Please take time to reflect...

First off, allow me to extend my condolences to the Kayne West and the
West family. I wish them patience and strength in these trying times.

Secondly, let me tell all of our patients and friends to take a step
back with me to put things in perspective. Although loss of life is the
ultimate tragedy, it fortunately is one of the rarities in cosmetic
surgery. Every surgery has risks, but cosmetic surgeries are some of the
safest surgeries to have.


To increase the safety measure of cosmetic surgery, I suggest you pay
attention to these issues:

1. Ask for referrals from your trusted friends who have done the
specific surgery you are interested in.


2. Do your homework. Learn as much as possible about the specifics of
the cosmetic surgery that you are interested


3. Cosmetic, Plastic and reconstructive surgery is a great, vast and
diverse field. No one surgeon is good at every thing. Make sure they are
highly experienced in the specific procedures you are interested in. It
is not enough for them to have a degree or a certificate. It is very
crucial that they are experienced.


4. There are no procedures and no surgeries that have no complications.
And any surgeon who has done enough of the procedures would have
experienced some complications. There is a saying in surgery that the
first 100 surgeons, the surgeon has to pay the patients. After that, he
deserves great pay. Ask them as to how many procedures of the specific
type you are interested in they have done. What complications they have
had and how they have treated them. The right surgeon admits that he has
had complications in his reactive, he has done hundreds or even
thousands of those procedures and he explains to you how he manages complications.


5. Make sure your surgeon has his own operating room or at least full
time access to an operating room that is accredited and/or licensed.


6. Make sure your surgeon is able to transfer you to a hospital in case
of emergency for further management and treatment.

7. Make sure a board certified anesthesiologist is conducting the
anesthesia and will monitor you.


8. A small percentage of surgeons have the super man syndrome, they
think they can do it all and get away with it and they are the solution
to all problems. Meet and interview your surgeon, make sure he has a
normal ego. Make sure your surgeon is very conservative, has the
understanding that he is only part of the equation and not in control of all the variables and that he is aware of the importance of the patients contribution and the other doctors, medical conditions of the patient (the nature of the individual patient) as well as the fact that (sentence was not finished here)

9. Above all, you are a human being. You are the most important person
when it comes to the cosmetic surgery you are looking to have. Make sure
you are put first, your safety is of outmost priority and importance and
that the doctor and his staff give you sufficient attention and respect.
Make sure you are comfortable with the doctor. You can talk to him/her
comfortably and intelligently and she/he is comfortable answering your
questions and make sure you understand the explanation he offers you.
Finally make sure your family doctor is comfortable with the idea of
your surgery and if the physicians do not encourage or recommend
surgery, do not push or doctor shop.

In summary, at the New Me, we do our best to make sure that we are
doing absolutely everything in our power to assure our patients safety.
Our surgical facility is accredited; we make sure we do preoperative
evaluations for all of our patients, we do blood tests, we do heart
evaluations, we also have board certified anesthesiologists in our
practice who conduct the anesthesia. We strive to supersede the standard
of care and that has been the key to our success.