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Most plastic surgery ads from social media come from surgeons without certification
STATES CHRONICLE – You might have stumbled upon many plastic surgery advertisements on social media, but be very careful before choosing one of these so-called surgeons for a real-life procedure. A recent study revealed many of these people advertising the procedures on Instagram or Facebook are not qualified to perform them.
Thousands of plastic surgery ads on social media
Researchers from Northwestern Medicine wanted to see what’s with so many hashtags and ads promoting plastic surgery procedures all over social media. This is how they found out the surgeons behind them had not been certified by the board. In fact, most ads came from spas, dentists, or even beauty salons.
Researchers traced back a number of 21 hashtags related to plastic surgery. Among them, there were #plasticsurgery, #breastimplant, #boobjob, #facelift, #brazilianbuttlift, or #liposuction. These hashtags led the researchers to 1.8 million posts. All findings have been summed up in a study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Most professionals behind the ads lack certification for the procedures
Researchers managed to trace down the posts as well. The majority of them came from foreign surgeons with questionable certifications. Then, the remaining 26 percent was made up of gynecologists, dermatologists, or other surgeons. However, none of them had certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
There were a few ads promoted by certified surgeons, but the number remained low, at only 17.8 percent. Unfortunately, the amount of ‘fake’ surgeons is much too big, casting a shadow on the real certified ones. This might say this could be good for those who need the certification, as they can acquire enough training.
However, this might come at a cost. Most of these people are, in fact, cosmetic surgeons, which perform something different than plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery enhances someone’s features, while plastic surgery requires an actual operation. This might put patients at risk of undergoing improper procedures, and remain with permanent scars.
Image Source: AF.mil
