With the launch this week of the consumer education campaign “Be Wise About Beauty†by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS), I thought I would add my support.
This campaign aims to update the consumer on the facts about cosmetic surgery. This includes patient safety and qualifications of practitioners. How well do you know your medical practitioners?
I don’t know about you, but the look of my doctor or health practitioner means something to me. If they don’t look healthy and fit themselves, I don’t feel confident that they are in a position to dictate my health and fitness.
Okay, I can accept the elements of age and illness contributing to appearances, but you can usually tell whether a person smokes, whether they drink too much, whether they keep themselves fit. The other elements in my decision are:
- I expect that most doctors have the requisite medical certification – although it pays to check what’s hanging on the wall.
- What am I seeking advice on. I go to my General Practitioner for general health issues, but I consult with my health store owner on alternative medicines, my pharmacy on drug related information and I seek out specialists in areas like endocrinology for any hormonal factors.
- If I need emergency treatment at an accident clinic, I don’t take much notice as to other advice they feel inclined to offer. I listen, but I don’t give it a lot of weight. I am not there for my total health; I am only there because I cut my foot of whatever.
- Attitude to alternative medicine and health supplementation. This is still a hot area with many medical practitioners. For many years my Doctor did not support taking supplementary vitamins. I believed in them, so I just didn’t discuss it with her. If they added no benefit, no harm done. Out of interest, she has recently come out supporting them. I also believe in alternative therapies, used in conjunction with prescribed medicine. It is purely a personal position. I do not support replacing highly effective prescription drugs with unproven alternative remedies. I also do not support Doctors opinions based on the fact that an alternative treatment is not medically sound just because it hasn’t got FDA approval. With the cost of getting such approval, I expect a lot of extremely powerful remedies won’t come onto the prescription list.
With the Internet providing so much accessible information on health and beauty there is no excuse not to be informed about anything in this area.
You get the picture – its ultimately up to you to manage your own health. And cosmetic surgery is an area where the health and safety factors are too often passed aside by patients, being overpowered by the lure of the pleasing appearance results they are aiming for.
Fortunately, most Cosmetic surgeons view patient safety as their number one priority, and hope that the campaign will encourage all consumers to make smart, educated choices when it comes to beauty.
Be Wise About Beauty Website
As part of the campaign an interactive Web site at http://www.bewiseaboutbeauty.org offers a suite of tools designed to educate patients and prospective patients about cosmetic surgery, including
- Information about specific procedures
- What to look for when choosing a cosmetic surgeon
- Sample questions patients should ask a cosmetic surgeon
- Myths and facts about cosmetic surgery
- An interactive ‘Beauty Monitor’ quiz to help determine whether cosmetic surgery is the right choice.
About Be Wise About Beauty
The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) launched Be Wise About Beauty to arm patients with the facts about cosmetic surgery, patient safety and the qualifications of practitioners so they can make informed decisions about cosmetic enhancement.
Be Wise About Beauty Website Â
The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
Nicola