The Future of Plastic Surgery Amid the Threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Epidemic

LOS ANGELES - June 16, 2020 - PRLog -- The people of the United States and nearly all countries of the world have been paralyzed with fear for months by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.   The majority of the people in the United States likely recognize that safeguards need to remain in place for the immediate future for everyone's protection, safety, and health.  Dr. Kenneth Hughes, Los Angeles plastic surgeon, and other medical professionals have been evaluating the risk associated with cosmetic or elective plastic surgery procedures and have formulated safety guidelines.

The simple truth of the matter is that the risk of exposure when receiving elective surgery at a small outpatient surgery center is infinitesimal when compared to other societal modes of exposure and disease transmission on a daily basis.   Realistically, there is only a very minimally increased risk as a result of interactions with an isolated surgery center or its personnel.

Patients who become positive for COVID-19 will likely contract the disease from family members, friends, or as a result of their own indiscretions during this time.   When calculating the risk for infection, one has to realize that when thousands of people visit a beach on a weekend or hundreds visit a bar or when dozens are packed into small apartments for parties, the numbers of people involved in these situations coupled with the increased population density result in an astronomically high risk for contraction of disease when compared to a single patient having a surgery in a surgery center.  Universal N95 mask wear, glove wear, air filtration systems, ventilator filtration systems, UV light systems, and meticulous, viricidal cleansing of all surfaces, handles, and equipment represent as sterile an atmosphere as possible.

Limiting access to only one patient at a time, not allowing family or friends entry into the surgery center, limiting consultations to the virtual realm, and limiting follow-ups to only those that are urgent are but a few of the ways in which the risk of transmission is brought to near zero.

There are many other educational and logistical parameters to be considered.  Dr. Kenneth Hughes provides news updates on one of his plastic surgery sites at

https://www.drkennethhughes.com

and Dr. Kenneth Hughes provides overall plastic surgery education on his larger website at

https://www.hughesplasticsurgery.com/contact-los-angeles-...