Some doctors try to profit on cosmetic surgery's rise.

Jennifer Siegel has had more than her share of unsolicited medical advice.
Her OB/GYN offered to do a tummy tuck after she delivered Siegel's third child. Her eye doctor suggested injectables for the wrinkles between her brows when she went in for an eye exam. And when she asked her dentist about some simple cosmetic dentistry, he offered to nearly overhaul her entire mouth.

Cosmetic procedures — from dental veneers to Botox — have proved to be financial boons to many dentists and doctors. But what's good for the physicians may not always be in the best interest, at least financially, of the patients. Porcelain veneers can cost as much as $2,000 a tooth; each area of wrinkles treated with Botox can run $400. Few cosmetic procedures are covered by insurance, and high-pressure sales pitches are far harder to spurn when you're in an examination room. After all, turning down the person you've turned your health over to is a lot harder than dissing the perfume lady at your local department store.


"People mistakenly think that doctors and people in positions of authority are the voice of truth," says psychotherapist and "money coach" Olivia Mellan. "Consumers have to learn to be their own advocates."


Link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/tips/2010-08-06-mym06_ST_N.htm