how much ethical obligation does a doctor have to reconstruct a procedure he does if it turns out wrong?  i had this happen and he refused to correct the problem but said he would refer me to another doctor..uh hello..to me the doctor that performed the procedure should be the one to correct it at no cost to the patient...and is there any place that i could speak to or report him to?

I said this in another thread, but this may actually be a blessing in disguise.  Whether or not the results of this procedure are eventually corrected, you will always have a greater appreciation for the way you naturally looked- before you became a patron of the plastic surgery industry.  Appreciate what you have.  If you want to improve yourself, perhaps you should take all the money and time you would spend on plastic surgery and use it to develop your mind, in a university or a music class for instance. 

^ you didn't really answer her question... and that wasn't very good advice. 

Well, she didn't really say what the procedure was, or what went wrong with it, and I'd like to know why you think what I said isn't good advice.  But to answer her original question more directly: no, I don't think plastic surgeons have a moral obligation to redo a plastic surgery if a customer isn't happy with it.  Now, if the customer went in for a rhinoplasty and the surgeon cut her nose off or something, then of course the surgeon should be held responsible, but the thing is- studies show that many (though not all) plastic surgery customers are as displeased with their appearance after a procedure than they were before the procedure.  That's why they keep going back to the plastic surgeon until they look completely artificial or end up in an extremely dangerous mental state (consider the fact that suicides among people who have undergone plastic surgeries are significantly higher than suicides among the general population).  What I'm saying is, if you weren't happy with your body the way it naturally was, it's not likely you'll ever be happy with it, and that's not the surgeon's fault.  Of course, if you were to be more specific about the procedure that was to be performed and what actually happened, you might get more relevant responses. 

@mz n dependent Just a heads up that this site is owned by a marketing group that builds websites for cosmetic surgeons, and they probably have 0 interest responding to anyone who has had a problem with surgery. Yes, there are problems sometimes, and yes, your surgeon should offer to correct yours if it looks significantly bad or poses any sort of current or future health problem.

I highly doubt you can get an unbiased opinion on this from another surgeon, but I'd read your agreement and pursue it legally if needs be.

Hello Everyone!

I have to say, I actually like and support the diversity of this debate. On one hand, we have someone here who has actually had plastic surgery and feels as though her results were not what she had hoped. On the other, we have someone here who is against plastic surgery. I'd like to speak to both sides, if I may.

Mz N Dependant - Although there is no legal requirement for a plastic surgeon to "re-do" a procedure based off of your personal opinion/expectation of your results, most plastic surgeons will in fact try and work with you to give you the results (or close to)what  you were seeking. If your doctor refuses to assist you with this, there are options that you can take such as contacting whatever board they are certified with. If you have before and after photos, that will help.

NoPetrol - I can understand and appreciate your position on this, however Mz N Dependant has already made her choice and has gotten the surgery, so lets try and look on the positive side for her and offer her help, feedback and constructive criticism. I respect the fact that you may not choose to make the same choices that she does, but it does not make her wrong for making them. Also, In regards to your statistics about plastic surgery patients having higher suicide rates, I found this great article on the American Psychological Association website, which I thought I would share a snippet from:

"In a recent study, Sarwer--also an associate professor of psychology at the Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine--found that a year after receiving cosmetic surgery, 87 percent of patients reported satisfaction following their surgery, including improvements in their overall body image and the body feature altered. They also experienced less negative body image emotions in social situations. The study, which was supported by a grant from the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation, appeared in the May/June issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Vol. 25, No. 3, pages 263–269)."

The article goes on to state that although some studies have found that breast implant recipients may have a higher suicide rate than OTHER plastic surgery patients of the same sex and age range, it does not actually link the plastic surgery to being the root cause of the suicide itself. This would be similar to saying that Dentists have a higher suicide rate than any other profession, so that must mean that anyone who has a job is suicidal. It's simply not an apples to apples argument. :)

MelanieMac - You are correct that we do in fact market for Plastic Surgeons, however we are always interested in hearing the views of the general public in regards to Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, whether or not that opinion is positive or negative. It is not our job or intent to judge the users of our website, but merely to provide them with a means to create a dialogue with like minded people who may or may not be interested in learning more about cosmetic surgery and what it can do for them!

All The Best,
Audrey

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." www.iEnhance.com