Plastic surgery is littered with products, all of which claim to be better than similar products treating the same problem. Examples of these products include:
- Scar minimizing ointments and sheets
- Facial creams to reduce lines and wrinkles
- Lip plumping creams
- Products to lengthen and thicken eyelashes
- Facial creams to reduce discolorations
- Facial creams to reduce dark circles around the eyes
- Skin tightening products
- Breast enlargement creams
- And more…
How is the consumer expected to know what to spend their hard earned money on? Are they to rely on the biased advertisements of the product manufacturer? Furthermore, how is the plastic surgeon recommending these products expected to know. I have found that most plastic surgeons (and yes I have been guilty of this one) simply recommend products they either carry in their office or have some experience with. There are so many new products every year, it would be impossible to have much experience with all of them. There are very few scientific papers written comparing these products.
So here’s my idea. I could do a comparison of many of the popular products in my office. I could ask the manufacturer for free product that I could give to a few of my patients. In return I could write a blog about the results over time. Companies who believe their product really works would be happy to provide samples in exchange for that type of endorsement. Its a win-win-win for me-the patient-and the manufacturer. Any thoughts? Any volunteers?