<p>I have been pondering whether to practice in plastics as a career choice, but knowing that the only real opportunity for plastic surgeons are in Southern/Central California is discouraging. What do you recommend? Should I give it a go and risk wasting so much money for a medical education only to see few patients in this saturated market(?), or should I stick with the plan and go into cardio?</p>
<p>--Desperately in Need of Pre-Medical Counsel before I give up and become a lawyer.</p>
<p>Oh come now. Anyplace there are rich vain people with lots of time on their hands, there will be a market for plastic surgeons. For example, not to be harsh, but a city like New York has plenty of trophy wives, married to rich investment bankers. A city like Miami has plenty of people who want to look glamorous in skimpy swimsuits. I believe the TV show Nip/Tuck is based out of Miami.</p>
<p>More seriously, plastic surgery isn't just all about nose jobs and Botox. There are people out there who sadly get into horrific accidents or disease that severely mar their appearance and so in order to live relatively normal lives, they hire plastic surgeons. For example, women who have had mastectomies to combat breast cancer will often times get breast reconstruction surgery so that they can feel like normal women again. Children born with cleft palates may get plastic surgery in order to improve their appearance and self-esteem.</p>
<p>I think a far greater worry for US plastic surgeons is not the demand for the services but rather the supply - namely the issue of medical tourism. The truth is, a lot of plastic surgery really is optional cosmetic surgery which means that insurance will usually not cover it. Not only that but you don't really need cosmetic surgery to live, and it is optional as to when you get it. Hence, that encourages consumers to shop around and in particular to get cosmetic surgery in foreign countries where prices are far cheaper. For example, many Floridians fly to Latin American nations to get cheap lipo or cheap breast implants. Hospitals in Thailand and India are now advertising vacation packages complete with cosmetic surgery, and these hospitals are built to world-class standards with world-class doctors. </p>
<p><a href="http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=2016%5B/url%5D">http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=2016</a>
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/healthcare/medicaltourism.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/healthcare/medicaltourism.html</a>
<a href="http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/tourism072505.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/tourism072505.html</a>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism</a></p>
<p>Central California? Have you ever been to the Central Valley??</p>