Seeking Info about Plastic Surgery? Beware of Internet Advice
The Internet can provide a wealth of useful information, but it can also be the source of much misinformation. A recent Internet search for plastic surgery brought up more entertainment and celebrity gossip websites than legitimate medical sites. Cleveland plastic surgery patients who rely on such sites are, at best, getting incomplete and impersonal plastic surgery advice that does not take into account their specific individual needs or medical history. At worst, some of these websites provide totally inaccurate information that has the potential to be harmful if followed. Board-certified plastic surgeons are concerned that Cleveland women and men considering cosmetic surgery could be making unsafe and unhealthy decisions about their bodies based on erroneous information obtained from such sites.
One such website invites users to "Ask an Expert" their questions about plastic surgery procedures. The site implies that questions will be personally answered by practicing plastic surgeons. All the site visitor need do to pose her question is provide an email address. The website also invites doctors to volunteer to answer patients' questions about plastic surgery. However, in a trial attempt to register as a physician, no medical credentials were requested. In fact, no information was solicited that could be used to verify medical expertise. The only information requested was email registration. One must conclude that although this popular website purports to offer physician advice about plastic surgery, it is no more than a marketing ploy to gather email addresses for the purpose of selling unspecified products. Any claim to offer legitimate plastic surgery advice must be highly suspect.
While the Internet can be a valuable information gathering tool, when seeking plastic surgery information, it is important to utilize only trusted websites from experienced board-certified plastic surgeons like Dr. J. Vicente Poblete.