How to Determine if Your Doctor Is Qualified to Do Plastic Surgery

In deciding to have cosmetic surgery, make sure your doctor is qualified to perform the procedure you want. Choose a board-certified plastic surgeon, and remember, if your doctor seems more interested in making money than he does in caring for you, seek a second opinion.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Books - Plastic Surgery

1. Talk to friends and co-workers who've had the same procedure you're considering. Learn what they liked or disliked about their surgeons.
2. Ask your family doctor which surgeon he would recommend to a family member.
3. Question nurses, especially operating room nurses who work with plastic surgeons everyday.
4. Call the hospitals in your area. Obtain a list of board-certified plastic surgeons who have hospital privileges to perform the particular procedure you're interested in having.
5. Phone the Plastic Surgery Information Service at [phone], and leave your name, address and the procedure you're interested in. They will send you the names of five plastic surgeons in your area who perform that procedure.
6. Understand that if a plastic surgeon is recommended by the above service, he or she will be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and is a member of the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the U.S.
7. Choose a plastic surgeon who's certified by ABPS, indicating that the doctor has completed at least five years of additional training as a resident surgeon, with a minimum two-year residency in plastic surgery, and has passed a comprehensive written and oral exam.
8. Go online and surf plastic surgeons' Web sites. See what different doctors offer, and what types of procedures they perform.
9. Pick out what you like, and don't like. When you meet with your plastic surgeon, discuss some of the pros and cons you have discovered online.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind, there are weekend courses in plastic surgery available to almost any doctor, so choose your surgeon carefully. Most, but not all, doctors are ethical.