Should surgeons interfere when a patient goes too far with cosmetic surgery?

Plastic surgeons should always have the best interest of the patient at heart. Goals of plastic surgery are to improve physical characteristics to enhance natural beauty and quality of life. I feel the best plastic surgery is when it doesn't look like you've had a procedure. Too much plastic surgery tends to look unnatural and can make you look older than your stated age, distorting your features. It is our responsibility to say "no" to patients who have unrealistic expectations, or to patients who lose the perception of reality after reaping physical and emotional benefits of previous procedures and "want more".

We have an ethical and moral responsibility to take care of our patients and guide them into making realistic decisions about procedures. We also have to think about long-term consequences of repeated operations and uncorrectable deformities that can occur when too many procedures are performed. So yes, we should always interfere and turn away patients who go too far with cosmetic surgery.

H. A. Brown, MD

Cosmetic surgery implies surgery to improve the aesthetics of an individual. Although everyone has a different opinion about what is "aesthetic", when a patient asks for a procedure which is clearly "unaesthetic" or gives an unnatural look or appearance, then I believe it is appropriate for the plastic surgeon to dissuade the patient from and if necessary refuse to perform that procedure. As physicians we must still follow Hippocrates basic ethic of "nil nocere" (do no harm).

Every surgeon needs to talk to their patient about limits in our life. We are doctors and our Code of Ethics has to be shown in front of the patient for his/her own benefit. We give advice about techniques and limits in plastic surgery procedures.

We want our patients to feel good in their skin and we don't want to harm them. As a surgeon with 25 years of experience I feel the need to educate my patients and give them my support to help with difficult decisions.