More people are coming forward saying they had problems after cosmetic surgery performed by an Omaha doctor. Now, a board certified plastic surgeon is shedding light on what he calls a growing problem.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit, James Martin Davis, says two other women are being examined for malpractice and 4 others have contacted him this week.
A stack of lawsuits filed on behalf of seven women and a few husbands claim Dr. Gerard Stanley left them with scars and deformities; some that will cost tens of thousands of dollars or can't be repaired. They went to Dr. Stanley at Sculpt Contemporary Cosmetic Surgery for liposuction, buttocks lifts, breast augmentations, and eye lifts in the last two years. The women claim he's performing the cosmetic surgeries while only certified as a family doctor.
Dr. Rady Rahban is a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, Calif., who says a third of his patients come in to repair previous surgeries. He indicates plastic surgeons need 6-8 years residency, but cosmetic surgeons don't need any while doing similar procedures.
Dr. Stanley's website says he did a rural family practice and surgery residency at North Colorado Medical Center. A representative for the hospital says he did complete a family practice residency, but they don't have a surgical residency.
"So when it says ‘board-certified plastic surgeon,’ they're board-certified in plastic surgery. When it says ‘board-certified cosmetic surgeon’ — as in this case — is a board-certified family practitioner who's now doing cosmetic surgery,” Dr. Rahban said. ”You see how misleading that is.”
Dr. Rahban says patients need to do their homework by making sure the doctor is board certified and know what they are board certified in.
He adds the government isn't watching cosmetic surgeons even though it may seem like they have a good reputation.
"The problem is you can do anything that you want in America more or less in your own private surgery center. As long as you have a fancy website and you have a bunch of little letters after your name you're going to get misled, and unfortunately the patients are the only ones that are going to pay the price both financially and more importantly both mentally and physically," Dr. Rahban concluded.
Nebraska DHHS says surgery is within the scope of practice for a licensed physician unless there's a restriction. The state does not have a consumer webpage on plastic surgery.
The attorney for Dr. Stanley did not return a phone call on Tuesday.
