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Somebody once said that finding a good plastic surgeon is like finding a good hairdresser, and although the medical fraternity would most definitely not like this parable - it is true to some extent, but with one great difference - hair will grow out naturally after a bad cut, but once plastic surgery has been performed it takes even more skill to repair badly performed surgery.

Please note that we are not involved in any way with cosmetic surgery, or have any affiliations to any plastic surgeons, but are manufacturers of skin care products, but include these information pages on our website for the interest of our visitors, since it also deals with looking good in the broadest context.

Unfortunately, it is legal in certain states of the United States of America, for physicians who are NOT PLASTIC SURGEONS to perform plastic surgery, and to simply look for the term "Board Certified" means nothing, unless specified which board certified the physician.

In other countries, like South Africa, physicians have to train an additional five years to be certified as cosmetic surgeons, and can only then perform plastic and reconstructive surgery.

We have all seen horror documentaries on plastic surgery that went terribly wrong, but in most cases these procedures were done by unskilled and unqualified plastic surgeons - but always keep in mind that plastic surgery - like any surgery - carries risks and must be treated seriously.

It is good practice to shop and ask around when looking for plastic surgeons, since a personal referral by a patient already treated by a certain plastic surgeon would give you an idea of the level of competency and skill of such a plastic surgeon.

Another extremely important point is that you need to feel totally comfortable and confident with your plastic surgeon as he or she will be responsible for the final result of your surgery. With this in mind you would need to be able to converse well with the plastic surgeon to convey what your wishes are in an extremely clear fashion.

A point that you should also look for and avoid in plastic surgeons, are those that make wild promises about results.

Plastic surgery is not a engineering project and the surgeon is working with living tissue and bone, and cannot change the rules of human physiology or gravity nor is he or she a miracle worker.

So, in the case of cosmetic surgery rather opt for a more conservative surgeon, who will give you an honest assessment and a realistic view of the results that you can expect.

Also - do not trust plastic surgeons that underplay the risks of surgery. It is your right to ask your plastic surgeon regarding any side effects that the surgery may have.

When consulting with your cosmetic surgeon for the first time, make sure that he or she spends enough time to thoroughly examine and evaluate you and the work that you wish to have done.

Be wary of a cosmetic surgeon that rushes through the consultation since the initial consultation and your expectations from the surgery must be carefully evaluated by the plastic surgeon.

Cost of plastic surgery

The costs of plastic surgery vary, but the rule of thumb is that major cities like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, etc are more expensive than their smaller city cousins.

If you like to travel and are thinking of plastic surgery - you may want to consider having plastic surgery done in countries that have a favorable exchange rate to your local currency.

A great deal of cosmetic surgery is performed in South Africa on patients from the USA, UK, Asia and Europe since the currencies of these countries are very strong against the local South African Rand.

The quality of work done by these cosmetic surgeons is of the highest standard in the world due to the statutory training that they have to complete and the compulsory yearly training and update seminars they have to attend locally and internationally.

So it might be worth your while to consider that an option - it has the added benefit that you will be away from your surroundings during the recuperation period, with no friends and family to see you when looking less than your best after the operation.

Contacting a plastic surgeon
- United States of America
  - If you are looking for an American based plastic surgeon or a surgeon that is accredited by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery worldwide, please click here to go to the Plastic Surgeon Locator of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
- South Africa
  - If you are looking for a plastic surgeon in South Africa please click here to access the address book of the Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Southern Africa.
  - In our opinion, we at Dermaxime can recommend that you contact Dr. Tienie van Rooyen in Pretoria, as we have had excellent reports and feedback on his work.

Finding and choosing a plastic surgeon

Cost of plastic surgery

Other cosmetic surgery articles

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