Dr Krau dedicates several hours of his time each week to answering questions and provide feedback to empower women on their decisions for cosmetic surgery.

These days, one in five women plan to pursue a cosmetic procedure.  With over 20 years of experience and 10,000’s of breast augmentations under his belt, Dr. Krau is a valuable asset to the Realself community.

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Additionally, silicone is present in many products in use, such as hair products, antiperspirants and skin products.  When silicone is applied on the skin surface it is easily absorbed through the skin into the body.  Thus, silicone is quite pervasive and probably exists at some level in many people that do not have breast implants.

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About Accreditation

To receive accreditation from one of the three national accreditation organizations recognized by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons — the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) — an ambulatory surgical facility must meet rigorous criteria regarding safety, equipment and the professionals who provide services there.

Accreditation Guidelines

In general, a plastic surgery center that has received accreditation from the AAAASF, AAAHC or JCAHO has demonstrated that:

• The plastic surgeons who operate there are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.
• The plastic surgeons who operate there have admitting privileges at local accredited hospitals, for the procedures they perform.
• Anesthesia is administered only by board-certified or board-eligible anesthesiologists or certified nurse anesthetists.
• Those working in the facility carefully adhere to all federal laws and the regulations established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding handling and disposing of hazardous waste materials, blood-borne pathogen standards and other issues.
• The surgical facility has met all other criteria established by the accreditation organization.

Benefits of Accredited Surgical Centers

According to national data, plastic surgery procedures performed by board-certified plastic surgeons in an accredited ambulatory surgical center have:

• A rate of serious complications that is less than half of 1 percent
• A mortality rate that is less than one in 57,000
• Lower costs

Overall, fully accredited surgical facilities tend to be safer, cleaner, better equipped, better staffed and more economical than facilities that are not accredited by a recognized organization.

To learn more about surgical center accreditation or to schedule a consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Krau, please contact his office by calling (305) 861-6881.

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Board certification denotes an examination and certification process a physician undergoes to receive this status or certification process. The board—in this case, the American Board of Plastic Surgeons—is made up of highly trained physicians who examine a doctor’s training, ethics and experience. To receive this status, physicians must complete a residency training in plastic surgery and practice for several years at a level high enough to pass board exams that regular cosmetic surgeons don’t have to.

“Board certification is extremely important, especially in plastic surgery,” says Ary Krau, MD, board-certified plastic surgeon in Miami. “The skills necessary to complete successful plastic surgery aren’t something you’re just born with. The skill and experience only come with time and a lot of practice.”

A Practice Always Evolving

Along with the practice and experience necessary to achieve board certification comes technique that evolves over time. In a field like plastic surgery, it’s necessary for surgeons to keep up with techniques and improvements to particular surgeries, practices or products.

Plastic surgeons practice medicine. They continue to learn and improve their techniques, which has contribute to field being more widely accepted and dramatically safer than it used to be.

If you’re looking for a plastic surgeon, don’t hesitate to ask questions about the physician’s experience. Look to see if he or she is board certified. How many years have they been in practice? Do they have a photo album or gallery of before and after pictures? While board certification is only one measure of a surgeon, it can be relied on as a minimum standard of experience and safety in the field.

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But when it comes to medical care, shopping around for the lowest price is probably the worst approach you can take. Higher medical costs almost always come with a sound reason – or lots of sound reasons: A surgeon with greater skills and experience; newer, safer, more effective surgical techniques and technology; more modern, cleaner and safer treatment environments; superior follow-up care; better results and outcomes. And there are probably others as well.

Yet still, each year, thousands of men and women travel the globe looking for low-cost cosmetic procedures that can save them some money. There’s no doubt that there are plenty of skilled surgeons and top-rate medical facilities around the globe; we believe our facility is one of those. But unless you’re prepared to do your homework – and lots of it – traveling abroad for surgery can carry some significant risks:

• When surgery is combined with other “tourist-y” activities – even something as seemingly mild and low-key as sightseeing – your healing can be seriously compromised, and that means you’re at greater risk of developing an infection or scarring that can mar your results. Any type of exercise – even walking around or engaging in relaxing activities like sunbathing – can increase your risk of infection and make it much more difficult to heal. Drinking alcohol can also have an impact on healing, especially if you’re taking pain medication following your procedure.
• Both air travel and surgery have been shown to increase a person’s risk for developing potentially fatal clots; combine surgery with a long flight and your risk increases significantly. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) recommends waiting from five to 10 days following your procedure to reduce the risk of clot formation as well as to reduce or eliminate the risk of swelling and infection.
• The products and devices used during surgery overseas may not meet U.S. guidelines for safety. The guidelines in the U.S. are stringent, and there’s a reason: In the U.S., safety is of primary importance. Other countries may have guidelines based on poor or inaccurate safety data or may have considerably lower safety standards, and that can mean higher risk for you.
• Follow-up care is often limited during cosmetic surgery vacations, and when problems arise once you’re home, it can be difficult – if not impossible – to receive any sort of satisfactory resolution. Restorative procedures in the U.S. can be more complicated and produce less satisfactory results when an overseas surgeon uses products or techniques in the initial procedure that are not safe or effective.
• Accreditation and other qualifying standards are often different in other countries, and that can make it very difficult to assess the skills and training of a physician or the safety and modernity of a facility. Many facilities may be privately owned or operated, which can make it very difficult to verify the credentials of individual physicians and other healthcare providers.

Nearly every patient has to consider the financial ramifications of cosmetic surgery when planning their procedures. At our Miami plastic surgery center, we understand that, and we can work with you so you can have all the benefits of surgery here in the U.S. without sacrificing your health and safety.

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