In many ways, an initial consultation is as much a chance for prospective cosmetic surgery patients to interview the cosmetic surgeon as it is for the surgeon to formulate a treatment plan that is best suited to the patient. Patients should have many questions to ask when deciding on the surgeon they wish to perform their procedure. Some of these questions may include possible cost of the procedure, years in practice, and referrals and reviews from other patients. However, there is another question that prospective patients should ask their surgeon during the initial consultation: Is the surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons (ABPS)?
What Does ABPS Certification Mean?
Any doctor who is a specialist (in other words, not just a general physician) can choose to be board-certified by the appropriate branch of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), to show that they are qualified in that particular medial specialty. Board certification is completely voluntary.
There are 24 specialty boards under the umbrella of the ABMS. In the case of cosmetic surgeons, the ABPS is the governing body that evaluates their skills for certification. It is the only one of the cosmetic surgery specialty boards that certifies the full spectrum of cosmetic surgical procedures, which includes plastic and reconstructive surgery of the head, neck, body, and extremities.
A cosmetic surgeon who is currently ABPS certified has shown that he or she has met all educational requirements stipulated by the ABPS to prove he or she has acquired sufficient knowledge to practice cosmetic surgery.
What Is Involved in the ABPS Certification Process?
Although requirements may vary between specialties, they all have some basic requirements in common. For the ABMS, the requirements are:
- Successful completion of education leading to an M.D. or D.O. degree from an appropriately certified medical school in either the United States or Canada.
- Successful completion of a specialty residency program (for the ABPS, this is five years of general surgery residency, at least two of which are spent focusing on just cosmetic surgery)
- No restrictions on medical license
- Successfully pass an oral and written examination by the specialty board
In 1995, the ABPS instituted a time limit on certifications. Board-certified cosmetic physicians must now re-take the examination every 10 years in order to stay current with the state of medicine within their specialty. This is known as the Maintenance of Certification (MOS) requirements.
How Can Patients Find Out if Their Cosmetic Surgeon is ABPS Certified?
There is a searchable database on the ABPS website that will allow patients to check either by physician's last name or location. There is also a link to an overview of the MOS requirements for the ABPS.
What Does it Mean if a Cosmetic Surgeon Is Not ABPS-certified?
There may be several reasons for a cosmetic surgeon to not have ABPS certification. Because there is some overlap between cosmetic surgery and other specialties, the surgeon may be certified in a different specialty, such as otolaryngology, which covers cosmetic surgical procedures to just the head and neck. The surgeon may have completed their medical school and residency somewhere other than the United States or Canada.
Because ABPS certification is strictly voluntary, it should not be considered a definitive stamp of approval for the cosmetic surgeon. It should be considered alongside the surgeon's years in practice, skills at performing the particular surgery the patient wants, and recommendations from other patients.
Dr. Paul Pin is an ABPS-certified plastic surgeon. Contact Dr. Pin to schedule a consultation.