Slight swerve: I find this so, so upsetting.
Some ob-gyns, as well as other physicians, recently have left their specialties to practice cosmetic medicine, including acne treatments and Botox injections, at medical spas, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, the cosmetic medicine field is attractive to some ob-gyns and other physicians because it normally results in same-day payments because treatments are not covered by insurance, and it allows doctors to set their own hours and avoid emergency calls. Robert Huckels — vice president of marketing for MedSurge Advances, a Dallas-based company that provides cosmetic medicine training and equipment — said, “It works well for emergency room doctors seeking less stress and for gynecologists who already have a ready-made female audience.”
This gives “grooming” a serious double-meaning.
December 1st, 2006 at 10:25 am
Ugh. That’s just…..ugh. So disturbing.
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:58 am
I saw that article in the Times, and it hits me on such a wide range of emotions & issues. For instance:
1) Validation of the whole notion that beauty is enhanced by - or even “beauty requires” - surgery. Hey, more doctors are becoming aestheticians, that must mean that people need more body modification to survive in the world. I’m sure that’s the logic that many people will use to justify an elective surgery that they might not get otherwise.
2) There are a hell of a lot of people - I’m guessing mostly women - with enough disposable income to do this on a regular enough basis for doctors to see a market for these kinds of clinics. And elective surgery is what they’re choosing to spend it on?
3) That we have a current health care system that somehow manages to (a) not pay doctors what they are worth for the amount of work that they do, AND (b) still not help a huge majority of sick people. And there’s enough of (a) happening that doctors are abandoning needed specialties and professions for *aesthetic surgery*? The economy is so far beyond a mess if that’s the case.
I’m sorry for the long rant, but this whole thing makes my head want to explode. I can’t believe that the upper-class of our society has reached this level of utter stupid decadence, and yet, so many young people aspire to be just like them… is this where capitalism has brought us? Because I want to go home now.