Breasts and Fillers: Plastic Surgeons' Favorite Articles of 2011

Nicole Seefeldt

December 08, 2011

Editor's Note: Toward the end of each year, Medscape reflects on the most-read articles by each specialty group.

Obviously, the ongoing dialogue about the use and safety of breast implants, especially the use of silicone-based implants, stole many of the top 10 spots this year as the debate started in January and continued throughout 2011. Practice and professional issues were also popular in our honorable mention and in our most read articles list. Yet, the biggest surprise may have come from our top performer -- or perhaps not.

In our original content highlights, Michael Bogdan's viewpoint series covered some very interesting subjects this year. Although not all of them made our top 10 (one did), they provided important and interesting reading for our plastic surgery audience.

Here are the Highlights for 2011:

10. Plastic Surgeons Losing to Non-Core Physicians on the Internet?
Should plastic surgeons be concerned about the public's lack of knowledge about cosmetic procedures and who is qualified to perform them?

9. FDA Panel Debates Postapproval Studies for Breast Implants
An open public hearing reignited the debate about the safety and use of breast implants.

8. Medscape/WebMD Poll: How Much Are Doctors Paid?
Which specialists are the top earners?

7. Six Biggest Gripes of Employed Doctors
What are practitioners' biggest pet peeves?

6. Turn the Tables on "Deny and Delay" Insurers
Should your practice be tracking outstanding claims as closely as regular reimbursements?

5. Lasers in the Treatment of Acne Scars
Which levels of scarring respond best to different types of lasers?

4. Breast Implants, MRI, and the FDA: How to Advise Our Patients?
Andrew Kaunitz gives his take on whether asymptomatic women with silicone implants should undergo more frequent imaging surveillance.

3. Long-Term Complications Likely With Silicone Breast Implants
As a follow-up to the January FDA white paper, the administration spoke again on the controversy in June.

2. Breast Implants May Be Linked to Rare Cancer, FDA Says
The news report that sparked the ongoing debate throughout 2011: In January, the FDA announced it would create a patient registry to monitor and assess the risk for anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) in patients with silicone breast implants.