The Today Show
How to Pick a Plastic Surgeon
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KATIE COURIC: Next up, what you should know
before choosing a plastic surgeon. But first...this
is TODAY on NBC.
MATT LAUER, co-host: This morning on our
continuing series, FOREVER YOUNG: A GUIDE TO LIFE
AFTER 50, how to pick a plastic surgeon. In 1996,
almost a million cosmetic surgery procedures were
performed. That's an increase of more than 50% over
the past five years. Dr. Darrick Antell,
a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City,
has a rundown of things you should know before having
plastic surgery.
Dr. Antell, good morning. Welcome back.
DR. DARRICK ANTELL (Plastic Surgeon): Good
morning. Thank you.
MATT LAUER: This is-this is nip and tuck
to some people. But let's remember, this is surgery.
So, the decision's important.
DR. ANTELL: Absolutely. You can't forget
that it's surgery, and there are potential complications.
That's why it's critical that you invest time to
pick a surgeon properly. Some people spend more
time picking a toaster oven than they do their surgeon.
MATT LAUER: So what do you do to get information
about the different doctors who are available in
your area?
DR. ANTELL: Well, I get asked that question
a lot because New York City is a mecca for this
type of surgery. And I recommend that people start
developing a list of potential candidates. See if
the same names keep coming up more than once. Ask
your personal physician, ask you friends. I would
ask hospital personnel. And most importantly, I
would check if the doctor has privileges to do the
operation you're interested in in a hospital environment.
MATT LAUER: That means the doctor has been
through some kind of peer review at that hospital.
DR. ANTELL: Yes.
MATT LAUER: So-so you're getting a fairly
qualified or very qualified doctor?
DR. ANTELL: Absolutely. Because today, many
of these operations are done outside the hospital.
And there's less peer review. So, if the doctor
has privileges to do it in a hospital environment,
you can feel comfortable that he's undergone that
peer review.
MATT LAUER: Two words we hear an awful lot
about when talking about plastic surgery, board-certified.
How important?
DR. ANTELL: Board certification is very
important. But it's become kind of a buzz word.
Consumers know it, but they don't really understand
all the different boards. It's very confusing. What
you want to look for is board certification in plastic
surgery, and "in" is the key word.
MATT LAUER: So, in other words, you're saying
a doctor could be board-certified but not in the
area you need him or her to be.
DR. ANTELL: Exactly. And today, unfortunately,
in this era of commercialization of medicine, many
people advertise. And they'll put board-certified
in the ad, but not indicate what specialty they're
board certified in. So you want to check what specialty
they're board-certified in. (http://www.CERTIFIEDDOCTOR.ORG)
MATT LAUER: And an easy way to find out
about board certification, we have a phone number
we want to put up right now. (1-800-776-2378)
DR. ANTELL: Yes. It's the American Board
of Medical Specialties. And they are the only board
recognized by the American Medical Association to
certify people in over 24 medical specialties, one
of which is plastic surgery.
MATT LAUER: What about when someone is having
a procedure done, say a nose surgery, but it's for
more than a cosmetic reason - it's because they
have polyps or breathing problems or sinus problems.
Do you look for different kind of doctor?
DR. ANTELL: Well, you may. An ear-nose-throat
doctor would be board-certified in otolaryngology.
And that's what the board certification would come
up as. What we do in my practice is, if there's
a problem with the breathing, I may work in conjunction
with the ENT doctor, where I'll do the cosmetic
part for the external portion.
MATT LAUER: Right.
DR. ANTELL: ...and the same operation, they
can correct the internal parts.
MATT LAUER: So, would you give someone a
referral, then, for the other doctor as well?
DR. ANTELL: Yes. Absolutely. And we have
a phone number, by the way, for that also.
If you're looking for a referral on a surgeon,
this is a different number than before 1 (800) 635-0635.
Now, once you've narrowed down the number of doctors
in your area....
DR. ANTELL: Uh-huh.
MATT LAUER: You should go for a consultation.
Very important. But what do you do at that consultation?
DR. ANTELL: Well, during the consultation,
I would start by looking at the office, make sure
it's clean, friendly. Make sure you have some rapport
with the surgeon. I would ask about potential risks.
I would ask if he does the surgery himself. Very
important question.
MATT LAUER: Also it's important to note
how much time the doctor's willing to spend with
you during the consultation. You don't want someone
who's going to run in, look and go, and run out.
DR. ANTELL: I would ask about costs. I think
cost needs to be gone over in great detail. And
this is an area where it pays to pay retail.
MATT LAUER: You see on billboards and you
see on television doctors who advertise that they
use this computer system to show the patient what
she or he might look like after surgery. You, though,
tell a patient to stand in front of a mirror, and
you actually use you hands. Why?
DR. ANTELL: I do that for a couple of reasons.
I believe it's more accurate. I think the computer
is misleading. It doesn't account for swelling.
But I need to feel their skin. And by feeling the
texture of their skin, if I'm going to be doing
a face-lift, it may modify the techniques that I'll
use to get the best possible result.
MATT LAUER: So is this computer imaging
a gimmick?
DR. ANTELL: I believe that it's a gimmick.
I think there's no way you can guarantee that result.
MATT LAUER: Quickly, what's the most typical
side effect from plastic surgery that people should
know about?
DR. ANTELL: I would say a hematoma is one
of the most common. It's a collection of blood,
and in most cases, it's small and goes away on its
own.
MATT LAUER: Dr. Darrick Antell, great information.
DR. ANTELL: Thank you.
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