Cosmetic surgery articles

Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez discusses plastic surgery and medicine.

  • Dr. Rodriguez receives RealSelf 500 award for enduring commitment to consumer education

    Realself 500 Top Doctor badge 2016

    BALTIMORE, March 30, 2017 – Local physician, Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, is one of 500 doctors worldwide to receive the RealSelf 500 award, a prestigious award honoring the top influencers on RealSelf. The award honors the top rated and most engaged board-certified aesthetic doctors who consistently demonstrated a commitment to patient education and positive patient outcomes throughout 2016.

  • Keloids & hypertrophic scars in plastic surgery

    A slightly hypertrophic scar.

    Following surgery, in an effort to repair damage to your dermis, your body forms new collagen fibers – which results in a scar. This new scar tissue will look and feel different than the surrounding tissue. A normal scar will generally appear somewhat flat and pale and will typically fade with time. In fact, many scars eventually become undetectable to the naked eye. However, some scars follow a more disruptive path, and can even get worse as time goes on. When the body produces too much collagen in an effort to repair the damage it can result in a ‘raised’ scar. These are considered ‘bad scars’ or ‘adverse scar conditions’ and they can unfold following any incision, including an incision made during a Plastic Surgery procedure.

  • Will Apple’s iWatch marry big data to medicine?

    A photo showing multiple iWatches.

    History is full of disruptive innovations: Just look at what e-mail did to the postal industry, the Ford Model-T to the transportation industry, and Wikipedia to the traditional encyclopedia. All three of these “disruptive innovations” revolutionized their respective industries via low-cost, democratic solutions. Luckily, we are at the forefront of an exciting disruption in the healthcare industry via Apple’s upcoming iWatch.

  • Groupon daily deals for Botox – Violation of state regulations?

    A newspaper article about groupon and state laws about plastic surgery.

    Nearly everyone has heard of Groupon, the coupon site for daily deals. If you are on the receiving end as a consumer, it can be a great way to get some great deals. For over a year we have been seeing other plastic surgeons and dermatologists sell Botox® at huge discounts. Not wanting to be outdone by our competitors, we decided to explore our options for selling facial injectables such as Botox, Restylane, Juvederm and Sculptra via Groupon. Find out why we won’t be offering Botox discounts via Groupon.

  • Using technology in your post operative recovery period

    An iPhone.

    While much of our web site is dedicated to learning about cosmetic surgery and preparing for your procedure, we would like to talk about the recovery period following any cosmetic surgery procedure. In your pre-operative appointment, which usually occurs the week before your surgery, Dr. Rodriguez and the Surgical Coordinator will review your post op instructions. They will give you a description of what you should expect following your cosmetic surgery. Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez uses smart cell phone technology to keep in touch with his patients during the immediate post op period.

  • Health care reform 2.0: lowering health care costs with no taxpayer costs

    A price tag.

    For months, we have been hearing the debate on ways to reduce healthcare costs. Thus far, nearly everything introduced requires vast amount of government expenditures and seriously upsets people who actually like the health care plan that they currently have. It is astounding that THE most important way to lower health care cost rarely , if ever, gets discussed. So how do we lower health care costs? As the Governor of Minnesota would say—prepare to be dazzled.

  • Board certification – In what specialty? and by whom?

    A slide of a presentation showing what it means to be 'board certified'.

    Many surgeons state that they are ‘board certified’. But, in what specialty? More importantly, is that specialty an approved specialty according to the American Board of Medical Specialties, ABMS? Learn more about why Board certification in an approved ABMS specialty is important by watching Dr. Rodriguez’s Cosmeticsurg video blog.

  • Cosmetic surgery anesthesia – IV anesthesia is great

    An anesthesia infusion bag.

    Dr. Rodriguez, a Yale trained and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, explains why IV anesthesia is preferable to general anesthesia for cosmetic surgery cases. Two cosmetic surgery patients give permission to be filmed in the recovery room, just minutes after they are transported from Dr. Rodriguez’s operating room. Watch the video to see how quickly patients recover from IV anesthesia.