Understanding the Beauty Surgeon vs. Plastic Surgeon Distinction

Current headlines have painted a grim image of the “Wild Wild West” situation unfolding in cosmetic surgery throughout the nation. Across the nation, studies of unqualified physicians performing high-risk surgical procedures like high-volume liposuction and Brazilian butt lifts run rampant. This unsettling pattern underscores the significance of understanding what “board licensed” really means and methods to confirm a surgeon’s {qualifications}. Listed below are important tricks to vet your surgeon and keep away from botched outcomes and falling prey to deceptive advertising and marketing claims.

Featured Specialists

• Robert Singer, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based mostly in La Jolla, CA
• Raman Mahabir, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based mostly in Tucson, AZ
• Ruth L. Hillelson, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon based mostly in Richmond, VA
• Mokhtar Asaadi, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York

Why the confusion?

When a surgeon lists themselves as “board licensed,” that doesn’t imply they’re licensed by essentially the most official board for accreditation. Merely put, not all “board certifications” are equal, and a few physicians exploit this ambiguity.

“Some docs promote themselves as certified ‘beauty surgeons,’ however many lack enough coaching to carry out aesthetic surgical procedures or possess correct certification,” says La Jolla, CA, plastic surgeon Robert Singer, MD. He provides, “A beauty board shouldn’t be acknowledged as a official board by the American Board of Medical Specialties.”

What does “board-certified” truly imply?

A board is an unbiased group that establishes requirements for evaluating medical specialties. To earn board certification, a health care provider should cross rigorous oral and written exams particular to their specialty.

Which board must you search for?

It’s essential to make sure your surgeon is licensed by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Boards with ‘beauty’ of their identify don’t meet ABMS requirements. Search certifications from the American Board of Plastic Surgical procedure and the American Board of Otolaryngology (Head & Neck Surgical procedure), each acknowledged by ABMS.

What distinguishes a board-certified plastic surgeon from a “beauty surgeon?”

In line with Tucson, AZ plastic surgeon Raman Mahabir, MD, “The American Board of Plastic Surgical procedure has stringent coaching necessities that embody intensive surgical coaching, graded duty, competency milestones, and a rigorous board examination course of.”

“These usually are not weekend programs or programs with people,” provides Richmond, VA plastic surgeon Ruth L. Hillelson, MD. “Plastic surgeons are educated with full emphasis on surgical expertise, decision-making and the event of the aesthetic edge.”

The time period “beauty surgeon” may be deceptive, Dr. Mahabir explains: “Some beauty boards permit people from numerous non-surgical specialties to acquire certifications with out satisfactory coaching,” he says. This consists of physicians with backgrounds in fields like ER drugs or radiology, who could lack the great coaching required for cosmetic surgery.

“I’ve personally corrected surgical procedures carried out by non-plastic surgeons who claimed to be board-certified beauty surgeons,” says Dr. Mahabir. This highlights the significance of thorough analysis and scrutiny in selecting a surgeon.”

Selecting a certified surgeon the primary time

Choosing the proper surgeon from the beginning is crucial, because the dangers, together with demise, are prevalent, and fixing a botched process shouldn’t be as simple as one would hope. “The affected person needs to be educated,” says New York plastic surgeon Mokhtar Asaadi, MD. This sentiment resonates deeply with those that search corrective surgical procedures after preliminary failures, usually choosing cheaper alternate options solely to face extreme issues upon return. Dr. Asaadi’s firsthand experiences in treating sufferers with infections, fluid collections, and facial nerve injury attributable to unqualified docs vividly illustrate the substantial dangers related to compromised requirements and experience in beauty surgical procedure.

He notes the significance of selecting certified surgeons, stating, “You need to go to the correct particular person at first or it could find yourself costing you far more,” he says, underscoring the vital want for thorough analysis and knowledgeable decision-making in beauty procedures to keep away from such harrowing outcomes.

To confirm a health care provider’s board certification of their particular educated specialty, go to certificationmatters.org for dependable data.