Is it a plastic surgeon's job to say "enough is enough"?

The doctor should say no. They know about the disorder. they know if the person is a victim of it. They should say no. They should be required by law to say no.

In the same way that a casino owner should discourage a troubled gambler? Get serious.

Most plastic surgeons are only interested in the plastic his patients pay them with.Fact of life money talks.

who’s heidi montag? what happened to her did she die? er sorry am reading the pop open

Not legally. People are only concerned about making a buck or ten thousand these days.

BTW, she does not look the same at all. I didn’t even recognize her. She looks more attractive, sure, but damn.

@trailsillustrated She’s a reality TV “star”, who for the record, I never paid any attention to before that People article… look at the link.

As long as the doctor tells them something like “This might make things worse and could have negative affects on your health.” I don’t have a problem.

@Facade ”She looks more attractive, sure”.

Are you kidding me?

She looks like a blown-up barbie sex doll with lips too big for her face…yuck.

I think even plastic surgeons are considered doctors and should abide by the Hippocratic oath, “First, do no harm.” It could certainly be argued that much of plastic surgery is doing harm but that is up for debate. If we accept that there is some value to some of it, they are ethically bound to not collude wtih someone with dysmorphia. (Much as Octomom’s doctors were profesionally unethical.)

@HTDC No. I was referring to her face. It’s more attractive than it used to be.

I think she looks beautiful (except for the hard, glued-on looking boobs) meh whatever-if people want to throw money

She owns her body and can make any decisions she wants regarding it. For example, she could also cover her entire body with tattoos or gauge her ears to a 00. I find those body modifications to be more damaging than rhinoplasty or a brow lift, and the want to do those things could just as equally be caused by some kind of mental disorder like body dysmorphia. I don’t think anyone can tell another person that they can’t modify their body if they want to, so long as that person understands all the risks involved and the potential future impacts.

In the case of Michael Jackson, where the later rhinoplasties were posing a severe health risk, I think the doctor could have made a case for refusing to operate. I don’t think Heidi is there yet.

As long as they obey the ‘first do no harm’ dictum which is part of their Hippocratic Oath (though I’m not certain all doctors take the oath) then they can dispense whatever ridiculousness their consciences will allow and people will pay for.

No…let stupid people be stupid. They want to waste their money to be vain and excessive…let them.

@Factotum Do you think it could be argued that doing this to someone’s face could be seen as doing harm?

I refuse to click on that link to Jocelyn Wildenstein (posted in the question) -Jeez Louise, Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

@jmah I know… I find her so hard to look at

@Likeradar and @jmah I find it oddly fascinating, in a disturbing kind of way… Maybe it’s the scientist in me, but whenever I see plastic surgery – whether it’s gone good or gone terribly wrong – I want to know how. I should have been a surgeon.

@fireinthepriory I always want to know why. I should have been a shrink. :)

Should a plastic surgeon be LEGALLY required to say “enough is enough”? No. Each patient is unique, and the law should not insert itself into the doctor-patient relationship.

Should a surgeon suggest that perhaps a patient should rethink their wish for surgery? Yes. If appropriate, they should also suggest/require a psychiatric consultation before proceeding.

A good responsibly physician would know when to say that. p.s. she looks like a barbie doll. and that’s stupid.

Wow, she looks unrecognizable! I’d have to see some candids of her, because..just wow!

@Likeradar Probably not. It is possible that her look was caused by complications he discussed with her beforehand and she felt the risks were worth it for what she was hoping for. If risks weren’t accurately discussed or if he did a poor job in general then she may sue. And she’ll likely win.

Legally requiring surgeons to say ‘enough is enough’ assumes that there is an obvious and universal ‘enough’. There isn’t. This kind of thing really has to be addressed after the fact.

@Factotum GA :) By the way, in the specific case of the woman I linked- Who knows what’s really true, but I’ve read in a few places she directly asked to look like a cat. Her husband loved animals, and she wanted his attention back. Yup.

I really think that wehn it comes to a plastic surgeon’s perspective, the amount of work that could be done to someone is really infinite. I also think their view gets a bit distorted once the patient starts to get further away from what they originally looked like.

As long as medicine is operated on a for profit basis rather than a cost recovery basis, the abuses will continue to be rampant.

Cosmetic Surgery for facial or therapeutic body reconstruction gives me little cause for concern. Vanity surgeries range from reasonable to obscene and abusive.

Doctors have a responsibility to guide their patients to make good, healthy choices.
In a competitive for-profit environment lead to the worst medical advice and the greatest risk for unwarranted, and unsafe surgical procedures.

Great question.

Like so many things, there’s the legal side (no) and the ethical side (yes). It’s a toughie, all the way around.

@Likeradar ty for the information. She does look somewhat cat-like. Methinks she got her money’s worth.

i think he should definately offer his expert opinion by saying its not a good idea, but in the end money talks.