Beauty is relative, they say. Deviations from the norm, as a whim of nature, age-related or as a result of an accident or serious illness, are noticed more quickly by our fellow human beings and sometimes restrict the social life of those affected. The specialists in plastic and aesthetic surgery are there to help these people - whether for medical reasons or simply to improve their appearance.
- Breastaugmentation/breastreduction/breast lift,
- Body contouring, e.g. tummy tuck, upper arm or buttock lift
- Genital surgery,
- Aesthetic surgery of the face(face-neck lift with SMAS, forehead lift, upper and lower eyelid corrections, lip shaping, nose corrections, etc.)
- Wrinkle treatment with Botox, hyaluronic acid, laser or autologous fat injections,
- Hair transplants
In Germany, around 16,000 to 20,000 women have their breasts enlarged every year @ Roman / AdobeStock
Treatments that serve to restore function or aesthetics after an accident or serious illness are generally covered by health insurance companies as "services with a medical indication". The same also applies to congenital defects, such as cleft jaws and palates or signs of paralysis, e.g. of individual facial muscles, some of which severely restrict appearance.
However, the situation is different for purely"aesthetic optimization wishes" of patients. These costs are not covered by health insurance. This applies in particular to the treatment of the "ageing" face, wrinkle treatments as part of anti-ageing, breast augmentation, liposuction for the aesthetic improvement of body shapes, penis enlargement and nose reshaping.
According to statistics, around 306,300 Botox treatments were carried out in Germany in 2021 @ Roman /AdobeStock
The German Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery identifies the following three points that should be mandatory basic requirements for specialists in the field of aesthetic surgery in order to ensure high quality patient care:
- Plastic and aesthetic surgery specialists hold the specialist title of Plastic Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery. This requires six years of specialist training.
- Specialists should have been working independently in their own practice or clinic in the field of aesthetic surgery for at least two years.
- Every specialist in aesthetic surgery regularly takes part in specialist training courses and attends relevant congresses and workshops to keep their knowledge up to date.
As a patient, it is best to find out in advance whether the clinic and the medical staff in aesthetic surgery meet the above criteria.
In addition to further training in the specialty, specialists in aesthetic surgery should also have sufficient practical experience in the specialty. You should therefore ask specifically about the scope of services provided per year. A specialist clinic for plastic and aesthetic surgery should then be able to fill the majority of its time with operations in the specialty and have a high success rate. The best way to find out is by looking at treatment results or, ideally, by talking directly to patients who have already undergone treatment.
