The newly released Federal Trade Commission report shows that scammers are running increasingly rampant, from fake business and job opportunities to selling counterfeit goods and unneeded services. With 5.2 million fraud reports and an estimated $8.8 billion in total fraud losses―a 30% increase over the previous year and over 160% from 2020—last year was a terrifyingly record-high year.
The world is supposed to be a friendly and happy place for everyone to live happy and peaceful lives. And it is, most of the time. Unfortunately, the reality can sometimes be dark and grim as some people are intent on feeding on and getting rich from someone else's misery.
That's why the world needs heroes and role models now more than ever—people whose stunning careers and impeccable track records show that anyone can succeed by playing fair and square. And one of those people is Dr. Mel Thomas Ortega, a plastic surgery veteran with over 30 years of experience and hundreds of thousands of operations under his belt.
When “Medical Professionals” Get Gray
As Dr. Mel Thomas Ortega points out, no industry is immune to scammers and fraudsters—including the medical sector, especially aesthetic medicine and surgery. He explains that aesthetic medicine and surgery are rife with many charlatans. Not all of them, but a good amount of “doctors” ply their trade and daily break the most sacred law in the universe – ethics.
“When you become a doctor, you are required to swear that you will uphold a number of professional, ethical standards,” he says. “They should pledge to refrain from causing harm or hurt, prescribe only beneficial treatments (according to abilities and judgment), and live exemplary personal and professional lives.”
“Even though they took this oath, they stray from it because of their hunger for money and fame,” he adds. These oath-breakers, as Dr. Ortega calls them, are promising their patients things they can't deliver. And when that happens, their patients end up being hurt and unhappy.
An Example for Other Doctors
Dr. Ortega strived to be an example that other doctors could follow from the very first time he entered the operating room as an inexperienced resident. His strong moral compass always compelled Dr. Ortega to consider the patient's best interest, sometimes even against their wishes. That mindset hasn't changed since, even today, when he runs two highly-successful plastic surgery practices in Miami, FL – one with Spectrum Aesthetics and the other at iBody Aesthetics.
People come to him with pictures of their perfect bodies in their heads, he explains. And they think that a particular procedure would help them get there, but in reality, it wouldn't. For example, he had thousands of patients who wanted liposuction but just needed a tummy tuck. Or to get breast augmentation, when they really only need a breast lift.
“People know what they want, and we are here to help them get there in the most painless, cheapest, and comfortable way,” he says. “If the patient wants breast augmentation, but they explain that they just want them to look better without looking bigger, you must say that a breast lift will get the work done. You will spare them unnecessary pain, save their time and money, as they will leave happy.”
An Excellent Reputation and Ethics
He learned this best approach from his mentor in the 1980s, but the unfortunate part, he points out sadly, is that ethics isn't something we can expect from every doctor.
There is so much money in aesthetic medicine and surgery, and people want to earn money,” Dr. Ortega explains. “They are willing to tell you what you want to hear just to get your money. And they're successful at it up to a point until the patient realizes that. And when they do, they won't ever go back to that doctor.”
As a medical practitioner, especially a plastic surgeon, an excellent reputation is something that no money on the planet can buy. Dr. Ortega points out that it only refers to doctors being true to their patients.
“I still have patients come to me that I operated on 20 years ago. They come to me after all those years to get more work done because I was honest and acted in their best interest,” Dr. Ortega adds.
“And because they trusted me, they referred me to countless friends and family members in the meantime. Being true to your patients is the only way to stay successful in this industry for as many years as I did.”
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.