Plastic Surgery Articles

Before I moved from Paris, France to Houston, Texas in 1999, I already had my board certification in France. I had extensive training in craniofacial surgery which is a subspecialty in plastic surgery, founded by a French plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Tessier. I had the privilege to train under him during the two last years of his practice. I was four years into my practice when I met my husband in Paris and moved to Houston, where he works as a cardiologist.

It is very hard for physicians to change countries. Many just get a license to practice general medicine and work in an academic institution, or go to private practice and do office procedures. I wanted to be Board Certified as a plastic surgeon in the United States. It is the utmost proof of excellence in training and dedication for a plastic surgeon. Many reputable hospitals only grant privileges to board certified plastic surgeons. If you are a plastic surgeon from the U.S. or another country but not board certified, you can only work in your office or a small surgery center. I did not want to be bound to this limitation because my patients’ safety comes first.

However, the road is long and after my previous eight years of training after medical school in France, it took a lot of dedication, sacrifice and support from my family to allow me to take this road. I repeated the entire curriculum of residency in plastic surgery which again included basic training in general surgery. After another eight years of hard work, long call hours and obstacles I completed my training, then passed the written and oral examinations. Now I am a proud Board Certified plastic surgeon and my American Board of Plastic Surgery certificate is on the wall in my office next to my French one.

This is the proof that I have achieved excellence in plastic surgery in the United States. It demonstrates my dedication to a specialty that I love and have enjoyed practicing for the past twenty years. The irony is that many procedures that we perform in the United States were actually developed in France. Liposuction, certain face lift techniques and craniofacial surgery were all performed in France long before they were popularized in the U.S.

Although the board certification process is extremely challenging, it was all worth it. A plastic surgeon does not only need to have a tremendous amount of up to date knowledge, but also be able to show good judgment in using that knowledge for a particular patient. Only those who are up to the standards will pass. Because the bar was so high, I feel I have become a better surgeon.

Contact Houston plastic surgeon Azita Madjidi, MD today to set up a consultation.

Written by: Azita Madjidi M.D.