What You Need to Know Before You Choose a Plastic Surgeon
What You Need to Know Before You Choose a Plastic Surgeon
Deciding to have plastic surgery can be a difficult decision. Many people who have cosmetic surgery have excellent outcomes and are thrilled with the results. They benefit from improved self-esteem and confidence. Their renewed confidence may lead to improved prospects at work or perhaps a new relationship. Others may feel that the result was less than they expected. Often, the difference between these two scenarios is choosing the right plastic surgeon.
The popularity of plastic surgery has increased dramatically in recent years and large numbers of doctors have entered the field to try and meet the demand. Any licensed physician can call him or herself a plastic or cosmetic surgeon; accordingly it is critical that you know what qualifications to look for.
A good place to begin your search for a plastic surgeon is referrals from your family doctor or from friends, colleagues or relatives that have been happy with the results of their surgery. Hospital staff such as nurses, surgeons and anesthesia specialists are also excellent sources of referrals. You may also want to do some research on the Internet or in the Yellow Pages. Once you have in mind some likely candidates, there are some further steps that you need to take. You want the surgeon performing your procedure to be not just a specialist but a super-specialist. The more a surgeon performs a particular surgery, the more his or her skills are refined. You want a surgeon who has been performing your procedure on a weekly or greater basis for a period of several years. Such a surgeon is likely to have formed a team that is extremely well practiced in their specific skills.
The next step is to call the office of each of your surgeon candidates and ask what is the top 5 procedures performed by the surgeon. If your procedure is not among the top 5, cross this doctor off your list.
The next step is to:
Check with your State Medical Board, this is a place where critical information on your prospective surgeon can be found. For example, the Medical Board of California,www.medbd.ca.gov, provides extensive information such as:
If a physician has been disciplined or formally accused of wrongdoing by the Board
If a physician's practice has been temporarily restricted or suspended pursuant to a court order
The next step is to check the qualifications of your surgeon. One of the most common phrases you will see in plastic surgery is "board certified". This statement alone means very little. There are many medical boards and in a wide variety of specialties. Some of these boards have been formed by doctors just so they can say they are "board certified" without having to meet the qualifications required by the most established and reputable boards. You need to know precisely what board has certified your plastic surgeon.
One of the most important qualifications you should look for in a plastic surgeon is that they be board certified with The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). ABPS certification ensures that the surgeon has graduated from an accredited medical school and has undergone a program of extremely rigorous training.
The other key Plastic Surgery associations to look for are:
Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons (FACS)
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Membership in any of these organizations ensures that you're surgeon has passed though a rigorous certification process and has undergone very extensive education and training.
This article has provided only a brief review of how to choose a plastic surgeon. If you are having plastic surgery you should research this subject in greater depth. Please visit my website at www.irvineplasticsurgeonsite.net to receive my free 14 page report on how to choose a plastic surgeon. It provides additional insider tips on how to choose a plastic surgeon and also reveals little known methods to reduce the cost of your surgery. It covers many other critical topics such as how to handle the consultation and the emotional/psychological issues you need to be aware of.
Good luck for a fantastic outcome for your plastic surgery.
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