Plastic Surgery’s Batting Average

“Some turn out great.  Some turn out lousy.  You win some, you lose some.  Every doctor makes mistakes.  If they tell you they have never had an operation that turned out like they did not want it to, they are lying.”*

I find the above statement preposterous.  It is not good enough for us to turn out anything but the very highest percentage of excellent and patient-satisfactory results.  It is not a matter of a flip of a coin as if “you win some, you lose some”.  That would imply a 50% percent ratio, which is abominable.

In any other specialty, such as neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery or eye surgery, do you think surgeons would casually state that they succeed only half the time?  Of course not.  Obviously, each case is different because there are factors that weigh in such as the nature of the operation, the strength and texture of the tissues, and even whether or not there have been one, two or more surgical visits to the area.

Nonetheless, I believe that a cosmetic surgeon should not undertake an operation unless the prospects for success or what is known as the risks/reward ratio is very favorable.  Patients would not like to gamble on an outcome or spend their hard earned money with only a 50% or less chance of success.

In the end, like all things, the core of the doctor patient relationship is forthrightness on the part of the patient and integrity, honesty and capability on the part of the doctor.

*From Plastic Surgery Hopscotch, A Resource
Guide For Those Considering Cosmetic Surgery by John McCabe