Interview With the Surgeon: Dr. Barach

Dr. Bruce Barach is a plastic surgeon at Upstate Plastic Surgery, PC in New York, New York, where he has been in practice since 1988. Dr. Barach is a member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery as well as a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery.

TCSD: What makes your facility unique among cosmetic surgery centers?

Dr. B: My kind and caring staff. Patients choose us because of how they're treated from the very first phone call.

TCSD: I've read that you are Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. What exactly does it take to become board certified?

Dr. B: It requires finishing medical school and an approved residency program, usually anywhere from 5-7 years after medical school, and then passing the oral and written examinations. These oral examinations also include scrutiny of essentially everything that you've done. They want to make sure that you are ethical, confident and that you have a broad range of skills across the spectrum of cosmetic surgery.

TCSD: What percentage of your patients are male versus female? What is the typical age range for your patients?

Dr. B: 10%/90% male:female. We take care of people from infancy to old age.

TCSD: What procedure are men most interested in? Women?

Dr. B: Men are probably most commonly having liposuction, usually of their chest (which is called "gynecomastia"), their hips and their stomach. And men will certainly get facelifts and eyelid surgery. Women will get breast augmentations, liposuction of their hips and saddlebags, tummy tucks, breast lifts, all the procedures that undo the effects of childbearing. Facelifts and eyelid surgery when they get older, skin resurfacing treatments; they'll get Botox, they'll get fillers.

TCSD: What is the most frequent hesitation you see in your patients' attitudes towards their procedures and how is that problem addressed?

Dr. B: Down time, cost, fear of surgery, and that it'll be uncomfortable. My staff reassures them about these things, shows them pictures, and hooks them up with previous patients so they can find out about what it was like for them. We spend a lot of time with people on the phone, in person, whatever it takes to make sure they're comfortable with what they're doing.

TCSD: What are the motivations for your patients to have cosmetic surgery?

Dr. B: People want to look they way they feel. When what they see in the mirror is not in sync with the way they feel inside, that drives them to get these treatments and surgical procedures.

TCSD: Some of the common misconceptions I've heard are that cosmetic surgery is too expensive, dangerous or embarrassing. What would say to someone who has these concerns?

Dr. B: Ordinary make people choices to spend money on this rather than vacations. It's certainly not dangerous, cosmetic surgery is very safe, the risks are very low. Having cosmetic surgery is very "out there" now and I don't think people are embarrassed. Very few people try to hide the fact that they've had cosmetic surgery nowadays; most of our patients are very open about it. It's very accepted, as opposed to twenty years ago.

TCSD: For patients who are concerned with surgical errors, what is the realistic chance of a patient suffering a bad cosmetic surgery experience?

Dr. B: Depends on what "bad" is. Minor complications occur in a small percentage of patients. These complications are fixable, correctable bumps in the road; major complications with disastrous results are incredibly rare. With any surgery minor complications can and will occur.

TCSD: How do you explain the risks of cosmetic surgery to your patients?

Dr. B: The risks of cosmetic surgery are the same as any surgery. The risks are very low, especially when you're operating on otherwise healthy people, which the great majority of cosmetic surgery patients are.

TCSD: What do you think is the greatest challenge to cosmetic surgeons today, and how is that challenge being handled? Do you think that is the best solution?

Dr. B: The challenge is to educate people as to who is properly trained and experienced to perform these procedures. There's a lot of misleading advertising out there, so it's very difficult for the average person to sort out a lot of this stuff and know with any kind of certainty what credentials are real and what are not.

TCSD: How do you ensure good results to your cosmetic surgery patients?

Dr. B: By taking the time preoperatively to make sure that people understand what they're getting, and to make sure the surgeon understands what the patient is seeking, and not operating on people who have unrealistic expectations of what can be delivered. By being diligent and careful of detail in the operating room. By being attentive and available during their post operative recovery.

TCSD: Which new innovation over the years has had the greatest impact on your practice?

Dr. B: The greatest impact, I think, are procedures that have become less invasive with an emphasis on less down time.

TCSD: How do you think cosmetic surgery will change as time progresses?

Dr. B: I think it will continue to be less and less invasive, with less and less downtime, and with less visible scars.

TCSD: Thank you for sharing your time with us today, Dr. Barach.

Dr. B: You're welcome.

Click here to contact Dr. Barach.