Finding a Good Plastic Surgeon

Finding a good plastic surgeon is the best way to avoid or at least lower the risk of complications, deformity, and other aesthetic problems after surgery.  However, some patients are still choosing cheap procedures without even considering the risks they would face.

Meanwhile, these are some of the basic tips that would help patients choose a good plastic surgeon.

1.     Board certification is the most important thing.

Patients should take note that 48 states allow any doctor to practice plastic surgery.  And with the growing demand for cosmetic procedures, it is not surprising that even non-specialists are tempted to offer “services” they are not trained to do so.

However, common sense tells that a foot doctor is not someone who can effectively perform breast augmentation.

While there are many board certification bodies, the most prestigious and reliable is the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  In fact, members of this organization are the cream of the crop because they are required to pass a rigorous oral and written examination, continue their study, and take the test every 10 years.

2.     Check a surgeon’s record.

State’s medical board records any disciplinary action against a plastic surgeon.  Such information can be easily access through online, although some states require a person to make a letter of request beforehand.

People should pay close attention to any records of disciplinary action and settlements made by a plastic surgeon.  Also, they should make sure that their doctors are licensed to practice medicine within the state.

3.     Make sure the surgeon has hospital privileges.

Hospitals conduct background checks and any doctor who has no hospital privilege may not be the best one to perform plastic surgery which requires a high level of surgical skills and trainings.

Even if a cosmetic surgery is performed in an accredited surgical center, patients should still ask their surgeons if they have hospital privileges.

4.     The surgeon does not make far-fetched promises.

Any surgery comes with its own set of risks, in addition to the fact that it has limits.  For instance, rhinoplasty cannot recreate the nose of a patient’s celebrity idol because the changes are greatly affected by the underlying tissue, bone, and skin.

A good plastic surgeon is honest and does not make far-fetched promises to his patients.

5.     A good plastic surgeon will reject a bad candidate.

While money is a motivation for many people, a good plastic surgeon will decline to perform surgery to a patient who is a bad candidate.  This is because he believes that the safety of a person and his reputation as a doctor are far more important than money.