What should you look for in a plastic surgeon?

A disturbing trend in plastic surgery is for large, national chains to set up cosmetic surgery franchises. They hire doctors who may or may not be board certified to perform their procedures. At St. Louis Cosmetic Surgery, we’ve been performing cosmetic surgery longer than anyone in St. Louis, and it is our surgeons actually own and run the practice–not some national chain. This practice of setting up franchise cosmetic surgery practices often confuses patients, who are looking for the right doctor for their life-changing procedure.stl

To find the doctor that is most qualified, the first thing you need to look for is board certification by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). ABPS is one of the 24 specialty boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Many doctors that perform cosmetic procedures label themselves as “board certified,” but you need to dig deeper to see what, exactly, their certification is in. Unfortunately there are physicians that are performing procedures that they are not well trained to do.  For example, a doctor may be may be board certified in Internal Medicine, but not Plastic Surgery. When you’re looking for breast augmentation in St. Louis, you want a doctor certified in Plastic Surgery. You can search here to see if the surgeon you are considering meets that standard:

https://www.abplsurg.org/ModDefault.aspx?section=SurgeonSearch

The patient-doctor relationship is also an important factor to look at when making a choice. You need to feel comfortable with the surgeon you choose, and that means meeting the surgeon at the consultation and feeling at ease. After all, this person is altering your appearance; there should be a certain level of trust before a procedure is scheduled. Make sure that you have plenty of access to your surgeon. If you ever feel rushed, or that you’re more of a “number,” then it may be time to look for someone else.

The decision to have plastic surgery is a big one. The temptation to choose a surgeon strictly on price, or catchy jingles may be there, but just remember: this is your body. Treat it well, and find a respected, ethical surgeon to take care of it.