This past spring I completed my recertification process by taking an examination held by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  I am happy to report that I passed that exam and completed all requirements to become recertified for another 10 years!  Please review my letter of recertification and test result letter.

This brings me to a very important issue that is becoming more relevant these days.  Cosmetic plastic surgery is being marketed, advertised and performed more now than ever before, and an ever larger percentage of those surgeons are unqualified, incompetent, and not certified by the American Board of PlasticSurgery.  Dropping incomes of other physicians and a general drop in the economy has lured unqualified doctors to start performing cosmetic procedures in an attempt to boost income.  These physicians are not properly trained for the procedures they are performing and some are not even surgeons.  To make matters worse, certain groups are lobbying state governments to legally expand their scope of practice to include cosmetic surgery.  An example of this is the passage of a law by the State of California that allows dentists to perform facial cosmetic surgery.  It is not a coincidence that media is reporting on more and more disasters occurring to unwitting people having cosmetic plastic surgery by cheap, unqualified surgeons.

The public can protect itself by performing due diligence before deciding on a surgeon and having plastic surgery.  Prospective patients should go on multiple consultations with surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery.  Prescreening should include ensuring proper Board certification and checking for complaints to their respective state medical boards.  View their websites and their before and after photographs to get a feel for the surgeon.  Websites that don’t clearly show the surgeon’s name on the front page are usually multispecialty centers, and usually have young, inexperienced, or non-certified doctors.  Prominent displays of pricing on the website are also suspect.  Most of the prominent or newsworthy plastic surgery disasters occurred to people who chose an inexpensive surgeon.  Remember, this is not like buying a name brand product that is identical in all the different stores that sell that product; in that situation price shopping is appropriate.  Having safe and high quality plastic surgery by an experienced and skilled surgeon is not inexpensive, and choosing a doctor because he is one third to one half the price compared to the other surgeons is not recommended.

Having a safe and comfortable experience in plastic surgery and getting a satisfying result is obtainable by taking the time to do your homework and not being lured by cheap prices.  Your doctor should be certified by the appropriate Board, be in good standing with the State medical board, have an excellent reputation in the surgery you are interested in, have a lot of photographs, and perform the surgery in a AAA, AAAA, or Medicare accredited ambulatory surgery facility.