Kellee Lee-Howard, a loving mother of six and a wife to James Howard, under went “minimally invasive” liposuction to achieve her dream body. Known to be a fairly common operation, Kellee was assured that no harm could be done from such a non-intrusive procedure. Sadly, that was not the case. James Howard woke up next to his dead wife’s body on Valentines Day. The family had so many questions- none of which could be answered. The doctor, Alberto Sant Antonio, was not board certified nor was his office registered as a surgery center (O’Donnell). And this is not an isolated event. Cosmetic surgery, which is the “reshaping a part of the body to improve a patient 's appearance or self-esteem”, has been on the rise in America ("Cosmetic Surgery: …show more content…
In recent years it has become apparent that regulations on cosmetic surgeries are greatly lacking because of the horrific outcomes of numerous procedures. Not only do “44% of cosmetic surgeons don’t have proper equipment” but “50% of patients receive inadequate care” (“Plastic Surgery Injury and Negligence Statistics”). That is inexcusable. America is known for being ahead in medicine and surgeries, yet they fall behind when it comes to the safety of their patients. Other countries prioritize the well-being of the patients by creating rules and regulations, but it appears that America lacks in these aspects in the medical world. Also, an additional problem relating to cosmetic/plastic surgery has come to light: “Absent regulation, however, any doctor with a license to practice medicine can perform any procedure a patient wants done” (O 'Donnell). Doctors of any speciality have started performing cosmetic procedures on patients without proper training. The doctors can freely practices whatever procedures to their hearts content- completely legally. No repercussions to be faced by these money hungry doctors. There has been instances where dentists have started performing complex cosmetic surgery practices, and as a result the persons undergoing these procedures have faced fatal outcome (O 'Donnell). The reason why non-plastic/cosmetic surgeons venture out into this new area of specialty is because these procedures are usually not covered by insurances. There is “little if any, interference from insurers” which basically allows the surgeons to practice with limited oversight as well as more money (O’Donnell). More states have even went to loosen their laws, making it easier for non-cosmetic surgeons to practice cosmetic surgeries (O 'Donnell). With cosmetic surgery on the rise has also paralleled the same rise with the amount of injuries occuring.