Schwarzenegger Signs Donda West Plastic Surgery Law

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Donda West plastic surgery law this week. This law requires anyone getting plastic surgery to have medical clearance prior to undergoing the procedure. The law is named after Kanye West's mom, who died after having plastic surgery by a non-board certified plastic surgeon. Some believe that she should never have undergone the surgery in the first place due to pre-existing heart problems.

"Sometimes patients may think they are well enough for cosmetic surgery, but in reality are not," said Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, one of the leading sponsors of the bill. "This bill will potentially save lives."

Patient safety should be the most important thing in the minds of all plastic surgeons. That's why the American Society of Plastic Surgeons enacted numerous requirements and initiatives revolving around their "Culture of Safety." All patients should remember to only choose a board-certified member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and have your surgery performed in an accredited center.

For more posts on Donda West, click here.
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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Update on Donda West's Surgeon

It appears that there is one (possible) final postscript to the tragic death of Kanye West's mom, Donda West after having plastic surgery. Her surgeon, Dr. Jan Adams, has just surrendered his medical license for the State of California. He has recently been given a one year jail term for drunk driving.

Sad story all around. Many physicians carry medical licenses in more than one state, so it's possible that he can still practice as a plastic surgeon in another state, like Florida, even though he surrendered his California medical license. Since I have practiced in both California and Michigan, I carry medical licenses in both states.

Unfortunately, I can think of a couple cosmetic surgeons in my area who should maybe have their license revoked too!

Happy Good Friday!

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Kanye West's Mother's Plastic Surgeon Jailed

There are reports that Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon to Kanye West's late mother, has been jailed for one year for drunk driving. You may remember that he was under intense scrutiny after his patient, Donda West, died shortly after undergoing plastic surgery. The autopsy cited heart disease as a possible direct cause of her death.

Hopefully going into the clink for a year will give him time to get his life back together and get off the booze. This is just a sad story all around.

For my previous posts on the death of Donda West, click here.

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

The Governator vs. Kanye?

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed the so-called Donda West Law (named after Kanye West's late mother who died shortly after having plastic surgery), passed by legislators several months ago. It would have required all patients to undergo a physical exam and get a doctor's clearance before plastic surgery. According to the L.A. Times,

In vetoing the measure, Schwarzenegger said this summer's historic, 85-day delay in passage of a state budget left him with time to enact only the highest-priority legislation for California."This bill does not meet that standard, and I cannot sign it at this time," states the veto message, which he applied to dozens of others Sunday.

There are lots of young, healthy people who undergo plastic surgery who don't need an actual preoperative clearance. I usually clear any patients who have pre-existing medical problems or are over 40 years old. Also, I always use a fully accredited surgical facility with a board-certified anesthesiologist.

Nice implants on that woman next to Arnold, by the way...


For more on the Donda West law, click here.

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

California Senate Approves "Donda West Law"

The California Senate has approved, by a margin of 37-1 the Donda West law, named after Kanye West's late mother. This law makes it mandatory for anyone undergoing a cosmetic surgery to have a history and physical performed prior to surgery.

Ho hum. Most plastic surgeons already do this. Instead of enacting unnecessary laws, why not limit plastic surgery to those who are actually trained at it? The California legislature has recently approved a bill allowing oral surgeons (DDS dentists) to perform all sorts of facial plastic surgery. How ridiculous! You wouldn't want me performing your root canal, so why have an oral surgeon do your facelift?

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

The "Donda West Law"

California assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto) has announced legislation to require preoperative clearance for all patients undergoing cosmetic surgery. This proposal, dubbed the "Donda West Law," is meant to save patients from future harm done by cosmetic surgery, and has been given the blessing by Donda West's son, rapper Kanye West (according to the Daily Bulletin).
This is a very interesting bill, considering less than a year ago the California legislature passed a law permitting oral surgeons (DDS dentists) to perform all forms of facial plastic surgery. Instead of forcing surgeons to make their patients undergo preoperative testing (some young, healthy patients may not need it), maybe they should instead make sure that anyone performing plastic surgery is a real, board-certified plastic surgeon? Unfortunately, the lobbyists won't allow that. Oh, how frustrating...

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Dr. Jan Adams on Larry King Live

Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon involved with the Donda West tragedy, spoke out on Larry King Live last night. Here is a link to the video on CNN.com:
Click here.

It is definitely interesting to hear his side of the story. Very appropriately, he did not comment specifically about Donda West, as her medical information is private patient-doctor privilege and should not be revealed on nationwide TV. I have no comment on his DUI convictions, but did find his take on Board-certification interesting. He did complete residency training in plastic surgery with a fellowship in aesthetic plastic surgery (like myself) but for some reason did not get board-certified. Some surgeons don't. This still places him in a much higher place than many other doctors performing plastic surgery such as OB-Gyns and ER docs.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

LA Times Article on Donda West

Yesterday the L.A. Times ran a comprehensive article featuring more information on the tragic death of Donda West after plastic surgery. They cite evidence that she had possible severe atherosclerotic heart disease, hypertension, borderline diabetes, and evidence of pneumonia due to aspiration. These are some very worrysome factors when one considers she underwent 5 1/2 hours of body surgery, which is more traumatic than facial surgery such as a facelift or blepharoplasty. To her surgeon's defense, however, patients sometimes don't inform their plastic surgeon about all their medical history, so as not to be turned down for the procedure. What Donda West told her surgeon and anesthesiologist, however, is not publicly known. The story continues to unfold...

Link to article: here

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Update on the Death of Donda West

The final coroner's report on Kanye West's mom, Donda West, was released Thursday. Although the results are inconclusive, there was no sign that surgery error caused her death. According to CNN.com:

The exact cause of death couldn't be determined but there was no sign of "surgical or anesthetic misadventure" in the death of Donda West, Kanye West's mother, a coroner's report said Thursday...
The report noted that coronary artery disease, the liposuction and mammoplasty, and multiple postoperative factors could have played a role, but said the exact contribution of each factor couldn't be determined...
The investigation found "therapeutic levels of medication" but no unusually high levels....
"The final matter of death could not be determined," the coroner's office said in a statement.
Asked if West would still be alive if she hadn't undergone the surgery, Winter said: "She could, possibly. But she could have also died because of pre-existing cardiac issues."

If one good thing can come out of this tragedy, hopefully it is that prospective patients will ensure their plastic surgeons are board-certified and take all the safety precautions necessary to prevent something like this happening. It has reinforced the rule in my practice that all patients over 40 must get preoperative clearance from their internist of family doctor.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.: