Ethics, Social Media, and Plastic Surgery

In this podcast, Alexander Zuriarrain, MD, FACS, joins Plastic Surgery Practice Co-Chief Editors Keri Stephens and Alison Werner to talk about ethics in plastic surgery—a subject Zuriarrian recently wrote about for Plastic Surgery Practice. The three discuss how social media and the way plastic surgeons are using it are raising some ethical questions. Zuriarrian—a board-certified plastic surgeon and owner of Zuri Plastic Surgery in Miami—talks about how he’s seeing plastic surgeons post altered and airbrushed images on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok and how these posts raise concerns. He talks about how photos showcasing certain procedures are more easy to manipulate and give patients unrealistic expectations. When it comes down to it, Zuriarrian contends that this is one of the reasons patients should search out board-certified plastic surgeons. He points out that the American Board of Plastic Surgery certification process is not just about how good a surgeon’s technique is, but also about ethical behavior—and that includes the ethics around their marketing practices. Zuriarrian specifically points to board guidance on website content and how images are used to illustrate procedures. The fact is social media is a whole new frontier and there are ethical issues that need to be addressed. And while the conversation has started around the responsibilities of board-certified plastic surgeons, it’s going to take time to create guidelines. In the meantime, Zuriarrian reminds listeners of the four guiding principles of medical ethics and talks about why it’s important as a plastic surgeon to look to one’s conscience and always focus on what is in the best interest of the patient. PSP