Skin Tip of the Month-August 2006

“Let the Buyer Beware”

The cosmetic skin care industry is rapidly expanding.  Many physicians and health care providers have added cosmetic services to their practices especially as third party insurance payers continue to find ways to reduce reimbursement for medically necessary patient encounters.  So what’s the problem?  Well, many are looking at this big golden pot of money and are trying to jump on the bandwagon and offer services to patients despite not being adequately trained or have a true understanding of the natural biology of skin health.  There is very little regulation attached to cosmetic surgery oversight.  Many physicians and health care providers can literally go to a weekend cosmetic surgery workshop and come back and call themselves a “cosmetic surgeon,” or “laser surgeon, “ or “skin care specialist.”  Some greedy physicians are delegating their offered services to non-physician health care extenders, which in my opinion is wrong!  A big word of advice for all seeking cosmetic skin care:  beware!  Just because one has the additional money to spend on skin rejuvenation does not necessarily mean the person offering the services is truly qualified to do the procedure.  I am not being self-serving in my beliefs.  It is my opinion that Board certified Dermatologists, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgeons, and all other physicians who have residency training in surgery of the skin are qualified to do aesthetic skin care procedures.  This does not mean that I even agree completely with some of the procedures performed by dermatologists including face lifts, chin implants, tummy tucks..just to name a few.  Even scarier, there are skin spas and salons offering chemical peels and laser treatment by people who have no medical training.  So please be careful as you contemplate having cosmetic surgery or aesthetic skin care.  You should ask the following three questions:

1)      Where did the Cosmetic surgeon, or skin care specialist, or laser surgeon get their training?

2)      What board-certification does the provider have qualifying them to perform a surgical procedure?

3)      How long has the provider been offering cosmetic services?

Good luck and be careful out there!