Noncertified Professionals offering Plastic Surgery on Social Media: Study

It’s true, your cosmetic surgery could get botched by someone unqualified to be doing the procedure in the first place.

According to a new study from Northwestern Medicine, many practices advertising plastic surgery on social media are not board-certified plastic surgeons, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The study is out Wednesday in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.

The study uncovered that some of the top posts on Instagram came from dentists, spas and even a hair salon.

Dr. Clark Schierle, a senior author of the study and plastic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine, told The Tribune that, “Sometimes, if things seem too good to be true, they just might be.”

More specifically, the study analyzed 21 hashtags where one would find links to various procedures. This includes: #plasticsurgery, #facelift, #breastimplant, #boobjob, #liposuction and #brazilianbuttlift, according to the same outlet.

The results turned up 1.8 million posts — which were pared down to nine from each hashtag.

The most posts came from foreign surgeons. Next in line — at 26% — were dermatologists, gynecologists and general surgeons, who mind you, are not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or its Canadian counterpart.

Here’s the catch: a licensed medical doctor can legally perform cosmetic surgeries. Depending on the doctor, though, expertise could be different.

Those certified by the board trailed behind at 17.8%.

Schierle said these posts are “drowning out” the other — certified — players, according to The Tribune.

On the flip side of the coin, some say it’s not such a bad thing, as other professionals, not certified by the board, get extensive training elsewhere.

Those certified through the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery participate in a one-year fellowship training program and complete a residency in a specific area.

This could even mean some cosmetic surgeons have tallied up more experience than plastic surgeons.

To distinguish the difference, cosmetic surgery is often done to enhance features while plastic surgery requires patients to go under the knife to fix various issues.

The medical profession warns would-be patients to do their research before agreeing to a procedure.