| - | Cosmetic surgery for people of colorMake sure that you work with a surgeon with right experience | I have discussed that many cosmetic surgery procedures need to be undertaken differently for people of color or for people who have very distinct ethnic features. For instance, several skin procedures like chemical peel and laser skin treatment either cannot be done on people with dark skin or some changes in the way the procedure is done may be needed. For the same reasons, the eyes, nose, and facial surgeries need to be done in a way that the original features are maintained and the overall look is still in harmony. | |
| Plastic surgeons are not only appreciating this but also actively working to promote an individual look. Dr. Daniel Greenwald of Tampa Bay believes in providing specialized attention to each particular patient, striving for a personalized look that pays homage to the individualized beauty of the patient’s ethnic and cultural background while creating aesthetically pleasing results. The patient’s own needs, cultural history, specific desires and individual goals are an integral facet of successful surgery, he says.
Dr. Greenwald advocates the importance of a meticulous understanding of anatomy in creating this level of individualized results. “Newer techniques in minimally invasive procedures must be tailored for the individual patient to avoid “cookie-cutter” results” explains Greenwald. “Additionally, the trend towards modifying the face with dermal fillers and aggressive skin treatments must be modified to avoid unnatural contours and pigmentation.” | It does not mean that everyone buys into this concept. Several Oriental women often undertake surgery to reduce their ethnic look and become more like everyone else, but the key point is that those women who do want to maintain their original look now have a choice. That explains the emergence of plastic surgery clinics specializing in certain types of ethnic groups. One clinic that has attracted a lot of attention is the Cultura Cosmetic Medical Spa. Founded by Dr. Eliot F. Battle Jr., a dermatologist, and Dr. Monte O. Harris, a facial surgeon -- experts in cosmetic treatments for blacks, Asians and Latinos -- the clinic has attracted several celebrities also who found that a typical Beverly Hills plastic surgeon only knew how to operate on Caucasians. |
| | | Hispanic, Asian and African-American patients had 20 percent of all cosmetic procedures in 2004, an increase from 14 percent in 2000, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. How to pick the right surgeon?
While picking a surgeon of your own race/ethnicity may be one way to do it, what is really important is to pick the surgeon based on experience. Plastic surgery is both a science and an art and that is why experience is key. Ask your surgeon directly about her/his level of expertise in working on people like you. If the answer is no, you would be better off searching for another surgeon. The other way to find is to ask people that share your roots and have had surgery. | | |
