Before allowing any plastic surgeons to perform a plastic surgery procedure on you, it is normal for you to check out their credentials and board certification prior to the consultation. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) announced today a new public safety campaign as a result of a series of reports on plastic surgery performed by non-board-certified plastic surgeons.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) recently launched a media campaign highlighting the dangers of “White Coat Deception” term used by the plastic surgery industry leaders, that if a doctor wears a white coat he/she can perform a plastic and cosmetic surgery without board certification—and it’s legal in some areas in the states! by law, in the USA any doctor who has a medical license to practice in the field of medicine can legally perform plastic surgery. They do not have to be board certified in plastic surgery.
Necessary Credentials for Your Plastic Surgeon
1. The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)
One of the 24 medical specialty boards that make up the larger and more comprehensive American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). These boards work together to ensure that doctors comply with specific education, training, and professional requirements. They are held accountable for maintaining the standards that physicians are required to meet in order to maintain their board certification. They also support in creating training programs that assist doctors in their field and improve their practice to help patients identify which doctors are certified. Furthermore, they work with healthcare leaders to monitor and promote the quality of healthcare while increasing awareness of the importance of board certification.
2. American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
In addition to being an ABPS board-certified, look for plastic surgeons who are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Considered as the leading authority on cosmetic plastic surgery and represents 93% of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the U.S. Their mission is to “promote safe, ethical, effective plastic surgery to the public by maintaining high standards for the education, examination, and continuous certification of plastic surgeons as specialists and sub-specialists.” ASPS and its members consider patient safety a top priority. They do this by providing education, advocacy, practical support, and enhanced public awareness of the value of plastic surgery. Furthermore, they demand the highest professional, ethical, and quality standards, ASPS requires that surgery is only performed in accredited, state-licensed or Medicare-certified surgical facilities.
3. American College of Surgeons (ACS)
If you’re able to locate a surgeon with the letters FACS after his or her name, it means that he or she is a member, a.k.a. “Fellow”, of the American College of Surgeons. In order to become a Fellow, a surgeon must pass a thorough evaluation that measures his or her education and training, surgical competence, ethical conduct, and professional qualifications. Only surgeons who meet the exacting standards established and demanded by the College are accepted as members. Therefore, the FACS designation is the sign of an esteemed plastic surgeon.
A question to ask your doctor in addition to board certification
The hospital grants privileges to practice medicine only in the field you’re board-certified in. It means that if your physician is still a general practitioner, not a plastic surgeon when you get admitted to a hospital for a complication associated with a previously-performed plastic surgery procedure, that general practitioner will not be allowed to treat you once admitted. This creates a strange setup dynamic in which your doctor can no longer be your doctor because the hospital does not recognize their certification.
Does Your Plastic Surgeon Have the Right Stuff?
Making the decision to undergo a plastic surgery procedure is not one you took lightly, because choosing the right surgeon is important to protect your safety and more like getting the results you want. Demanding the highest credentials for your plastic surgeon to ensure that you’re getting only the best healthcare.