Plastic Surgery Notes

Distinguished Sacramento plastic surgeon, Dr. David Kaufman is proud to offer the AqueCool™ Therapy System -- a new advance in patient care and healing technology. Dr. Kaufman is one of the few physicians in the country offering this revolutionary facial surgical recovery device and has witnessed firsthand the benefits to his patients.

The AqueCool™ by Aqueduct Medical, Inc. is an ergonomic, custom-formable cool therapy system that provides comfortable, uniform cooling across the complex surfaces of a post-operative patient’s face. The custom-fit, semi-rigid structure of the mask ensures complete coverage on all critical areas and applies gentle, uniform compression on the face, helping to alleviate swelling and potentially reducing bruising and the formation of hematomas.

The AqueCool™ was developed with input from some of the most recognized plastic surgeons in the country, including Dr. Kaufman, and is designed to provide the highest standard of care and recovery for plastic surgery patients.

In essence, the technologically advanced product naturally relieves the pain and discomfort of surgery, reduces swelling and bruising, and shortens long term recovery time by allowing the body to begin healing sooner. The unique therapy is already providing significantly improved recoveries for Dr. Kaufman’s facial cosmetic surgery patients.

“Virtually all cosmetic surgery patients seek optimal results with minimal downtime. I do everything in my power to make the experience as easy as possible, pre-operatively, during surgery, and throughout recovery,” he reports. “The AqueCool™ cooling mask reduces bruising, minimizes swelling, and decreases pain -- all key elements in the recovery process -- and my patients swear by it!”

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American women are going under the knife in unprecedented numbers to have their breasts augmented, their tummies tucked, their faces lifted and their noses nipped.

Surgeons disagree on what's responsible for the boom. Some say television shows such as Extreme Makeover are driving the trend, while others insist it's the other way around. And still others believe it's the medical profession itself that's responsible, with more doctors across a spectrum of specialties doing cosmetic surgery to make ends meet as insurance reimbursements for non-elective surgeries dwindle.

What's not in dispute is the growing number of doctors performing cosmetic surgery is creating tension between specialties. It's about competition, and it's been going on a long time.

Dr. Anthony Stephens, vice president of the Louisiana Society of Plastic Surgeons, opened his plastic surgery practice in Baton Rouge in 1989. According to him, until a few years ago a young doctor in his profession could still make a living doing facial reconstruction and other medically necessary procedures.

Not so today. Fortunately, cosmetic surgery is filling the monetary gap.

Stephens' cosmetic surgery business has increased well over 50% in the last two years, growth he attributes to two things: His practice is mature enough that it's receiving more word-of-mouth clients, and television has led to a new acceptance of cosmetic surgery, thereby largely removing the stigma.

Things really took off in 2004, with Extreme Makeover debuting the previous year. The trend shows no signs of abating.

In fact, on a national scale, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of women having breast augmentations increased 24% between 2000 and 2004.

While Baton Rouge is not in same league with markets such as Los Angeles, New York and Miami, doctors in the Capital City are nevertheless experiencing a noticeable rise in demand for the various procedures. Certainly every doctor interviewed for this story reported a substantial increase in their cosmetic surgery business, although exact numbers for Baton Rouge are almost impossible to obtain.

Stephens charges around $3,800 for the breast augmentation procedure, which is fairly standard.

A lot of his clients are women who dance naked for a living. "We see a lot of people come in from some of the men's clubs," Stephens says. "For some reason I'm the team doctor for the Gold Club all of a sudden."

Medical practices are businesses. Like any other business, they have to adapt to a changing market.

"What is driving the market is decreased reimbursement from third-party payers," Stephens says. "It's harder to recoup your money, so people are looking for ways to make ends meet. You're having ob-gyns buying lasers, doing Botox, all these things that are cosmetic procedures."

Stephens is among a number of plastic surgeons critical of what he sees as these less qualified specialists moving into the cosmetic surgery market. He argues plastic surgeons with formal training in the field--and board certification by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons--are likely the most qualified doctors to go to for cosmetic surgery.

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