Misinformation is the single biggest obstacle between a patient and a good decision. In New York City, that misinformation compounds. Cosmetic advertising is everywhere, social media rewards exaggeration, and filtered images have reset what patients believe surgery can deliver.
Patients arrive at our Upper East Side practice carrying beliefs absorbed from celebrity speculation, outdated reporting, and before-and-after photos edited beyond recognition. Many of those beliefs are wrong. Some of them are the reason a patient delayed care for years.
Dr. Stafford Broumand is a Harvard-trained, board-certified plastic surgeon with over 30 years of clinical practice in Manhattan. Below, he addresses 10 of the myths he encounters most often, and explains what patients should understand instead.
Myth 1: Plastic surgery always looks obvious
This is the most persistent misconception in aesthetic medicine. It also has a simple explanation.
You only notice the results you can identify. A rhinoplasty that looks operated on registers immediately. A rhinoplasty that suits the patient’s face registers as nothing at all. The work you never notice is the work you never count.
Obvious results usually trace back to one of three causes: over-correction, poor technique, or a procedure chosen for trend rather than anatomy. None of those are inherent to surgery itself. Modern facial techniques reposition deeper tissue layers rather than pulling skin tight, which is what produced the drawn appearance associated with earlier generations of facelifts.
“Our goal is never to make a patient look like someone else,” says Dr. Broumand. “It is to reveal the version of themselves that their anatomy already supports.”
Myth 2: Every doctor offering cosmetic surgery in Manhattan is a plastic surgeon
This one carries real consequences, and most patients do not know it. Under New York State law, any licensed physician may legally perform cosmetic procedures. A dermatologist, an emergency medicine physician, or a general practitioner can open an aesthetic practice and advertise cosmetic surgery. The title “cosmetic surgeon” is not a protected credential and reflects no standardized training pathway.
Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is different. It requires years of accredited surgical residency, rigorous written and oral examinations, and ongoing recertification. It is the only board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties for plastic surgery of the entire body. Verify certification before your consultation, not after. The ABPS maintains a public directory. It takes two minutes.
Dr. Broumand is a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a Diplomate of the American Board of Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Myth 3: Plastic surgery is purely cosmetic
Plastic surgery as a field began in reconstruction, and reconstruction remains central to it.
Breast reconstruction after mastectomy, scar revision after trauma, and the repair of congenital differences all fall within the specialty. Dr. Broumand has performed over 1,000 sternal wound reconstruction cases. That work shares its technical foundation with aesthetic surgery, which is precisely why board certification matters.
Many aesthetic procedures also carry functional benefits. Eyelid surgery can restore an obstructed upper visual field. Breast reduction relieves chronic neck, back, and shoulder pain. Rhinoplasty can address a deviated septum alongside nasal contour.
The line between cosmetic and reconstructive is far less rigid than public perception suggests.
Myth 4: Plastic surgery is unsafe
Elective surgery carries risk. Any surgeon who tells you otherwise is not being honest with you. What has changed is the size of that risk. Advances in anesthesia monitoring, infection prevention protocols, and surgical technique have substantially reduced complication rates over the past three decades. Patient selection has also improved. A thorough surgeon declines cases that are not appropriate.
Where your surgery happens matters as much as who performs it. Patients research surgeons carefully and then never ask about the operating room. This is a mistake.
Ask whether the surgical facility is accredited, and by whom. AAAASF accreditation represents the highest level of ambulatory surgical accreditation available. It governs equipment standards, emergency protocols, anesthesia personnel, and sterile technique.
740 Park Plastic Surgery maintains an AAAASF-certified surgical suite. Our practice also confirms that a board-certified anesthesiologist is present for every surgical case.
Myth 5: Liposuction is a weight loss procedure
Liposuction removes localized fat deposits. It does not treat obesity, and it is not a substitute for weight management. The best candidates are patients near a stable weight who carry disproportionate fat in specific areas that have not responded to diet and exercise. The abdomen, flanks, and thighs are common examples. The procedure refines contour rather than reducing overall body mass.
A related myth holds that fat “moves elsewhere” after liposuction. Treated areas have fewer fat cells afterward, so subsequent weight gain distributes differently across the body. That is a change in distribution, not fat relocating on its own.
Myth 6: A skilled surgeon leaves no scars
No surgeon can make an incision without producing a scar. The body heals by forming scar tissue. What an experienced surgeon controls is placement, tension, and closure. Facelift incisions follow the hairline and the natural contours of the ear. Breast augmentation incisions sit in the inframammary fold, the areolar border, or the axilla. Tummy tuck incisions are positioned to sit below most swimwear.
Healing also depends on factors outside the operating room. Sun exposure, smoking, genetics, and adherence to aftercare instructions all influence how a scar matures. Most surgical scars continue to fade for 12 to 18 months. Any practice promising scarless surgery is describing something that does not exist.
Myth 7: Injectables and devices can replace surgery
Non-surgical treatment has advanced considerably, and it has clear indications. It also has clear limits. Botox® relaxes the muscles responsible for dynamic expression lines. Dermal fillers restore lost volume. Morpheus8® and similar radiofrequency microneedling devices improve skin texture and stimulate collagen. AquaGold® Fine Touch delivers targeted treatment into the superficial dermis.
None of these address significant skin laxity or reposition descended tissue. Filler added to a face that needs lifting produces heaviness, not rejuvenation. That outcome is one of the most common corrections Dr. Broumand and his team of experts see in consultation.
The reverse error is equally costly. Patients sometimes pursue surgery when a well-planned non-surgical approach would serve them better. An honest evaluation should be willing to recommend less.
Myth 8: Recovery means months of hiding
Recovery timelines vary by procedure, and patients consistently overestimate them. Most facial surgery patients return to non-public activity within seven to 10 days. Visible bruising and swelling typically resolve over two to three weeks. Body procedures generally require more downtime, with tummy tuck patients often resuming desk work in two to three weeks and full activity at six.
Residual swelling settles gradually. Final results from facial surgery often continue refining for six to 12 months. That is normal, and a good surgical team will prepare you for it rather than let it surprise you. For patients in Manhattan who cannot step away from demanding roles, planning is critical. We build recovery timelines around real calendars during the consultation.
Myth 9: Results fade within a few years
Surgical and non-surgical results follow different timelines, and conflating them creates this myth. Botox requires repeat treatment every three to four months. Most dermal fillers last six to 18 months depending on the product and placement. Those are maintenance treatments by design.
Surgical results behave differently. A facelift repositions tissue, and that repositioning holds. Patients continue to age afterward, but they age from a rejuvenated starting point. Breast reduction and rhinoplasty results are generally considered permanent, absent significant weight change or injury.
Longevity is also influenced by what happens afterward. Sun protection, stable weight, and consistent skincare meaningfully affect how results hold over time.
Myth 10: Plastic surgery is only for women
The male patient segment has grown steadily for two decades, and it is growing at our practice. Men most commonly pursue eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, gynecomastia correction, liposuction, hair restoration through SmartGraft FUE, and injectable treatment. The surgical objectives differ. Male facial anatomy requires preserving brow position, jawline breadth, and the structural landmarks that read as masculine.
A related misconception concerns age. There is no correct age for aesthetic surgery. Some concerns are structural and appropriate to address in a patient’s 20s or 30s. Others are age-related and better addressed earlier, before laxity becomes advanced. Early intervention frequently produces more natural outcomes than waiting until changes are pronounced.
What to Ask During Your Consultation in NYC
A consultation is an evaluation, not a sales appointment. Come prepared to assess the surgeon as carefully as they assess you.
- Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
- Is your surgical facility accredited, and by which body?
- Who administers anesthesia, and what are their credentials?
- How many times have you performed this specific procedure?
- May I see results from patients with anatomy similar to mine?
- What are the realistic risks and limitations in my case?
- What does recovery look like week by week?
- Who do I reach if something concerns me at 11 p.m. on a Saturday?
A surgeon who answers these directly is giving you useful information. A surgeon who deflects them is giving you information too.
Schedule a Consultation at 740 Park Plastic Surgery
Excellence meets artistry in the heart of New York City. Our practice is committed to providing the highest-quality, most personal and discreet care available to patients throughout Manhattan and beyond.
Dr. Broumand has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for 24+ consecutive years and serves as a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He teaches 15 to 18 plastic surgery residents and over 50 medical students each year.
Consultations at 740 Park Avenue are private, unhurried, and paid. CareCredit and PatientFi are accepted.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your goals with Dr. Broumand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I verify a plastic surgeon is board-certified in New York?
Search the American Board of Plastic Surgery public directory, or confirm through the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Do not rely on a practice website alone. Certification by the ABPS is distinct from any “cosmetic surgery” board.
Is plastic surgery safe?
Elective surgery always carries risk, though complication rates are low when a board-certified plastic surgeon operates in an accredited facility with qualified anesthesia support. Your health history, medications, and adherence to preoperative instructions all affect your individual risk profile.
Will people be able to tell I had plastic surgery?
Well-executed surgery is designed to appear natural rather than obvious. Results that read as surgical usually stem from over-correction or a procedure mismatched to the patient’s anatomy. During your consultation, Dr. Broumand will discuss what outcome your anatomy realistically supports.
How long do plastic surgery results last?
Surgical results such as facelift, rhinoplasty, and breast reduction are long-lasting, and often permanent. Non-surgical treatments require maintenance, with Botox repeated every three to four months and most fillers lasting six to 18 months. Sun protection and stable weight help preserve surgical outcomes.
Is there a right age for plastic surgery?
There is no single correct age. Structural concerns are often addressed in a patient’s 20s or 30s, while age-related changes are commonly treated from the 40s onward. Addressing laxity earlier frequently produces more natural results than waiting until changes are advanced.