Chosing who to trust to do your plastic surgery can be a difficult task.  Depending on where you are located, lax regulation may make it possible that your ‘plastic surgeon’ is not a surgeon at all.  Or they may be a surgeon with training in general surgery, or otolaryngology.

Plastic Surgery is one of the most competitive specialties to get into. It usually ranks in the top 3 which means that medical students go through a rigorous process to be selected into these residencies. (This means, in addition to getting superior grades in medical school, that they do research projects, publish a lot, and do a lot of electives in Plastic Surgery.) These medical students then go through a rigorous residency where they learn everything they need to know about Plastic Surgery. Sometimes, they pursue additional training (fellowship) in Plastic Surgery subspecialties. In the end they are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (in Canada). This is the certification that you want to be looking for. It doesn’t guarantee perfection, but it guarantees that a responsible body has assessed this surgeon and determined that he was a safe and knowledgeable Plastic Surgeon.

Beware of ‘fake’ certification. Anyone can create a ‘Society’ and distribute certificates. Family doctors and other surgeons then pay a membership fee to these societies which in return issue a certificate of membership. These can be Am Soc of Laser Surgery, or Am Soc of Liposuction or International Society of Cosmetic Surgery etc…… They sound good, their certificates look impressive, but they only guarantee that the surgeon has paid his membership fee. There is no exam, no certification process involved (no, a two week course in liposuction is not a real training experience).

In conclusion, you want Am Board of Plastic Surgery or Royal College of Physician and Surgeons in Plastic Surgery. If you don’t know… ask another doctor or your family doctor.

 

Martin Jugenburg, MD (http://www.plastica.ca)