It's something most plastic surgery patients don't think about … could something go wrong? Twelve million procedures are performed in the United States every year and while the risks are low, they still exist. Why you may want to study up before heading into the operating room.

"I had a bump on my nose that had always bothered me ever since I was a little kid," said Joe Serio. He just couldn't get his nose off of his mind.

"I just wanted improvement," he recalled. "That was my whole theme. I didn't want to look like Brad Pitt or anything. I just wanted improvement."

Serio decided to do what thousands of others do every year … get a nose job; but what was supposed to be a simple surgery nearly cost him his life.

"Well, I didn't want to die," Serio said. "That was the main thing -- I didn't want to die. That was the first time in my life I ever thought, 'Hey, I don't have control over when I go,' and it was a feeling like no other."

Doctors say Serio's blood pressure dropped dramatically. He had a major stroke on the operating table. Joe lost vision in his right eye and the white mark on the right side of his MRI picture shows the damage done to his brain.

"I never really thought about brain damage," he said. "I never really thought about going blind."

Doctors say what happened to Serio is rare, but not unheard of. "Anything that requires general anesthesia, there are a little bit more risks involved, but in general they are very, very safe," said Lawrence Korpeck, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Fla.

Studies show the plastic surgery mortality rate is one in 57,000 people. The rate of serious complications is less than half a percent. Although the risks are small, doctors say patients need to do their homework.

"You really want to know who your physician is and know who's performing the procedure," said Carolyn Jacob, M.D., a dermatologic surgeon at Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology.

Experts say interview the doctor. Find out how many procedures he or she has done. Check the doctor's track record and most importantly, find out if your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Even with regulations, some specialists say there are procedures out there that could be dangerous. Dr. Jacob said one example is Lipodissolve.

"Lipodissolve is an injectable treatment to try and dissolve fat and reduce the adipose and reduce size of the abdomen or thighs," she explained. "There isn't any standard of care as to what is being injected into your skin to then dissolve the fat and it's really scary."

Dr. Jacob says liposuction is safer. It doesn't cause the pain, swelling or permanent scars that Lipodissolve can lead to.

"I will not perform Lipodissolve," she said. "It is not FDA approved. It is not safe and I have many other ways make people's size get reduced and look great."

Serio wishes he had done more research on his cosmetic surgery, but thankfully, four months after his scary experience he's seeing clearly again. "I'm lucky and I think about it everyday," Serio said.

And although he nearly died, Serio's not ruling out another round of plastic surgery.

Experts say it's also important to interview your anesthesiologist before heading into any surgery. Find out how he or she would handle certain situation like a rapid rise or drop in blood pressure.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
info@drkorpeck.com
http://www.drkorpeck.com/lip_augmentation.html
www.chicagodermatology.com
cjacob@chicagodermatology.com