Some of our office-based surgeries include:
   ::blepharoplasty
   ::hair transplant
   ::BOTOX & collagen injections
   ::lip, chin & cheek augmentation
   ::laser resurfacing
   ::dermabrasion
   ::chemical peel

New York, NY (August 29, 2002) -- According to American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) statistics, last year 49% of all cosmetic procedures (surgical and nonsurgical) were performed in office-based surgical facilities (another 24% of procedures were performed outside the hospital setting in free-standing surgicenters). Published data have shown that accredited office-based facilities have a safety record comparable to that of hospital ambulatory surgery settings. ASAPS encourages prospective patients to make sure their office-based cosmetic surgery meets the following requirements:

::The operating surgeon is certified.

::The surgeon has privileges at an accredited acute care hospital for the specific procedure being performed.

::Patients undergoing procedures that involve sedation are appropriately monitored by registered nursing personnel.  If general anesthesia is used, it is administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist.

::The emergency equipment and anesthesia monitoring devices in the surgical facilities are equivalent to those that would be necessary for the same surgical procedure performed in a hospital or freestanding ambulatory surgery center.

::Provisions are made for hospital admission in the event of unforeseen complications.

::There is a separate recovery area with monitoring equipment equivalent to that which would be necessary for the same procedure performed in a hospital or ambulatory surgery facility.

::Until the patient is fully recovered, a physician is at the site, in addition to a registered nurse.

::Discharge from the facility is always determined by the responsible surgeon.

It is the Society’s position, backed by published data, that when the above guidelines are followed, office-based surgery is a safe, convenient and cost-effective option for properly selected patients.