Research articles

Plain-language research on cosmetic procedures, costs, and how to vet a surgeon. Every claim carries a source, and we never publish AI-generated before-and-after imagery.

• Six Red Flags to Check Before You Book Plastic Surgery

  Six things you can check yourself, for free, before you book a consultation: certification, license history, federal exclusions, where the surgery happens, who gives the anesthesia, and a price that looks too good.

  2026-09-29

• Getting a Second Opinion Before Cosmetic Surgery

  One practice found 86 percent of its own patients booked after a single consultation. What a second opinion covers, and how to arrange one.

  2026-09-08

• BBL Safety: What Changed and What to Verify Before You Book

  Plastic surgery societies called the BBL the deadliest cosmetic procedure in 2018. Here is what the safety guidance changed, and what to verify before booking.

  2026-08-19

• Breast Implant Safety: What the FDA Requires You to Know

  The FDA now requires a boxed warning and a signed checklist before breast implant surgery. Here is what those documents say and what to ask about each item.

  2026-08-19

• Financing Cosmetic Surgery Without the Traps

  Medical credit cards, deferred interest, and practice payment plans, explained in plain terms, with the red flags that mean you should slow down and wait.

  2026-08-19

• How to Verify a Plastic Surgeon's Board Certification for Free

  Board certification is public information you can check yourself in about ten minutes. Here is where to look, what each source shows, and what it leaves out.

  2026-08-19

• Liposuction Recovery: A Realistic Week-by-Week Timeline

  A realistic week by week look at liposuction recovery: compression garments, swelling, time off work, and the symptoms that need a call to your surgeon.

  2026-08-19

• Plastic Surgeon vs. Cosmetic Surgeon: What the Titles Mean

  The two titles sound interchangeable and are not. Here is what separates the training pathways, and the questions that cut through the marketing language.

  2026-08-19

• 12 Questions to Ask at a Cosmetic Surgery Consultation

  A consultation is an interview and you are the one conducting it. Twelve questions covering credentials, facilities, anesthesia, revisions, and total cost.

  2026-08-19

• What Rhinoplasty Really Costs in 2026

  The ASPS average surgeon fee is $7,637, but that is not the whole bill. Here is what anesthesia, facility, and aftercare add, and why quotes differ.

  2026-08-19