Released on: August 8, 2008, 9:07 am

Press Release Author: Petra Berger, MD

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: Cosmetic surgery are shown on TV like daily soaps and suggest
a harmlessness which can be dangerous. Advertising for professional Plastic Surgery
or rather sensation mongering for spectators?
Get 20 years younger in just 4 weeks might work for automobiles but not for humans.

Press Release Body: ?: Dr. Berger, recently cosmetic surgery has come under harsh
criticism because of sensationalistic TV reporting. As an experienced specialist in
plastic and cosmetic surgery, what is your opinion of these abuses?

Dr. Berger: You've described it quite aptly. These are abuses that have little in
common with professionally applied cosmetic surgery. When I see these pictures, I
can only shake my head and my ethical colleagues would react similarly.


?: But you and your colleagues should also be happy to profit from the popularity
that TV has generated for your profession.

Dr. Berger: I seriously doubt that anyone has profited from the publicity. In my
opinion the programmes are cruel and cynical. They portray a type of "drastic
surgery" that consciously exaggerates in order to satisfy some people's need for
sensationalism. These are factors that play no role whatsoever in my dealings with
patients.


?: What is it that disturbs you most about "drastic surgery" as you call it?

Dr. Berger: Well, most importantly, it plays down the risks of an operation
marathon, which I would never ever recommend for my patients. These are operations,
interventions, which are always stressful to a person's body. Certainly, performed
one by one, they are no obstacle to having cosmetic surgery, but, as is always the
case in medicine, it's a question of the dosage. I always make this very clear to my
patients.
And I never promise them that in 20 days I can make them look 20 years younger. This
is dangerous nonsense. People cannot be reconditioned like old cars and made to look
like new.


?: Dr. Berger, this topic is obviously very important to you.

Dr. Berger: That's because my patients are important to me. And for me that means
not treating the aging process like an illness, which has to be eliminated. A person
consists of a body and a soul. If I don't understand the expectations and motives of
the person I'm treating, then I can't really help. That's why consultation before
the operation and care and assistance afterwards play such an important role in my
treatment. These allow me to clear up any misconceptions beforehand, which would
only lead to the patient's disappointment.


?: And what is your idea of completely successful cosmetic surgery?

Dr. Berger: I can probably explain that best with the following example. A woman
came to me seeking professional help. She was in her early fifties, had two children
and was happily married. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she noticed a few
typical signs of aging. Of course she wasn't happy about these, but they weren't a
major concern either. After three separate and specific enhancements, she can look
in the mirror again with satisfaction - especially because she still sees herself,
but as a youngish woman in her mid-forties, and this radiates from her. Moments like
these make me particularly happy about the years I spent taking professional
training as a specialist for plastic and cosmetic surgery.


?: So you don't let tacky TV programmes spoil the satisfaction you derive from your
profession.

Dr. Berger: Precisely!

?: Dr. Berger, we'd like to thank you for this very informative conversation.

Web Site: http://www.praxis-berger.com

Contact Details: Office for Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery
Dr. Petra Berger
Schillerstrasse 3
60313 Frankfurt, Germany
phone: +49 (0)69 / 920 20 883
Internet: www.praxis-berger.com
e-Mail: info@praxis-berger.com