The Plastic Surgeon Who Said Bad Doctors Could "Sell Cookies" - Washingtonian

"In 1997, at least, that was considered by most to be too young for plastic surgery. That's what the editors at Washingtonian and I thought. So they sent me out to visit five local plastic surgeons as a potential client with two complaints about my face: crow's feet and the lines around my mouth known as nasolabial folds. None of the doctors knew I worked for Washingtonian. "Does She Need a Facelift?" asked the headline."

"Talal Munasifi was the only physician in the article who liked it. Even though he suggested I get the "fat pads" I didn't know I had in my eyelids removed through surgery, I wrote it was a "soft sell."(Only one doctor didn't suggest anything; others recommended creams, injections, laser treatments, and a series of implants to round out my oval face.) Munasifi even sent a funny card complimenting the article, but noting that he had told me I'd come back in two years to have him correct my "turkey neck.""

"By the time he died in February , the conservative, Baghdad-born Munasifi had been a mentor to generations of surgeons and a staunch advocate for patients. His patient safety advocacy extended to me and millions of readers of USA Today, where I was a reporter. It started in my early 40s when I began going to Munasifi for cosmetic injections. (All that solicited advice in '97 had cut rather deep.) He showed me photos of botched surgeries others had performed that he fixed, and started telling me what he said was really going on in healthcare."

"As doctors' insurance reimbursements were shrinking, everyone from OB/GYNs to oral surgeons was offering nips, tucks, and enhancements to everything from tummies to tushes. Many of them were already performing medically necessary surgeries, so what was the harm of adding a cosmetic one to boost their bills? The number of"

In 1997, a 37-year-old sought cosmetic advice for crow’s feet and nasolabial folds, and five plastic surgeons offered different approaches. One surgeon, Talal Munasifi, suggested removing “fat pads” from eyelids and later joked about correcting a “turkey neck,” while others recommended creams, injections, lasers, or implants. Munasifi later became known as a conservative, Baghdad-born mentor and a staunch advocate for patients. His patient safety focus extended to readers and a reporter who later received cosmetic injections from him. He showed photos of botched surgeries he corrected and described concerns about healthcare practices. As reimbursements declined, many providers added cosmetic procedures to increase income, raising questions about incentives and harm.

Read at Washingtonian - The website that Washington lives by.