Plastic Surgeon Urges Women to Seek Out Qualified Surgeons

ENGLEWOOD, NJ, July 18, 2012 (Press-News.org) Dr. Richard A. D'Amico, nationally and internationally recognized authority on breast augmentation in New Jersey, says that despite the relatively good news in the recently published UK National Health Service's final report on the safety of PIP implants, women should still research their surgeons thoroughly.

"I would hope that the findings of this report won't lull potential breast-augmentation patients into a false sense of security," says Dr. D'Amico, who holds numerous appointments, including chief of plastic surgery at Englewood Hospital. "Quality implants are only one component of a successful procedure. Only board-certified surgeons with the credentials and experience to ensure the patient's welfare should perform breast augmentation surgery."

Dr. D'Amico, a board member and past president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), makes his comments in light of the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) medical director's official report that PIP-manufactured breast implants do not pose an immediate and present danger to women with the implants.

The discovery that PIP, a French manufacturer of breast implants and other medical devices, was using an unapproved form of silicone in its products inspired a widespread scare in 2011. That same year, various media reports raised concerns about the health and safety of the more than 400,000 women who had been fitted with the company's implants.

"The news of PIP implants' lack of toxicity is somewhat encouraging news for women with these implants (which were never available in the U.S.). However, the implants were shown to be twice as likely to rupture as other brands," says Dr. D'Amico. "It is worth noting that the implants came under scrutiny based on reports from plastic surgeons that the implants were not holding up the way they should," he adds.

A highly qualified and decorated plastic surgeon in New Jersey, Dr. D'Amico has spent several years as FDA liaison for the ASPS and testified at FDA implant hearings as co-chair of the Breast Implant Task Force. Katie Couric once selected him as an expert guest regarding breast implants on The Today Show.

He emphasizes that device failure is only one possible complication associated with breast augmentation. "Although you may not have to worry about your choice of breast implant in New Jersey, you do still need to be sure that you're choosing a board-certified surgeon with outstanding credentials.

"Even the most advanced medical technology is only as valuable as the skills and experience of the physician using it. Potential patients of any medical procedure should take the time to find a trained and able surgeon."

Dr. Richard D'Amico is a nationally and internationally recognized board-certified plastic surgeon and 2008 president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Dr. D'Amico earned his medical degree from New York University and has years of experience in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgical procedures, in addition to extensive training through residencies in general and plastic surgery. Dr. D'Amico has received considerable recognition for his achievements, including numerous awards as well as several upper-level professional appointments, serving as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and as co-chair of the ASPS Breast Implant Task Force, where he gave key testimony on breast implant safety to the FDA.