Just over 19% of surgeons in the US are women, and for plastic surgeons the number is much lower. Although numbers are on the rise, the discrepancy is profound. Nearly 50% of students entering medical school are now female; why so few surgeons?
There is no definitive answer. Some point to the lengthy training required by surgeons, which may conflict with the years when women may choose to have children or a family. Plastic surgeons must complete four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, then six years of intensive training before they are certified to practice.
Another factor is the lack of female role models or mentors. There is such an imbalance, that the culture of surgeons has been described as a boys’ club. And just like other professions, women face discrimination and have historically been paid less than their male counterparts.
Fortunately, there is an upward trend in the number of female surgeons. And they are statistically more competent! A recent study in Canada showed that patients of female surgeons were more likely to live and less likely to have complications following surgery.
The perspective and sensibility of a female surgeon could be seen as invaluable in a field like plastic surgery. For female patients, she has the same physical body parts and the same experience living as a woman. It has even been suggested that the standard of female beauty would change if the majority of plastic surgeons were women, as the standard is influenced by the wealthy, famous, and beautiful who often have the resources to have cosmetic procedures.
Patients in Florida benefit from the experience, skill, and aesthetic sense of Dr. Essie Kueberuwa Yates: an internationally trained female plastic surgeon. One of very few in the state of Florida, Dr. Yates specializes in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures of the face, breasts, and body. Call Atlantic Center of Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery at 954-983-1899 for a consultation today, or request an appointment online.
