“Mirror, mirror on the wall – who is the fairest of them all?” While this perennial question is only apparently solved every year at numerous beauty contests, more and more people obviously want to get closer to their ideal of beauty by surgery. In 2011, approximately 400,000 plastic surgeries were registered. In addition, 132,000 wrinkle injections were registered. Since plastic surgery does not have to be reported, the actual number of plastic procedures is much higher. It is estimated that 1 million Germans have undergone plastic surgery annually in the last few years. Liposuction, ear correction, removal of bags under the eyes and drooping eyelids, hair transplants, sweat gland suction, nose correction, thigh, buttock and abdominoplasty, and breast surgery are at the top of the wish list. According to the Association of German Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the trend remains upward: the annual growth rate is ten to fifteen percent.
Beauty craze at any age
While the number of procedures currently stands at 400,000 per year and continues to rise, the age range of those willing to undergo surgery is spreading ever downward and upward. In Germany, people under the age of 30 are already going in for face-lifts – risks and side effects included. Almost one third of all German “beauty patients” are under 30 years old. In 2011, 1.3 percent of all registered plastic surgeries were performed on young people. Reports of cosmetic surgery on children and adolescents are currently increasing from the USA. According to these reports, around 16,000 teenagers had botulinum toxin injections in 2012 alone, mainly to temporarily shut down the sweat glands in their armpits. Nearly 70,000 laser hair removals and nearly as many chemical skin peels in 2012 are troubling the majority of American physicians. They are calling for stronger legislation to oversee cosmetic surgery in the U.S.
New target groups
A representative survey by the German Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery e.V. (DGÄPC) shows that in 2013, the proportion of patients between the ages of 31 and 50 was about 45 percent. The proportion of patients over 50 years of age accounted for about a quarter of plastic surgery patients in 2013. This is a significant increase from previous years. The popularity of undergoing cosmetic surgery in old age is growing steadily at the moment. Men are also undergoing plastic surgery more and more frequently. While the percentage of male patients was still ten percent in 2008, it is 17 percent in 2013.
Check list for parents and students
The DGÄPC has addressed the beauty concerns of schoolchildren in this country by publishing a fact sheet for parents and children respectively on the subject of cosmetic surgery. Under the heading “Switch on the brain“, the body check list advises students to make more friends and peace with themselves. But no good advice is without exception here: if discomfort with one’s own appearance threatens to become a tangible psychological problem, then parents and students should seek help. For this purpose, the aesthetic plastic surgeons recommend the dialogue with family doctor, the teacher or the school psychologist to arrange competent interlocutors.
Surgeon sought, competence found?
Who has decided after careful consideration and weighing of all alternatives and risks to a cosmetic surgery, must look for a surgeon. Names and addresses can be found en masse, but it is often difficult to find information about the quality of the surgeons. In addition, as a result of changes in the health care system, more and more doctors of all specialties are filling wrinkles, giving botulinum injections and performing tummy tucks. Gynecologists are allowed to work as plastic surgeons, as are general surgeons and dermatologists, without any additional qualifications. “Plastic surgeon,” while a catchy name, is not an official job title and says nothing about the qualifications of the individual. A state of affairs that the various professional societies want to change with their demands for certification and improved safety as well as quality controls.
Four professional societies for plastic surgery
There are four professional societies in Germany, each dedicated to plastic surgery with a slightly different focus.
- DGPW: German Society for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with a focus in reconstructive measures. Members German and international are surgeons, dermatologists, trauma surgeons, thoracic surgeons and facial surgeons, as well as ophthalmologists, hand surgeons and pathologists.
- DGPRÄC: German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, in which only specialists in plastic (and aesthetic) surgery are members, focusing on the four tasks of reconstruction, burn, hand and aesthetics.
- DGÄPC: German Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. According to the statutes, only specialists in plastic surgery can become members.
- VDÄPC: Association of German Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. The currently just under 100 members are all plastic surgeons.
The designation “plastic surgeon” or “specialist in plastic surgery” is protected by law and requires several years of training in this field.
The before and after comparison
How can I recognize a “good” plastic surgeon? Among the many facets of cosmetic surgery, the question of the appropriate surgeon is certainly the most exciting. The following points should be considered when making a choice:
- What specialist training does the surgeon have?
- Is he a member of a German professional society?
- How often has he already performed the procedure?
- Are there “before and after” photographs that demonstrate the success of the procedure?
- Are follow-up operations already foreseeable?
- What are the risks?
- How long does the success of the procedure generally last?
- Is the procedure performed on an outpatient or inpatient basis?
- How is the aftercare?
- How long should the healing take?
- What do I have to pay special attention before and after?
- How detailed is the estimate?
