As a board certified plastic surgeon and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), I receive the organization’s emails from time to time. And as we’ve all noticed at year’s end, many emails wish us a healthy and happy holiday season or provide a year in review. I thought the ASPS “Top Ten Articles of 2014” was interesting and maybe a little sad. Scratch that…a lot sad.
Depending on how you assess the content of the articles, 7 of the top 10 plastic surgery-related articles of 2014 focus on white coat deception, unprofessional conduct by companies like LifeStyle Lift, malpractice, blackmail and murder! I’m not sure what this says about the plastic surgery field, the surgeons and/or the patients.
You can find a list and summary of all 10 articles here. Needless to say, it’s sad that our profession is somehow entangled in so much drama and scandal. At least one article touched on the good things that plastic surgery can bring to one’s life.
I guess I could look at the bigger picture and recognize that a “top ten” listicle only represents the number of clicks a story received online. And in that case, it’s more of a reflection of our human nature to be drawn to other’s misfortunes. As they say in the news, “blood leads.” Regardless, I think this is a nice wake up call to embrace the happier moments in 2015.
Happy New Year! Stay safe.
