Is it safe to get plastic surgery amid coronavirus pandemic?
Q. I have been staying at home for several months and not seeing many people. I was thinking of having surgery amid the coronavirus pandemic. Do you think it safe?
A. It has been so surprising how busy I have been since we opened it in late May. While COVID cases have been rising in Miami-Dade, and we are still cautiously continuing with elective procedures but taking safety precautions.
Most doctors have cut their patient load by 50% so that patients are not crossing paths in the waiting room. In fact, in our waiting room there is no one there. Most patients wait in their cars, call our front office and are asked to come in when the other patient has left. The physicians in our office are using N95 masks along with eye protection and disposable gowns to protect both the patient and the physician.
All patients are tested for COVID three to four days before the procedure and are asked to quarantine during that time. Patients who are having surgery are seen in the office with no other adults coming into the surgery facility. When the surgical procedure is completed, there is significant patient distancing so that there is no cross-contamination.
In most surgical procedures, patients are using a mask in the recovery room so as to prevent their inspiration or expiration of contaminants.
During surgery there’s very little patient contact other than with the anesthesiologist during intubation and extubation. Once a patient has had their surgery, most of the postop care can be done virtually through telemedicine or FaceTime.
Recently, we had a patient who underwent a rhinoplasty procedure. She was happy with her results, and asked her friends come over to see her. But one of her friends had COVID and this has spread throughout their circle of friends.
Thus, I recommend patients quarantine even after their surgical procedure.
Dr. Carlos Wolf is a partner in Miami Plastic Surgery and is board certified. Email questions to him at Cwolf@miamiplasticsurgery.com. For more information, videos, and before-and-after photos, follow @carloswolfmd and @mpsmedspa on Instagram.
