Better Health: Smart Health Commentary

Featured

Will A Tax On Breast Implants In The UK Drive People Away?

October 24th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in News
No Comments »

The British HM Revenue and Customs is planning to impose a tax on cosmetic surgeries by slapping VAT on any artificial enhancements and procedures. According to the new guidelines by the department responsible for collecting UK’s taxes, doctors performing more invasive procedures will have to register for VAT and pass the charge on to their patients. The guidelines suggest that patients having such cosmetic procedures will have to pay the tax unless they can persuade the doctor that the operation is being carried out for “therapeutic” reasons. Although the move is being considered to help plug the deficit in Britain’s public finances, but Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), said that this could harm many patients.
Source: dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_boob-tax-to-increase-cost-of-cosmetic-surgery-by-20-per-cent_1599777

The government in the UK seeks to hasten the movement of cosmetic surgery business out of the country it seems. That will likely be the effect of the planned extension of the VAT tax to cosmetic surgery. It is already less expensive for British citizens to leave the country for their cosmetic surgery. The care in most cases is not equivalent. The reason to consider it just got 20% more persuasive however. That is a huge tax!

Here in the US, Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*

The Perils Of Offering A Second Opinion On A Botched Boob Job

May 13th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion
1 Comment »

A mother called the office today. Her daughter had breast implants placed by a surgeon in another state and the two ladies are not happy. They called for a second opinion.

It is dicey dealing with situation like this as a second opinion consultant. The first question is whether or not the first surgeon did anything wrong. A botched boob job is not any boob job that the patient or mother do not like. “Botched” indicates fault. Sometimes there is fault on the part of the surgeon and sometimes there is not. Sometimes patients ask for surgery on the cheap and decline breast lifting or other associated surgery that might have made things look better. Sometimes the patient choose a surgeon of limited skill or qualifications. Sometimes infection, cigarette smoking or scarring can distort an otherwise good procedure. It is not always clear.

The second question for a consultant is whether or not the patient wants him or her to fix things or just wants to return to the original surgeon. No smart consultant wants to end up embroiled in a patient’s lawsuit with the original doctor. It is a waste of time and time is money.

*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*