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If you are looking for a good plastic surgeon using hashtags on Instagram, you may experience a plastic surgery disaster. According to a recent study, over 4/5 top posts on Instagram with cosmetic surgery-related hashtags do not come from the professional organization for plastic surgery.

Researchers found that about 26% of these Instagram posts come from physicians in other areas, including dermatologists, gynecologists, general surgeons, ear0nose-throat doctors, family doctors, etc. Although they were not trained in cosmetic surgery, all of these physicians said that they are cosmetic surgeons. Even worse, over 5% of these posts were not from physicians doing cosmetic surgery at spas, dentist offices and hair salons.

The consequences of having a poorly trained cosmetic surgery provider may be much more serious than an ugly scar or bad tummy tuck. Patients have to be aware that plastic surgery is actually real surgery and it has real complications.

Researchers reviewed Instagram posts to seek posts related to cosmetic surgery-related hashtags. They collected the 9 popular posts for each of the hashtag and then checked these sources for each of the post. They included #facelift, #plasticsurgery, #breastlift, #brazilianbuttlift, #rhinoplasty, #boobjob, #tummytuck, #cosmeticsurgery, and #liposuction. And 2/3 of these top posts promoted the cosmetic surgery practice of a surgeon, not educated the public about cosmetic surgery; whereas, well-trained plastic surgeons were twice as likely to post educational content on Instagram rather than self-promotion.

Consumers have to know that there are surgeons out there who may not be well- trained in what they are doing and the plastic surgeries performed by these surgeons have a little more risk than just purchasing a car. However, consumers do not need to worry about performing surgery with surgeons who are not board-certified. This is because they may get additional training to perform some certain cosmetic surgery and they can be certified by some other organizations.

Cosmetic surgeons often focus on enhancing the appearances; whereas plastic surgeons focus on fixing problems on appearance, although they can perform cosmetic surgery as well. In recent years, some terrible things have happened after plastic surgery performed by poorly-trained surgeons. So, it is very important to be aware of the information before looking for a plastic surgeon on Instagram.

Some tips for you when seeking a plastic surgeon:

Instagram is a convenient way for people to see the work of a surgeon and understand the types of plastic surgery being performed. So, it is necessary for patients to know the surgeon before ever deciding to perform any plastic surgery.
For consumers, to determine if a cosmetic surgeon is board-certified or not, patients can check a cosmetic surgeon’s credentials on the website of Board of plastic Surgery.
With any plastic procedure, you should do some researches before you pick a surgeon who you can trust. Do not hesitate to ask questions about his experience, and keep in mind that your safety is the most important factor.
Remember to check with the insurance company that you are using because there are some cosmetics surgeries your insurance can cover.

There have been lots of recent reports of harms and even deaths caused by inexperienced surgeons. So, hope that you can be aware of dangers you can face when performing any plastic surgery performed by a surgeon who you found on Instagram.