A 2004 study published in the official medical journal of the ASPS, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, found that deaths occurring at office-based surgery facilities are rare-less than ¼ percent. More than 400,000 operative procedures in accredited office-based outpatient surgery centers were studied from 2000-2002. Serious complications were infrequent, occurring 1 in 298 cases or 0.34 percent with death occurring 1 in 51,459 cases or 0.0019 percent, which is comparable to the overall risk of such procedures performed in hospital surgery facilities.

According to the ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons), one in every 54,459 plastic surgeries results in the death of the patient. With more than 10 million procedures performed annually, doing the math implies that each year, in the US alone, more than 180 patients opting for elective plastic surgery die as a direct result of the operation.

Cosmetic surgery in general is frowned upon in certain ethnic communities. For example, changing the facial features is not something that is often sought after in the African American communities because some may see this as a person wanting to act or be white. For some cultures, changing inherited features can be an insult to your ancestors. But plastic surgery is growing nonetheless.

Tummy tucks, liposuction, face lifts, breast augmentations and butt augmentations are some of the more popular procedures. These surgeries are ways to maintain youth or turn back the clock and not erase heritage. African Americans account for about 5% of all the cosmetic surgeries per year. There seems to be trends in what white women versus black women want touch ups on. Caucasian women opt for a nose jobs, eye brow lifts, lip augmentation while African American women choose the tummy tuck, breast reduction and liposuction. The reason it seems that Caucasian women have more work done on their faces is that African American women seem to age more slowly regarding their facial skin. Most likely the contributing factor to early wrinkling in white women is the sun. Darker skinned ethnicities do not lay out in the sun for hours attempting to tan.

One drawback on darker skin is that is may scar more easily, particularly producing Keloid scars. This is another reason why plastic surgery is often avoided by those with darker complexions. Physicians are aware of the problem with scarring in darker skin and make adjustments using extra small incisions, liposuction versus surgery, endoscopic surgery and laser surgery. Electron beam radiation is used to diminish the appearance of scars in darker skinned patients and often Botox and other non-invasive methods of facial improvement is recommended.

Because a tummy tuck scar can be hidden under clothing, it is still the most preferred elective surgery among darker skinned people. Although the scar is pretty big, it is easy to hide and there are a few different options with this type of surgery to reduce scar tissue. For those with just fat to remove in the abdomen, who have good skin elasticity and no more than ten pounds to lose, laser liposuction is a great choice with minimal scarring. For those with excessive skin or larger amounts of fat to lose, the tummy tuck may be the only solution but lasers can help with the scar tissue after the fact.

In the last several years, the number of Dr. Ablaza’s patients who are Asian, African, Latino, and of Middle Eastern ancestry has quadrupled.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), ethnic minorities accounted for about 20 percent of the 11.9 million cosmetic procedures done in 2004. Moreover, one of the largest trends in plastic surgery is an increase in minorities undergoing surgical rejuvenations. For instance, since 2000, requests for plastic surgery among Latino patients have increased 49 percent.

Medicine is constantly learning how various ailments – and even the drugs taken