What patients need to look for before going under the knife
Doctor Luiz Toledo, a Dubai based consultant plastic surgeon and professor with over 30 years of teaching and operating experience in aesthetic plastic surgery is one of the more experienced doctors in Dubai who is keen to inform patients so they are able to choose a qualified professional.
Choosing a plastic surgeon is an important decision. It is vital to the patient’s safety and the success of any procedure, it is therefore paramount that the chosen surgeon has the right qualifications, ample experience, and has documented results of his or her work.
“Any licensed physician can call himself a plastic surgeon, so the importance of finding a properly trained and certified professional is vital. Choosing a doctor who is a certified member of an accredited board or society is the first step in ensuring quality care and outcomes, explained Dr. Luiz Toledo.
Medical training and surgical experience are primary indicators of the surgeon’s qualifications. Body procedures such as breast reduction and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) require a long time in surgery and are very invasive. Major organs and muscle groups are affected by these procedures and great care must be taken to perform them safely and effectively. Facial plastic surgery such as facelifts and rhinoplasty nose surgery) include incisions in very delicate areas and require considerable surgical skill.
If there are any complications during surgery, an experienced plastic surgeon will be more adept at handling the situation. In addition, a plastic surgeon that has performed many surgeries will have had more time to perfect his or her technique and results.
Board certification is another important criterion. All board-certified physicians are not trained equally for certain surgery procedures. Membership in a National society of plastic surgery or board-certification does not guarantee a successful outcome. But, some societies do require extensive medical training and experience, such as the Brazilian or the American Society of Plastic Surgery. Patients can be confident that physicians members of these societies do have specific and rigorous surgical education and training.
In plastic surgery, where many of the procedures are performed in the surgeon’s office, it is relatively easy for a physician to give the impression of a “qualified plastic surgeon.” For example, the doctor may be board certified by the Aesthetic Medicine Society instead of a Plastic Surgery society. Aesthetic Medicine doctors usually do not have the surgical training of a plastic surgeon. It’s important, then, that you learn about the doctor’s education, training, certification, and experience to make the best choice.
The Continual Medical Education – CME – program is being followed in the UAE to periodically recertify the physician’s training, stimulating doctors to attend congresses and have a certain amount of medical education every year.
Plastic surgery has become a mainstream option for women in the Middle East during the last 3 years and the mushrooming of private clinics in Dubai alone is witness to that. However, according to Dr. Toledo patients need to be informed on how to make a choice.
“We still see many clinics that are treating patients with no medical facility on the premisesâ€, Dr. Toledo explained. “We need to ensure that patients are well advised of the dangers of invasive surgery at clinics that do not have the necessary equipment or personnel to deal with an emergency.”
Dr Toledo performs over 600 surgical procedures per year at the International Modern Hospital, UAE and has published and edited several books in the field of plastic surgery as well as published over 60 scientific papers in international publications. As a Post-graduate Professor of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, he has lectured at more than 500 congresses and organized over 25 international congresses and symposiums. Dr. Toledo advises patients to search for a surgeon who is a certified member of a plastic surgery association, so that the patient can feel confident that the doctor has undergone strict training as a reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon.
