Be Aware of Fraudulent Advertising in Plastic Surgery

Dr. Phillip Chang

Board Certified By The American Board of Plastic Surgeons.
Voted Top Plastic Surgeon in Loudoun, Virginia
Offices in Leesburg, Virginia.

Earlier today, the New York state Attorney General announced it fined Lifestyle Lift, the “facial-firming” mini-lift company, $300,000 for posting fake consumer reviews on the Internet.

Lifestyle Lift Slammed For Deceptive and Illegal Posting

Earlier today, the New York state Attorney General announced it fined Lifestyle Lift, the “facial-firming” mini-lift company, $300,000 for posting fake consumer reviews on the Internet. The Attorney General accused Lifestyle Lift of tricking consumers “into believing that satisfied customers were posting their own stories” about the product. This deception, said the AG, constituted “deceptive commercial practices, false advertising, and fraudulent and illegal conduct” under New York and federal laws. The news out of New York today is thought to be the first case in the US combating “astroturfing” — the practice of employees of a company posing on the Internet as unaffiliated or independent consumers to praise a product or attack detractors.

In media reports, Lifestyle Lift did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lifestyle Lift is a nationally advertised company which provides significantly discounted mini-facelift procedures which they claim are faster and get patients back to work in only a few days. I frequently tell my patients that you get what you pay for. Make sure you see before and after procedures that are performed by the surgeon; not by other doctors in the company. Also make sure the surgeon is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Many doctors are really trained as ENT doctors, Oral Surgeons, or Dermatologists. They are, in my opinion not properly trained to work on your face and body.

Addendum: To be fair, I have received a letter from the Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery stating that their membership of otolaryngologists are trained in the field of Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. This additional training requires a competative one year accredited fellowship incorporating facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. I have many friends who have completed this fellowship and are excellent surgeons. None of these friends, however, stray from the face to operating on the breast and or body. To my knowledge, this still does not include the body ( breast augmentation, tummy tucks, body liposuction ).

FAQs

Most frequent questions and answers

How can I get rid of my acne?

Acne is the most common skin condition in the U.S. affecting nearly 50 million Americans at any time. Acne is caused when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. It can often be persistent and unsightly.

The Acne Clear BBL is a cutting-edge acne treatment that uses the power of light to comfortably and effectively clear acne without expensive creams or toxic medicines…

How can I reduce my brown spots from aging and sun damage?

Brown sun and age spots are some of the first signs of aging and sun damage.

Treatment options include

Creams such as hydroquinone and retin A. Hydroquinone is a bleaching agent while Retin A increases cellular turnover. Over-the-counter creams will generally not have high enough concentrations to be effective.
Forever Young BBL – Cutting edge technology providing the most powerful and effective IPL option.

The Forever Young BBL uses Broad Band Light to alter skin melanin and rejuvenate cellular DNA. Instead of spending time and money on ineffective skin care products many of our patients have turned to the Forever Young BBL to make their skin more vibrant and youthful; reducing brown and red pigmentation problems, promoting collagen, and rejuvenating cellular DNA. It is the most popular laser treatment in our clinic.

What to expect from the Forever Young BBL:

Treatments take 20-30 minutes
Up to 80% improvement after a single treatment.
Most patients will benefit from adding a Micro Laser Peel and a Profractional Laser Peel ( Triple Laser Package )

How can I reduce my fine lines and wrinkles?

Fine facial lines and wrinkles are a result of UV sun damage, the breakdown of collagen, and a decrease in skin hydration. The Micro Laser Peel and the Profractional Laser are ablative lasers designed to reverse these changes.
- The Micro Laser Peel precisely ablates the surface skin in order to remove UV damaged skin
- The Profractional Laser ablates deep columns of skin that can reach to the deep dermis. This allows for skin contraction but it also encourages new cell grown and organizes new collagen
Results depend on the depth of treatment. Recovery from a maintenance treatment can be as little as a day; but recovery from aggressive treatments can be as much as 7 days. Many patients will benefit from the addition of the Forever Young BBL ( Triple Laser Package ).