Your Plastic Surgeon Selection: What to Look For
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Let’s face it: When it comes to medical care, you want to be in the very best hands, right? No doubt you put some effort into finding your primary care physician and any specialists you may see because you want the finest health care available. |
For your convenience, 1800BeYourBest has done a lot of the groundwork for you and offers a network of the best plastic surgeons in your area. Get the ball rolling today by scheduling a plastic surgery consultation with one of the board-certified surgeons listed on our directory.
Checklist of What to Look for in a Plastic Surgeon
Board Certified: What it Means, Why It’s Important
Your Plastic Surgery Consultation: What You Need to Ask
Some Things to Consider When Choosing a Plastic Surgeon
Qualifications: Professional credentials are important. In the medical profession, that means looking for the words "board certified" alongside a doctor’s name.
Board certification goes beyond doctors having a medical license issued by the state where they practice. It means they have undergone additional years of training, compiled years of experience in a medical specialty, and successfully completed rigorous written and oral exams conducted by a medical specialty board like the American Board of Plastic Surgery. These diplomats (the word that denotes a board-certified physician or surgeon) are expected to continue their studies in their chosen specialty and to reapply and retest for certification on a regular basis.
Some board-certified surgeons and physicians have a subspecialty in cosmetic plastic surgery. Among the medical specialties you may encounter in your search for a plastic surgeon are otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat), ophthalmology (eye) and dermatology (skin).
Experience: In other words, how long and how often has the plastic surgeon performed the procedure you are considering? As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect!", so the surgeon you choose should perform your procedure often enough to keep his or her skills as sharp as a scalpel. Find out if the surgeon specializes in the area of plastic surgery you are researching. He or she may be a terrific breast surgeon but not the doctor for you if you’re interested in a facelift. Asking the surgeon about any new techniques for your procedure will give you an idea if he or she is "up" on the latest developments in the field of plastic surgery.
Aesthetics: For optimal results, you and your surgeon must share a vision of what will look good on you. Check out a surgeon’s before-and-after pictures during your office consultation. Feel free to bring along pictures that show how you’d like to look, and then listen to the surgeon’s reaction. He or she should be open and honest with you and discuss what outcome is realistic and aesthetically pleasing in your individual case.
Facilities: One of your first impressions will be of the plastic surgeon’s office and staff. Is the space clean and inviting? Are you comfortable enough to come back for subsequent appointments? Is the staff professional, friendly and helpful, and do they treat you with respect? Do you think you could rely on them? Where will the procedure be performed – in the office, a freestanding surgical clinic, or hospital? Is that facility accredited, and does it have the necessary monitoring and emergency equipment? If the surgery is to be performed in a non-hospital setting, does the surgeon have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital in case there’s an emergency?
The Trust Factor: After you’ve met with a surgeon, decide if you could trust him or her with your life, not just your looks. You should feel at ease with your surgeon and able to build a rapport with him or her. Ask questions, discuss the risks of your procedure, and get to know each other. Trust your instinct. If you feel pressured or uncomfortable with one surgeon, expand your search to others. If that’s the case, your 1800BeYourBest client services consultant set up more consultations to find the best plastic surgeon for you.
Board Certified: What it Means, Why It’s Important
The words "board certified" in the medical profession mean that a physician has expertise in a particular specialty or subspecialty of medical practice as determined by its governing board. These medical specialty boards exist for many different specialties, including plastic surgery.
A medical specialty board should not be confused with a state medical board. The latter is a governmental board that sets the minimum standard to practice in a particular state, licenses physicians, and disciplines them, if necessary. A medical license is required to practice within a state while attaining a medical specialty certification is a voluntary process.
The first step towards board certification for a physician or surgeon is attaining a valid medical degree and a state license to practice medicine. The surgeon must then complete a residency, practice in that specialty, and pass extensive written and oral exams – a process that adds many additional years to their training. For example, the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) requires a surgeon to complete 3 years of general surgery, a 2 to 3 year residency in plastic surgery, and at least 2 years of professional practice, plus the exams, to be board certified. Recertification is required at regular intervals, so surgeons must prove that they have taken courses called Continuing Medical Education (CME) to stay current in their field. You can check to see if your surgeon is board certified by the ABPS on its website, www.abplsurg.org.
Additionally, some plastic surgeons also achieve board certification in other specialties through the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and its 24 member boards, which include ABPS. For example, it’s not unusual for a cosmetic surgeon who specializes in the head and neck to be board certified in otolaryngology (medicine of the ears, nose, and throat), dermatology (medicine of the skin), or ophthalmology (eye diseases and surgery). Multiple board certifications are a plus when it comes to selecting a qualified plastic surgeons. To see whether or not your surgeon is board certified, log on to www.abms.org.
Professional organizations such as the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) are options that are separate from board certification. They follow strict requirements for membership, which is voluntary, so their members can be considered among the best plastic surgeons in the field of cosmetic surgery.
It’s important to look for plastic surgeons who are board certified because it means they have additional education and training in the field, and that they have met or exceeded the high standards required for certification. All of the doctors within the 1800BeYourBest independent network are board certified.
Your Plastic Surgery Consultation: What You Need to Ask
A consultation with a plastic surgeon can take you one step closer to your vision of a better you, so it’s an important milestone in many ways. You’ll meet the doctor, discuss your expectations for the surgery, go over your medical history, and ask questions – a lot of questions! Look at your doctor consultation as an intelligence-gathering mission. You need to find out if cosmetic plastic surgery and the surgeon are right for you. For a successful outcome you need to establish a rapport with a plastic surgeon, and the consultation is the first step in that process. Make the most of it by being honest about your expectations, your reasons for wanting plastic surgery, and your general health. 1800BeYourBest client services consultants can help walk you through your consultation with one of our board-certified surgeons at no charge to you. We have also provided a list of helpful questions to ask a plastic surgeon that you can take with you to the consultation.
Questions to Ask a Plastic Surgeon
- Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
- Are you certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties in any other specialty?
- Were you specifically trained in plastic surgery?
- If yes, for how many years?
- How long have you been practicing as a plastic surgeon?
- How many [insert your procedure here] have you performed? How often do you perform it?
- Am I a good candidate for this surgery?
- Are my expectations realistic?
- What are the risks and complications of this particular procedure?
If the procedure you want involves an implant:
- What type of implant would you use on me, and why?
- Do you have a sample of the implant to show me?
If you are considering breast implants:
- Do you recommend saline or silicone implants?
- What cup size do you recommend for my body frame?
- What shape breast implant do you recommend and why?
- What implant placement do you recommend and why?
- Can you describe the actual procedure? If there’s more than one surgical technique, which do you recommend for me?
- Do you have a video of this procedure that I can watch?
- May I speak with any of your patients who have had this particular procedure?
- What kind of anesthesia will be used, and who will administer it?
- How many days do you recommend I take off from work, school, or my regular activities to heal properly?
- What kind of help will I need during my recovery?
- Will there be much pain, bruising, or swelling?
- Will there be scars? If so, where?
- When will I be able to exercise or participate in sports?
- If there is a complication after the procedure and I need further treatment, is it covered by the original fee?
- If I change my mind or cannot go through with the surgery as scheduled, will my money be refunded?
- If any problems come up after the surgery, will you be the attending physician?
- If my results are not what I wanted or if there is a complication, what are my options?
- What is your revision rate for this surgery?
- Are you covered by malpractice insurance?
- Where will the surgery take place? If in the office or at an onsite surgery center, is it accredited by a nationally- or state-recognized agency? Is it state licensed? May I see it?
- Do you have hospital privileges? Where? If not, why not?
- What is the total cost for this procedure?
- What is not covered by your fee? (Lab work, postoperative visits, medications, compression garments?)
1800BeYourBest is dedicated to helping consumers find the most qualified plastic surgeons in their area. Boasting a massive directory of top cosmetic surgeons across the United States, 1800BeYourBest can help users find exceptionally skilled and highly experienced cosmetic surgeons from some of the most populous cities in North America, including New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and Chicago plastic surgery specialists. These surgeons have many years of experience helping breast augmentation Chicago, NYC, LA and other cosmetic surgery patients achieve their ideal aesthetic results.