Long Island Plastic Surgery Patients Avoid 'Bizarre' Procedures

    HUNTINGTON, NY, February 01, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. James Romanelli (www.jrcs.com) says that although he understands why obscure cosmetic procedures such as 24-hour breast augmentation and "selfie" facelifts generate headlines, they are rarely requested by patients at his Long Island plastic surgery practice.

"The media is in the business of highlighting the stranger parts of our culture," Dr. Romanelli says, "so you see a lot of reporting about plastic surgery fads and 'bizarre' procedures that make for interesting news stories. But these don't represent the vast majority of what we do as board-certified plastic surgeons."

Long Island and New York City residents, especially, see strange tales of cosmetic transformations in the tabloids on almost a daily basis. Dr. Romanelli says his patients occasionally ask about stories they've seen online of odd plastic surgery trends, but they're generally just curious and not actually interested in "vacation breasts" (temporary breast augmentation) or "Cinderella surgery" (to ease the pain of wearing high heels), to name a couple of recent headline-makers.

Even though those procedures may be fine for certain people, Dr. Romanelli says, he doesn't want the general public to get a skewed idea of plastic surgery or the way it benefits the vast majority of patients.

"The women and men we see at our practice are your friends and neighbors," Dr. Romanelli says. "Maybe it's a bank teller who gets BOTOX injections or a stay-at-home mom who wants to restore her pre-pregnancy body with a tummy tuck and breast augmentation."

The Long Island plastic surgeon says the most important advice he offers people considering any cosmetic surgery -- regardless of the procedure -- is to choose an experienced and well-trained surgeon who is certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS).

Dr. Romanelli says trendy procedures are often embraced by physicians who don't have the training or credentials needed to safely perform plastic surgery. They may call themselves "board-certified," he says, but patients need to research for themselves exactly which board is doing the certification. Only the ABPS is recognized by the reputable American Board of Medical Specialties, meaning surgeons undergo years of training before getting certified.

"I encourage all people who are thinking about plastic surgery to do their homework," the surgeon says. "Even relatively minor procedures and trendy treatments have risks, but you can minimize them with due diligence."

Dr. James Romanelli (www.jrcs.com) is a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in body, face, and breast enhancement. After earning his medical degree from SUNY Downstate, Dr. Romanelli undertook 8 years of postgraduate specialty training in general surgery, plastic surgery, and hand surgery. He serves as chief of staff at Huntington Hospital in addition to providing a full range of procedures through his cosmetic surgery practice on Long Island.

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