Cosmetic Surgery News and Research

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Traveling for cosmetic surgery may carry hidden infection risks

A CDC review highlights serious infection risks linked to cosmetic surgery tourism, emphasizing the need for improved safety and infection control measures.

9 Jun 2026

4D-printed expanders could transform reconstructive surgery outcomes

Di Wang, PhD, and Y. Shrike Zhang, PhD, of the Division of Engineering in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine, are the lead and senior authors of a paper published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, "4D-printed adaptive hydrogel tissue expanders for ear and breast reconstruction."

1 Jun 2026

Nose attractiveness influences how people view overall facial features

Attractiveness of the nose affects how people view the face – with attractive noses actually drawing less attention than unattractive noses, reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

4 May 2026

Cosmetic surgery investigation prompts warnings for patients, and a push for tighter safety standards

An investigation into cosmetic surgery chains by KFF Health News and NBC News has prompted consumer warnings from industry groups representing plastic surgeons and a call for more transparency around physician disciplinary actions in California.

11 Mar 2026

UK patients seeking surgery overseas are returning with complications the NHS must treat

Outward medical tourism for surgery results in serious complications, creating challenges for the NHS and highlighting the need for better patient awareness.

16 Jan 2026

Postoperative complications of medical tourism place growing financial burden on the NHS

The postoperative complications of medical tourism may be costing the NHS up to £20,000 per patient, suggest the findings of a rapid review of the available data, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

13 Jan 2026

What the Health? from KFF Health News: New Year, same health fight

Congress returned from its holiday break to the same question it faced in December: whether to extend covid-era premium subsidies for health plans sold under the Affordable Care Act.

8 Jan 2026

Advertisements promising patients a ‘dream body’ with minimal risk get little scrutiny

Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old U.S. Navy administrator, expected that cosmetic surgery would get rid of stubborn fat quickly and easily — just as the web advertising promised.

1 Jan 2026

AI model may help make liposuction safer

A newly developed artificial intelligence (AI) model is highly accurate in predicting blood loss in patients undergoing high-volume liposuction, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

26 Dec 2025

After outpatient cosmetic surgery, they wound up in the hospital or alone at a recovery house

Lisa Farris worried that a nasty infection from recent liposuction and a tummy tuck was rapidly getting worse. So she phoned the cosmetic surgery center to ask if she should head to the emergency room, she alleges in a lawsuit.

23 Dec 2025

How to pick the right cosmetic surgeon

The debate over which doctors are best qualified to perform cosmetic surgery — and who gets the best results for patients — has raged for decades.

30 Sep 2025

Doctors with troubled pasts are performing cosmetic surgeries tied to crippling pain and injury

Not long after California surgeon Andrew S. Hsu landed a job with a cosmetic surgery chain in Georgia, several of his patients suffered disfiguring injuries, and even his new employer had doubts about his competence, court records allege.

30 Sep 2025

Big loopholes in hospital charity care programs mean patients still get stuck with the tab

Quinn Cochran-Zipp went to the emergency room three times with severe abdominal pain before doctors figured out she had early-stage cancer in the germ cells of her right ovary.

25 Sep 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Next on Kennedy’s list? Preventive care and vaccine harm

In his ongoing effort to reshape health policy, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly plans to overhaul two more government entities: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

31 Jul 2025

Cosmetic surgeries led to disfiguring injuries, patients allege

A few days after a harrowing cosmetic surgery procedure, Erin Schaeffer said, she woke up with fluid leaking from an open wound in her stomach.

28 Jul 2025

New index helps optimize picosecond laser treatment for nevus of Ota

In recent years, the application of picosecond laser (PSL) treatment for skin discoloration caused by nevus of Ota has been advancing in the fields of dermatology, plastic surgery, and cosmetic surgery.

4 Jul 2025

Dating apps linked to rising cosmetic surgery trends among women

They're the modern way to find love according to the 323 million people who use them worldwide, but dating apps are fuelling an obsession with cosmetic surgery that may not have a happy ending.

21 Feb 2025

Study reveals the prevalence of chronic pain after cosmetic surgery among Norwegian adults

Ten per cent of respondents to a recent survey of Norwegian adults had undergone cosmetic surgery, with one in eight of these experiencing chronic post-operative pain, according to results published in De Gruyter's Scandinavian Journal of Pain.

11 Mar 2024

High BMI affects autologous breast reconstruction outcomes

For women undergoing autologous breast reconstruction – reconstruction using the patient's own tissues, rather than implants – the risks of overall and specific complications are increased at higher body mass index (BMI) levels, reports the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

7 Mar 2024

Study: Many older adults worry about costs, time off work and COVID-19 risk when considering surgery

When it comes to having surgery, older adults don't just base their decision on how much pain they'll feel and how quickly they'll recover, a new study finds.

30 Jan 2024