Asking for: botox, liposuction or a 'tummy tuck' has turned into a normal request in East Texas. Dr. Paul Critelli, a plastic surgeon in Tyler, said the access to him and other in his profession has gotten better.
"You no longer have to drive or fly thousands of miles to go to a plastic surgeon," Dr. Critelli said.
The number of surgeons in one's community also determines how much to a person expects to pay. There are only six plastic surgeons in East Texas, including Critelli, four of them are in Tyler. The rest are in Longview.
"There's certainly a big underserved population here," Dr. Critelli said.
From a cosmetic point of view, Dr. Critelli said East Texans have taken advantage of breast reduction and augmentation, which is common in the state. However, he noticed a need for cancer and traumatic reconstruction. Reconstruction surgery is something Dr. Critelli said is about 75% of their work at UT Health NorthEast.