Plastic Surgeon Board Certification Is Critical

Selecting a plastic surgeon requires more than simply going to the phone book and cold calling the numbers you find. Having a cosmetic procedure is one of the biggest decisions a person can make. Afterward your body will be permanently altered from the way it is now. Also, these procedures often involve many hours in surgery and under the care of a medical professional so it is imperative that you receive the highest level of care. The best way to find a doctor you can trust and feel comfortable with is to select a plastic surgeon that is board certified.

While it is of course vital to choose a doctor with both excellent medical training and surgical experience there is a secondary consideration. In order to guarantee that the physician you choose is of the highest quality in his field you need to choose someone who is board certified in the field you need. That is important for specific procedures but you should also seek out someone who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. It requires extensive medical training and experience to be certified. A person can feel confident that a member doctor will have passed rigorous surgical education and training.

As cosmetic procedures are on the rise it is increasingly challenging to be sure of the qualifications of a plastic surgeon. Many procedures are done in outpatient or office visits and thus it is hard to gauge the quality of the care provider. Also depending on where you live the physician may be “board certified” but not necessarily by the ABPS. For this reason it is important that you verify and determine the education and experience of any physician before you agree to undergo surgery. Also, the rules have changed regarding certification. Whereas once a board certification was for life, it is now necessary for a doctor to be re-certified every few years to ensure they are staying current on new and changing procedures.

The caveat however is that although certification is a good way of determining a qualified plastic surgeon it is not a guarantee of good results or no complications. Cosmetic surgery is a delicate and dangerous medical procedure. There are a multitude of factors at play in the relative success or failure of these operations. As with any medical treatment there are risks and complications but at least by utilizing the services of a certified plastic surgeon you will know that he or she has had the training and experience necessary to do the work. As with any other field there are doctors who are better than others. The best way to find the good ones is to look at pictures of their previous successes. Through word of mouth and before and after pictures it is possible to determine the skill of your chosen physician.