Update: Rohrich Volunteers Temporary Leave
In our July issue, we included a story on Dr. Rod Rohrich and Mary Crosland, co-authors of “Navigate Your Beauty.” After the time of print, details surfaced via NBCDFW that Luke Crosland, the co-author’s husband, is suing Dr. Rohrich for an alleged affair with his wife and alleged sale of a $1.1-million diamond to cover travel expenses promoting the book. Editor Tim Rogers at our sister publication, D Magazine, also looked into the allegations.
Despite rumors that Rohrich had been relieved of his post as chair of the plastic surgery department, our conversations with UT Southwestern Medical Center confirm that as of this morning, this is not the case; Rohrich remains chair of the department.
UPDATE (6/27):
Per a statement released by UT Southwestern, a peer-reviewed investigation will take place of the alleged “unprofessional conduct.” Rohrich has requested that he be temporarily relieved of his position as chair during the investigation. He remains in good standing as a member of the faculty, and will resume his role should the investigation find there was no breach of standards.
Here is the original story as printed in our July issue:
With more than 20 years under his belt at UT Southwestern, Dr. Rod Rohrich has seen a lot of things — including patient ignorance when choosing a plastic surgeon. That served as motivation for Navigate Your Beauty, a book he has co-authored with longtime patient Mary Crosland.
“After seeing people that have had really bad problems from both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, I wanted to write a book about how you really ask the right questions,” Rohrich said.
With his experience writing medical textbooks and other scholarly work, he needed that colloquial, consumer-friendly touch to get the message across. That’s where Crosland came in.
“There’s no consumer book out there that’s written from two perspectives,” she said.
The book guides patients and consumers through making medical decisions based on “the three E’s” — experience, expertise, and exceptional results.
“Everybody’s famous on their own website,” Rohrich said. “If you talk to others and teach other plastic surgeons, then you’re recognized by your peers. That’s really what an expert is.”
Rohrich suggests checking to make sure your doctor performs the operation you’re seeking frequently, meaning once or twice a week for five or more years.
“There’s such a need for the consumer to be safe and to be smart,” Crosland said. “I didn’t know, really, what to ask, and now I know what to ask, what to look for, and what’s a red flag.”
That kind of research and compilation doesn’t happen overnight. Rohrich estimates that writing the manuscript took about a year, which stemmed from his genuine concern for the consumer.
“He didn’t write this for another patient — Dr. Rohrich doesn’t need another patient,” Crosland said of Rohrich’s reputation and experience. “This book gives you all the information you need. That’s why we wrote this together.”
The book is already available on Amazon, and the co-authors’ publishing team is working to get it into the hands of industry professionals and in local bookstores.
A launch party for the book took place at Highland Park Village’s Bistro 31 in May.
“The hope is that it would reach everyone that has an interest in not only cosmetic surgery, but anyone who wants to look as good as they feel,” Rohrich said. “People are really beginning to understand why it’s important, why it’s unique, and why it should be an important book.”
Rohrich is not only a professor at UT Southwestern, but also the chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery. His co-author received her bachelor’s business degree from SMU.
Together, they feel that the book’s knowledge can be applied to selecting any type of doctor and seeking optimal beauty.
“The book even goes into how to look great without plastic surgery, and how to avoid it, which is great,” Crosland said. “I wanted [to give people] as much information as we could when doing anything for lifelong beauty and maintenance.”
This story was updated from the print story that ran in our July issue, on newsstands now.
