Photo Credit: plasticsurgery.org
MEET SCOT BRADLEY GLASBERG, M.D.: NYC PLASTIC SURGEON AND ASPS PRESIDENT
New York City plastic surgeon Scot Bradley Glasberg, M.D., is the current President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which is both a big job and a big honor.
Glasberg, who is certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, has a lot on his plate these days, but he still took some time out to talk to Beauty in the Bag about his practice and the practice of plastic surgery across the country.
Glasberg’s passion is safety, and he hopes to use his term to promote the importance of choosing a plastic surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and doing your homework before scheduling a procedure.
Here’s what he had to say:
1. Why it is so important to do your homework when choosing a plastic surgeon?
There has been an uptick in plastic surgery procedures performed by untrained and unlicensed practitioners. Medical tourism is also dangerous. We are seeing more and more patients who had procedures in Mexico and Dominican Republic developing potentially life-threatening infections.
My goal is to get the word out to patients that they must do their homework and ask the right questions. Make sure your surgeon is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. In addition, the facility should be accredited to ensure that all of the proper safety protocols are in place. Some accreditation bodies include the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.
 2. What else should prospective patients ask about and look for before scheduling a cosmetic procedure?
Ask how many procedures he or she does and inquire about their educational background and experience. Look at pre- and post operative photos and ask if it possible to speak with a patient who has had the procedure by this doctor. Remember, if something doesn’t feel right, it’s not. This may include getting treatment in a garage or basement or some other strange place. You should not be there. Go away.
 3. Do you think the safety message is getting through to prospective patients?
Yes I do. Hearing some of the horror stories brings the point home dramatically for patients. Still, it is astounding to me that some patients will spend more time picking out the color of a car than choosing a plastic surgeon. You can always get a new car, but you only have one life. Choose wisely.
 4. What are your most requested procedures?
Breast enlargement and breast reduction. I also do a ton of fat grafting. It is the biggest growth procedure in my practice and nationally. Patients come in asking for it. Our techniques are getting better and better. On the other hand, stem cell is just a catch-phrase, and other than in a lab setting, no-one really knows how many or what percentage of stem cells are transferred in fat. Stem cell facelifts are a gimmick and the federal Food and Drug Administration has been very clear that they do not want doctors marketing them. ASPS has created a fat grafting registry to ensure that the outcomes are there as the procedure become more popular The fat grafting registry will help us get in front of these issues including the stem cell facelift hype.
 5. What type of results are Manhattanites seeking when they come to your office?
The goal is subtlety. Subtle is in, not just on the face, but on the body too. You want to look refreshed, not like you just had plastic surgery. If a patient wants to look like a celebrity, I say forget it. If there is a body part they want to mimic, we are getting better at that. Wanting your buttocks enhanced so they look more like a pop icon’s is but not the same as wanting to look like the star. Realistic expectations are so important.
 6. What role should non- and minimally invasive technologies have in plastic surgery?
If patients want minimal downtime, they must be prepared: the results are also minimal. The results of these procedures are not as great as surgery, but the down time is less. That’s the trade off.
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