the most important thing in the minds of all plastic surgeons. That's why the American Society of Plastic Surgeons enacted numerous requirements and initiatives revolving around their "Culture of Safety." All patients should remember to only choose a board-certified member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and have your surgery performed in an accredited center.
For more posts on Donda West, click here.
Photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Schwarzenegger Signs Donda West Plastic Surgery Law
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Donda West plastic surgery law this week. This law requires anyone getting plastic surgery to have medical clearance prior to undergoing the procedure. The law is named after Kanye West's mom, who died after having plastic surgery by a non-board certified plastic surgeon. Some believe that she should never have undergone the surgery in the first place due to pre-existing heart problems.
"Sometimes patients may think they are well enough for cosmetic surgery, but in reality are not," said Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, one of the leading sponsors of the bill. "This bill will potentially save lives."
Patient safety should be the most important thing in the minds of all plastic surgeons. That's why the American Society of Plastic Surgeons enacted numerous requirements and initiatives revolving around their "Culture of Safety." All patients should remember to only choose a board-certified member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and have your surgery performed in an accredited center.
For more posts on Donda West, click here.
Photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Garry Shandling - Plastic Surgery? Botox?
Comedian Garry Shandling made a recent appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He looks nothing like the Garry Shandling I remember. The photo on the left is the recent one, the one on the right from over 6 months ago. If you take a look at the video on Popeater here, you can see that his forehead is frozen. It doesn't move. I think he's had a bit too much Botox, and maybe some filler like Restylane into the facial wrinkles. Also, when did he gain so much weight? I wonder if he is on medical steroids for some reason?
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Garry Shandling - Plastic Surgery? Botox?
Comedian Garry Shandling made a recent appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He looks nothing like the Garry Shandling I remember. The photo on the left is the recent one, the one on the right from over 6 months ago. If you take a look at the video on Popeater here, you can see that his forehead is frozen. It doesn't move. I think he's had a bit too much Botox, and maybe some filler like Restylane into the facial wrinkles. Also, when did he gain so much weight? I wonder if he is on medical steroids for some reason?
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Monday, October 12, 2009
Chris Rock on Roman Polanski
This is a hilarious segment from the Jay Leno Show where Chris Rock tears into Roman Polanski. I don't understand how anyone can stand up for this guy. He drugs and rapes a 13 year old girl, pleads guilty, then flees the country to avoid his punishment? Time does not make the crime any less heinous. They should toss him in jail until he serves the sentence he deserved in the first place.
Chris Rock is the best. He just may be the funniest comic today. Jay Leno seems like a nice guy but his delivery is terrible.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Chris Rock on Roman Polanski
This is a hilarious segment from the Jay Leno Show where Chris Rock tears into Roman Polanski. I don't understand how anyone can stand up for this guy. He drugs and rapes a 13 year old girl, pleads guilty, then flees the country to avoid his punishment? Time does not make the crime any less heinous. They should toss him in jail until he serves the sentence he deserved in the first place.
Chris Rock is the best. He just may be the funniest comic today. Jay Leno seems like a nice guy but his delivery is terrible.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tara Reid To Bear It All In Playboy?
Seriously?? According to X17online.com, actress and botched plastic surgery victim Tara Reid has posed for a Playboy pictorial, coming out in the near future. You may remember that a couple years ago Tara admitted to undergoing botched liposuction and breast lift surgery at the hands of an unreputable surgeon. Her breast scars were revealed when she suffered a wardrobe malfunction while on the red carpet at a P Diddy party. She subsequently underwent corrective plastic surgery by my good friend, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Steve Svehlak (back in the day we were both proteges of Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, also of Beverly Hills).
It will be interesting to see how much Playboy airbrushes her photos. Will they airbrush any of the remaining scars from her original botched surgery? You may remember that ex-talk show host and Wilson Phillips star Carnie Wilson had a nude pictorial in Playboy after undergoing gastric bypass surgery. They airbrushed her scars away, so I would bet that Tara's will be too.
For my previous posts on Tara, click here and here.
photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Tara Reid To Bear It All In Playboy?
Seriously?? According to X17online.com, actress and botched plastic surgery victim Tara Reid has posed for a Playboy pictorial, coming out in the near future. You may remember that a couple years ago Tara admitted to undergoing botched liposuction and breast lift surgery at the hands of an unreputable surgeon. Her breast scars were revealed when she suffered a wardrobe malfunction while on the red carpet at a P Diddy party. She subsequently underwent corrective plastic surgery by my good friend, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Steve Svehlak (back in the day we were both proteges of Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, also of Beverly Hills).
It will be interesting to see how much Playboy airbrushes her photos. Will they airbrush any of the remaining scars from her original botched surgery? You may remember that ex-talk show host and Wilson Phillips star Carnie Wilson had a nude pictorial in Playboy after undergoing gastric bypass surgery. They airbrushed her scars away, so I would bet that Tara's will be too.
For my previous posts on Tara, click here and here.
photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Friday, October 9, 2009
Is Fat the Newest Rage in Plastic Surgery?
Meet Meghan, a patient of mine who recently underwent liposuction and fat grafting to her buttocks. She's a great example of how using fat is the newest rage in plastic surgery. Check out the article from the Detroit News here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Is Fat the Newest Rage in Plastic Surgery?
Meet Meghan, a patient of mine who recently underwent liposuction and fat grafting to her buttocks. She's a great example of how using fat is the newest rage in plastic surgery. Check out the article from the Detroit News here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Fallout from NJ Democrat meddling at the FDA will hold up medical device approval. Thank you very much New Jersey!
Thanks to the intervention of 4 New Jersey Democrats in the FDA approval process for one of their constituents, all medical devices are on the sloooooow track for approval. An editorial in the New York Times summarizes this nicely here.
In short: A New Jersey orthopedic medical device firm, ReGen turned to four Democrats to lobby on their behalf for approval of an orthopedic knee device — Sen Robert Menendez and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, as well as Congressmen Frank Pallone and Steven Rothman. According to the Washington Post, Regen paid Sen Mendez's former chief of staff nearly $300,000 for lobbying services, and Hutton contributed nearly $40,000 to Menendez and the three other Democrats who wrote a letter to the FDA urging the agency to make a decision on the company’s application.
This kind of "pay for play" is par for the course for New Jersey Democrats, but not as appreciated by federal regulators. The blowback from the intervention of theses pols and former FDA head, Andrew von Eschenbach, has reignited scrutiny of the FDA's practices and procedures.
Caught up in this are hundreds of devices in final stages of approval, including the next generations of silicone (and saline) breast implants. I wrote about this last April in a post called "An Exercise in Clock Watching" talking about the bureaucracy of FDA device approval in re. to breast implants. It's amazing and frustrating to think that improved devices used world-wide (US excepted) for 15+ years are still clinically unavailable here.
Rob
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Earlobe Lifts The Latest Beauty Craze??
A recent article in Momlogic.com focuses on earlobe lifts as the latest beauty craze. According to the article people are now paying upwards of $2000 to have their earlobes lifted and reshaped. Is this true?
I often perform earlobe repairs, ranging from fixing a torn earlobe to removing the extra skin from earlobes stretched by those God-awful stretching rings. While people are usually really happy with the results, the procedures always leave scars. And...I don't charge anywhere near $2000 for it.
Women, what would you think if you woke up looking at this guy every morning? Yikes!
photo credit
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Earlobe Lifts The Latest Beauty Craze??
A recent article in Momlogic.com focuses on earlobe lifts as the latest beauty craze. According to the article people are now paying upwards of $2000 to have their earlobes lifted and reshaped. Is this true?
I often perform earlobe repairs, ranging from fixing a torn earlobe to removing the extra skin from earlobes stretched by those God-awful stretching rings. While people are usually really happy with the results, the procedures always leave scars. And...I don't charge anywhere near $2000 for it.
Women, what would you think if you woke up looking at this guy every morning? Yikes!
photo credit
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Coed Magazine's Top 10 Celebs Whose Breasts Are Just Too Big
Coed Magazine has a fun post about their Top 10 Celebs Whose Boobs Are Just Too Big. A couple are obvious (Pam Anderson and Dolly Parton), a couple I've never heard of (Serena Kozakura, Chantelle Houghton), and the last one is a doozy. 10,000 cc?!??! That's 30 of my average size implants, all in one breast. Crazy!
Click here for Coed Mag's post.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Coed Magazine's Top 10 Celebs Whose Breasts Are Just Too Big
Coed Magazine has a fun post about their Top 10 Celebs Whose Boobs Are Just Too Big. A couple are obvious (Pam Anderson and Dolly Parton), a couple I've never heard of (Serena Kozakura, Chantelle Houghton), and the last one is a doozy. 10,000 cc?!??! That's 30 of my average size implants, all in one breast. Crazy!
Click here for Coed Mag's post.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Friday, October 2, 2009
Florida Woman Brain Dead After Carboxytherapy or Liposuction
There have been several news reports about a woman, Rohie Kah, who is currently lying brain dead in a Florida hospital after undergoing treatments at a local medspa. Apparently she underwent liposuction or carboxytherapy treatments by a physician, Dr. Omar Brito, who is actually an occupational medicine physician. The actual cause of her brain death has not been released.
What is carboxytherapy? This is a fringe-type procedure that is only performed by a handful of physicians in the United States. Carbon dioxide is injected under the skin in an attempt to increase blood flow to the area and maybe even disrupt fat cells. I know of no scientific studies that have validated its safety or efficacy. This is not a procedure that I would recommend at this time, and I would bet 95% of plastic surgeons have not even heard of it.
What's an occupational medicine physician doing performing cosmetic treatments anyway? Just as I, a board-certified plastic surgeon, have no place performing brain surgery, this doctor (and so many others like him) has no place performing plastic surgery.
For more on this tragic story, click here and here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Florida Woman Brain Dead After Carboxytherapy or Liposuction
There have been several news reports about a woman, Rohie Kah, who is currently lying brain dead in a Florida hospital after undergoing treatments at a local medspa. Apparently she underwent liposuction or carboxytherapy treatments by a physician, Dr. Omar Brito, who is actually an occupational medicine physician. The actual cause of her brain death has not been released.
What is carboxytherapy? This is a fringe-type procedure that is only performed by a handful of physicians in the United States. Carbon dioxide is injected under the skin in an attempt to increase blood flow to the area and maybe even disrupt fat cells. I know of no scientific studies that have validated its safety or efficacy. This is not a procedure that I would recommend at this time, and I would bet 95% of plastic surgeons have not even heard of it.
What's an occupational medicine physician doing performing cosmetic treatments anyway? Just as I, a board-certified plastic surgeon, have no place performing brain surgery, this doctor (and so many others like him) has no place performing plastic surgery.
For more on this tragic story, click here and here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
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