by Richard Lewin | June 17, 2020 | Elite Clinic, Plastic surgery
What risk are you willing to take when it comes to plastic surgery?
Some may know that it is not actually a legal requirement to be a plastic surgeon to perform plastic surgery . Doesn't that sound strange? In Sweden... Where everything is well regulated so that all citizens feel safe. It could be compared to hiring an IT support to repaint your house. Few would think of that...
The right education
Letting someone cut into your body without the right training and experience should be a given for most people, but unfortunately some people may not understand the difference between the clinics that offer their services. The title "Plastic Surgeon" is issued by the National Board of Health and Welfare after at least 5 years of training has been completed at one of Sweden's university clinics. This is a long training with a lot of reconstructive plastic surgery, i.e. where the aim is to recreate normal appearance and function after deformities, accidents, injuries or after tumors have been removed. A long training and experience in reconstructive plastic surgery is not enough to be a good aesthetic plastic surgeon, but it definitely gives better opportunities to become a good aesthetic plastic surgeon with even more training and experience.
Members of SFEP
In Sweden, Europe and the world there are associations where documented experience in both reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery is a requirement for membership. In Sweden the association is called SFEP (Swedish Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) and membership guarantees documented training in plastic surgery that provides quality and safety. Both Richard and Carolina are members of SFEP.
All people in Sweden who are considering having someone hold the knife and cut into their body to improve their appearance with plastic surgery should ask if they are members of SFEP. For their own safety and for a successful result that meets and exceeds expectations.
by eliteclinic | Feb 18, 2020 | Breast reduction, Breast augmentation, Elite Clinic, Lipo-suction, Mage, Plastic surgery
Many people don't recognize their own bodies after exercise, good nutrition, and good habits have fallen by the wayside as life moves quickly and priorities have changed. During some years when the children are small, it feels impossible to make it to the gym after picking up and dropping off the kids at daycare, and planning the day's meals. Often, it ends up being meatballs and macaroni. In the evening, after the day's work and the rigors of activities and other things, it's just nice to be able to relax on the couch in front of the TV before it's time to go to bed for a new day... Does that sound familiar?
After pregnancy, the body changes a lot and even when the children start to grow, many women do not recognize their stomach and breasts. Even those who manage to prioritize exercise and a healthy life cannot always get rid of the excess skin on the stomach or sagging breasts. You can either accept that this is how your body looks now or you can fix this through plastic surgery . The choice is yours and no one else's! The worst thing there is are people who interfere and have negative opinions about how others should live their lives.
Today was a good one article in GP if a woman has chosen to have a tummy tuck combined with a breast lift, a so-called "Mommy makeover". Actually, we don't like this term as there are actually many who undergo this surgery without pregnancy and children having caused the problems, but rather previous overweight. For many, plastic surgery is a big expense, but like everything else, things must be put in scales that are weighed against each other. In one scale are all the advantages of the procedure, such as feeling comfortable in your body, being able to move freely in the bathhouse or on the beach, etc. and in the other scale are the risks of the operation and costs. Which one weighs the most can ultimately only be answered by the individual, although the plastic surgeon will talk about how the different scales weigh and whether it is worth the risk.
All surgeons, including plastic surgeons, have patients who suffer complications. Therefore, it is important to reduce the risks as much as possible before surgery.
You can do this by:
- Make sure the surgeon is a specialist in Plastic Surgery (issued by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare)
- Is a member of Swedish Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (SFEP)
- Be in as good physical shape as possible before surgery
- Not be overweight, but have a BMI below 26
- Do not perform many procedures at the same time, resulting in an unreasonably long operating time
- Do not fly after major surgery
- Don't go abroad to get plastic surgery
There are many skilled plastic surgeons abroad, but even these have patients with complications. If you suffer a complication, you need to be close to your plastic surgeon – you are not if the operation was performed abroad. In most cases, you need to fly home after having an operation abroad, and this gives you an increased risk of blood clots in the lungs. In addition, it is more common for bacteria to be antibiotic-resistant in other countries than Sweden. This means that if you suffer from an infection, in the worst case, it cannot be treated with antibiotics when you return to Sweden. Our joint public hospital will of course help with severe complications if you are at risk of being seriously injured or dying after your operation, but you will have to deal with the small problems and the less serious complications yourself when you have had an aesthetic plastic surgery operation abroad.
So before you make a decision - put the facts on the table so you don't regret not visiting a plastic surgery clinic in Sweden and a member of SFEP.
by eliteclinic | Oct 3, 2019 | Plastic surgery
Finally, there is a proposal for a new law that will regulate the beauty industry in Sweden!
Most people in Sweden are used to most things being regulated and controlled, which gives a great sense of security in society. The same people react with great surprise when they hear that plastic surgery and injection treatments are largely a lawless area. There is no regulation of who is allowed to perform certain treatments and with a growing market there are many who want to make money, even though they lack the right education.
Plastic surgery is a specialty in its own right, which means at least 5 years of further training after medical certification, then it takes at least 5 years as a specialist in a plastic surgery clinic to gain experience in various procedures. Experience is needed, not least to learn how to handle complications and minimize risks through safe plastic surgery techniques. The plastic surgery specialty is focused on handling tissues in the best possible way combined with aesthetic expertise. This applies to both reconstruction and aesthetic plastic surgery. When the foundation for plastic surgery training has been completed at a university clinic, there are good conditions to continue your training in aesthetic plastic surgery. This training differs markedly from the surgical training to become a general surgeon, urologist or ear, nose and throat specialist.
Until now, only a medical license has been required to perform plastic surgery, which is of course completely unacceptable if we are to protect patient safety in Sweden. Doctors who perform aesthetic plastic surgery without plastic surgery training expose patients to great danger and risk of complications that are, in the worst case, life-threatening. Sometimes these doctors lack surgical training completely, which is horrifying. How can they look at themselves in the mirror after exposing patients to unnecessary risks through incompetence? During my time as chief physician in plastic surgery at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, I saw many patients who sought emergency care for complications that arose after visits to doctors and surgeons who did not have plastic surgery training. This could be from clinics and doctors abroad, but not infrequently also within Sweden! Often, these were simpler complications, such as infections that can be treated with intravenous antibiotic treatment. Unfortunately, I have also had to reconstruct patients' stomachs and breasts using advanced plastic surgery techniques where we move muscles and skin to give a better result after botched plastic surgery procedures performed with poor technique and poor knowledge. Unfortunately, even reconstructive plastic surgery skills are not always enough to recreate something that was done incorrectly. Sometimes patients are forced to live with both mental and physical scars for the rest of their lives.
Even fillers , i.e. when you inject different substances into the body, can cause problems. We have seen terrible examples of different types of uncontrolled products, mainly different types of permanent fillers, which have been injected and caused lifelong problems with lumps, inflammation and pain. There are also risks with approved and well-controlled products, which is why the new bill with requirements for increased competence is necessary.
In May 2019, I was invited to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on behalf of SFEP. ( Swedish Association for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ) They wanted to get a better picture of the industry and what risks we saw with an unregulated market. The meeting was very good and I got the impression that they listened and asked a lot of relevant and good questions that I answered. I started the meeting by symbolically tearing my specialist certificate in plastic surgery in two parts because the legislation in Sweden means that this training that the National Board of Health and Welfare stands behind and signs is meaningless in the sense of the law. The lawyers at the Ministry of Health and Welfare were surprised that this was the case, but I think it caught their interest. It is still inexplicable how there can be a specialist training that the National Board of Health and Welfare approves, which is then not used to protect patients in Sweden who want to undergo cosmetic surgery.
Happily, the proposal is a tightening of the regulations in Sweden. It is still unclear whether surgeons in other specialist areas will be able to perform plastic surgery procedures in the future. This is something we hope to have a debate about before the bill is submitted for decision. In our neighboring country Denmark, only plastic surgeons are allowed to perform plastic surgery procedures. The Swedish proposal is welcome and long-awaited, however, it would be nice if it were formulated a little more clearly. It is just as bad that a doctor without surgical training performs surgical procedures as if I, as a plastic surgeon, were to perform advanced medical assessments and treatments.
News item on TV4 on October 3, 2019. Program feature in P4 Extra on 3rd Oct 2019.
Furthermore, in Sweden there is no specialty called “cosmetic surgeon” or “aesthetic surgeon”!
Either you are plastic surgeon or you are not!
The most important recommendation for all patients considering plastic surgery is to visit a well-trained plastic surgeon and to be even safer, go to a plastic surgeon who is a member of SFEP. Membership in SFEP requires at least 5 years as a specialist in plastic surgery and well-documented expertise in aesthetic plastic surgery!
Dr. Richard Lewin and Dr. Carolina B orén
