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Los Angeles Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
What You Should Know About Plastic Surgeons/Surgery
Do you think you are ready to select a surgeon and proceed with surgery? Take this quiz – you might be surprised by what you don’t know!
Choose your own cosmetic surgeon carefully. Click here for a free credentials check.
Tip #1: Less than a third of the physicians who listed themselves as “Plastic or Cosmetic Surgeons” in certain telephone directories and print publications are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS).
There are dozens of “cosmetic/plastic” surgery boards not recognized by the ABMS, the governing body overseeing the 24 recognized medical boards in the US. ABPS is the only medical board recognized by the ABMS with plastic surgery in its name. Know more about your surgeon’s certification. While there may be some excellent doctors and dentists who practice cosmetic surgery without being an ABPS diplomate, we feel it is important for you to know the distinction as the ultimate decision is yours alone.
Tip #2: Being “board certified” is not enough! It is important for a surgeon to be both certified and in good standing within the community.
A thorough background investigation into credentials, medical licensure, malpractice, civil, and criminal records including DUI convictions, and general standing among plastic surgeon peers is simply prudent research. My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor encourages you to perform the same extensive screening on your surgeon as we have already completed on our surgeons.
Tip #3: U.S. medical doctors that are board certified in some other medical specialty can claim to be plastic or plastic surgeons.
American medical doctors may claim to be board certified plastic or cosmetic surgeons without any further training. My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor only recommends plastic surgeons board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) although the ultimate choice is always yours and yours alone. ABPS certification reflects a surgeon’s training in plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face and body and ensures the doctor has graduated from an accredited medical school and completed at least five years of additional residency, usually three years of general surgery, and two years of plastic surgery.
It is extremely important to note that, having once received credentials, a surgeon seldom loses their ABPS certification, despite multiple malpractice lawsuits and even patient deaths, unless their medical license is revoked.
Tip #4: My Cosmetic Surgery Advisor digs deeper into a surgeon’s background.
We research more than a dozen resources, including the American Medical Association (AMA), American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), and the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), along with the latest publications and databases.
Tip #5: Not all surgeons are skilled in all procedures.
Make sure the surgeon you select is specifically trained and experienced in the procedure you’re considering. A great facial surgeon may not be as skilled in body shaping procedures and vice versa. Some surgeons are even more specialized. And, doctors are actually human (humor intended)—Most have procedures which they prefer to do and others that they really don’t like as much.
Tip #6: Discount fees may come with discounted results
Don’t compromise on surgical quality because you find someone who charges less. Discounts on fees may come with discounted results. For foreign procedures (Get your work done in low cost countries, while having a fun filled vacation!!!), we urge greatest levels of caution—what about doctor certification and quality, what about aftercare (2 weeks, 3 month, 12 months, etc.), what about your legal rights in a very foreign country? You may need to explore financing options, consider spreading the surgeries out over time, or simply not have surgery.
You owe it to yourself to know the facts about your local or Los Angeles Board Certified plastic surgeon. Contact an Advisor today! |
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