According to the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the process of plastic surgery “deals with the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of physical defects of form or function involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, craniomaxillofacial [head, mouth, skull and face] structures, hand, extremities, breast and trunk, external genitalia or cosmetic enhancement of these areas of the body."
No matter what type of plastic surgery a patient wants to undergo, there is a procedure to help achieve the desired goal. Whether a person is looking to have rhinoplasty, breast augmentation or liposuction, it is important to find a plastic surgeon experienced in performing the surgery of choice on a regular basis.
Experience Counts
There are many doctors practicing plastic surgery that simply take a course over a weekend to learn how to perform a procedure such as breast augmentation. After taking the course, they start operating on patients. While many of them have successful results, there are others who encounter problems they are not trained to deal with on a regular basis. This can result in additional surgery to correct the issue, an infection, scarring, disfigurement and even the death of the patient.
It is important to choose a surgeon that is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery to perform the procedure. The ABPS reports there are around 6800 board-certified plastic surgeons currently practicing in the United States. In addition, patients should look at the website of the surgeon in order to determine his, or her, credentials.
How to Receive Certification
To earn a certification from the ABPS, doctors must complete at least six years of surgical training following medical school. They also need a minimum of three years of plastic surgery residency training. Following their training period, surgeons must pass a comprehensive oral and written exam. The surgeon has to supply the board with documentation of cases completed since leaving training as well as proof they are billing patients ethically and how they followed up on cases. Finally, in order to remain board-certified, doctors must take a renewal exam every 10 years.
Ask for Examples
The surgeon should be able to show photos of similar patients that have undergone a procedure with the doctor. They should also be able to show patient results that are similar to the person looking to have the procedure in terms of age and weight and skin tone. When asked, doctors should provide references from previous patients.
Should Patients Travel Overseas
There is a current trend in plastic surgery called “plastic surgery tourism”. This is when patients travel to foreign countries to undergo procedures for less money than it costs in the United States. However, patients often get what they pay for which means they don’t always achieve the desired results. In fact, they often end up with scars or become disfigured because of the level of medical care in some overseas countries. When patients travel abroad, they have no idea what the qualifications are of the doctor and if they have any formal training. There may also be issues with contamination of instruments and lack of access to quality health care at a nearby hospital if something goes wrong.
Ask Questions
When first meeting with a surgeon, patients need to go in with questions relevant to the desired procedure:
It is also important for the doctor to set realistic expectations when it comes to the surgery. Patients that do not know what can realistically be accomplished by the surgery are often disappointed by the final results. Having realistic expectations in mind can make a world of difference in the expected outcome and satisfaction level of the patient.
If the patient is not happy with the answers to the questions above, or the doctor is not willing to answer any of the questions, it is time to find another doctor. There should be a level of transparency with doctors which means they are willing to answer questions and be honest and open when it comes to performing plastic surgery.
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