Plastic Surgery Articles

Making the decision to have a consultation with a Plastic Surgeon can require a fair amount of time and emotional energy. Once that decision has been made, the patient is immediately faced with another, equally important decision, and that is “Which doctor do I see?” Many factors will influence this decision. It may be a referral from your regular doctor, or a recommendation from a close friend or family member. A doctor’s advertising or reputation may factor into that decision as well. However, the most important influence on a patient’s decision should come from a careful consideration of the doctor’s qualifications and training.

Checking your chosen doctor’s Board Certification status is a great first step in determining his or her qualifications to perform your procedure. You may not realize that a doctor does not have to be board certified in Plastic Surgery to perform Plastic Surgery Procedures: in most states, only a medical license is required. This means that if you don’t ask the right questions, an emergency room physician could be doing your facelift, or an OB/GYN could be doing your tummy tuck. It is not enough to ask your doctor whether or not he or she is board certified, but what he or she is board certified in. For example, a board certified ENT surgeon is qualified to perform your sinus surgery, but not your breast augmentation. A board certified General Surgeon is qualified to take out your colon, but not to perform your liposuction.

Many doctors believe that a taking a weekend course or reading a “How To” article qualifies them to perform a cosmetic procedure; and the only thing stopping them from practicing on you is your willingness to educate yourself about them by asking the right questions. You wouldn’t go to a Plastic Surgeon to treat your blood pressure, so why would you go to an internist for your Botox? The best question to ask then is not “are you board certified?”, but rather “are you board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?”

Board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery ensures that your doctor has completed the following:

• An MD degree from an accredited medical school.
• A minimum of five years of supervised surgical training from an accredited surgical training program, of which two years are devoted entirely to Plastic Surgery training.
• A minimum of two years in Plastic Surgery practice after the completion of training.
• Passage of the written Plastic Surgery board examination.
• Finally, passage of the oral Plastic Surgery board examination, in which the most respected Plastic
  Surgery experts in the country examine young surgeons on the actual procedures they have performed while in professional practice, to ensure that the surgeon is both safe and competent. Up to 30% of Plastic Surgery graduates will never attain this certification.

There are other professional-sounding boards that may include the words “cosmetic”, “plastic”, or “aesthetic” surgery or medicine, but a well-educated patient will not be fooled by these titles. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the governing body of physician certification in the United States only recognizes the American Board of Plastic Surgery in its group of the 24 approved medical specialty boards, and not the sound-alike certifications meant to elevate practitioners with lesser training. Board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery should be at the top of your doctor shopping list, as it ensures that your doctor is the genuine article: superiorly trained, safe, and prepared to give you the best surgical outcome.

Contact Independence plastic surgeon Nicholas Husni today.

Written by: Nicholas Husni MD PhD