There's an old saying..."To a man with a hammer
everything looks like a nail!"
I recently consulted with a woman for a tummy tuck.
She had had two previous SMART lipo procedures on her abdomen and flanks within
the past year. After the first unsuccessful procedure,
she complained to her Plastic Surgeon and after he reassured her that all
she needed was some "more tightening" she proceeded with the second
unsuccessful procedure. Looking at her abdomen I saw severe
rippling of her entire abdominal wall and flanks with areas of fat interspersed
with large depressions!!! Her lower abdominal wall hung over her
pubic area and she claimed that she looked much worse now than before the
original procedure. I remarked that she had probably needed a
tummy tuck in the first place and she sadly agreed...she is now scheduled for
the right procedure next month.
Whether its the promise of surgery without anesthesia,
results with no scars, painless flattening of the stomach, a quick return
to work or any of the other misleading but GOOD MARKETING PLOYS used to
deceive, gullible patients who want to believe that the impossible is possible
often fall for these traps! I am not saying that it doesn't work
altogether, just that SMART lipo has extremely limited value over other methods
of liposuction that Plastic Surgeons offer. Physicians that make
outlandish, false claims and back them up with questionable photographs and testimonials
should be avoided by patients and admonished by our Professional Societies.
