Choosing A Surgeon

WARNING!

Who will you allow to operate on you? Technically speaking, a medical license allows any medical or osteopathic doctor to perform surgery. That doesn’t mean that all doctors should perform all surgeries. So, for example, a pediatrician or an emergency room physician could call himself a cosmetic surgeon and perform facelifts or liposuction if he feels inclined. Unfortunately, there have been tragic results reported in the news where unsuspecting patients have suffered severe injuries and even death at the hands of doctors who went way beyond the scope of their training, calling themselves plastic surgeons or cosmetic surgeons. How can you know whom to trust?

American Board of Plastic Surgery or American Board of Cosmetic Surgery???

Doctors can even claim to be “board certified,” obtaining credentials from boards that are not recognized as legitimate boards by the American Board of Medical Specialties (the organization that oversees legitimate specialty boards). For example, The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The American Board of  Plastic Surgery is the recognized board certification for plastic surgeons. The training required for certification between these two boards is vastly different. For example, to be certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (the legitimate board), a plastic surgeon must first graduate from an approved medical school, then have at least three years of training in general surgery followed by two or three years training in an approved plastic surgery residency program. These programs are continually evaluated to insure that they are providing extensive training to the residents. After successfully completing the residency in plastic surgery, the candidate must pass a comprehensive written examination administered by the Board. Then, the candidate must pass an extensive oral examination in front of world experts who will review the candidate’s knowledge and even review operations that they have performed. Only after this process is complete can a plastic surgeon claim to be “board certified” by The American Board of Plastic Surgery.  Don’t be fooled by the words “Board Certified.”  Look for certification by The American Board of Plastic Surgery.