We're extending a special offer this holiday season to help you bring your personal vision of beauty to life. Get faster results on your New Year's resolution with the benefits of cosmetic surgery, and we'll help you accomplish it with 25% off* if you schedule your consultation by January 31st.
We Provide:
- Local network of surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
- Free consultation**
- Over 30,000 satisfied clients
Complete the form to the right to request more information on this 25% incentive offer and to learn how to receive your FREE** consultation today.
*To qualify for the 25% offer, call by 1/31/09 to schedule your consultation. This offer is being extended to individuals not receiving financing through our network. Call for more details. Offer subject to change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offer.
**Your consultation will be free of charge if you attend. If you do not call to reschedule or cancel the consultation 72 hours in advance, or if you are unable to attend, you will waive your right to a refund of the $199.00 initial down payment.
Doctor Near You!
Find a Board Certified Surgeon in Your Area
- What to Look for When Choosing a Surgeon
- Questions To Ask Your Surgeon at Your Plastic Surgery Consultation
- What Does "board certified" Mean?
What to Look for When Choosing a Surgeon
The most important factor in the success of your cosmetic surgery is your choice of surgeon. Finding the surgeon who is right for you is not just a matter of finding someone with the most experience and best qualifications, it is also a matter of finding someone who will work well with you and listen to your concerns. DoctorsSayYes' network of plastic surgeons is prescreened to help you eliminate the guess work. We ensure that all of the doctors in our network are board-certified and have the necessary experience and qualifications. If you are not comfortable with the rapport established during the consultation with your first surgeon, DoctorsSayYes will arrange further consultations until you are completely happy.
Board Certification
Let's deal with qualifications first. You should check on the credentials of any doctor that you are considering for your surgery. The surgeon should be board certified, which means that he or she has been studying and performing plastic surgery for several years and has passed rigorous written and oral tests that are conducted by a medical specialty board. Certification is not a one-time thing. Medical specialty boards require that their diplomates (the physicians and surgeons who are board certified are called diplomates) to reapply and be re-tested every few years. They must also show that they have continued in their study of their field since they were last certified.
What does "board certified" mean?
To give an example of what a medical specialty board requires, here are the requirements of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. To be certified by this board, a surgeon must show he or she:
- has earned a degree from an accredited medical school
- has completed 3 years of general surgery
- has completed 2 to 3 years of supervised residency in plastic surgery
- has had at least 2 years of professional practice
- has passed rigorous written and oral exams
When you think of plastic surgery, "board certification" usually means certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. However, the American Board of Otolaryngology (medicine of the ear, nose, and throat) also certifies surgeons in plastic surgery of the head and neck. Other medical specialties that deal in areas of cosmetic medicine include dermatology and ophthalmology (medicine of the eye).
Don't confuse a medical specialty board with a state medical board or board of medical examiners. Each state has a medical board (or a board with a similar name) that regulates who can have a license to practice medicine and disciplines bad doctors. A medical license from a state board is a minimum standard, and does not signify quality.
You can verify a surgeon's board certifications by going to the website of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
Many surgeons will list the organizations to which they belong, or you may see signs or plaques on the wall listing their memberships. Memberships in organizations such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery are good signs, since these organizations have rigorous entrance requirements.
Not every plastic surgeon does every type of plastic surgery. Although there are some fine surgeons who do a little of several types of cosmetic surgery, some specialize in breast procedures while others may limit themselves to surgery of the face. So the surgeon who did a great face lift on your friend may not be the best surgeon for your liposuction.
Trust DoctorsSayYes to find the best board-certified surgeon, specializing in the procedure of your interest in a city near you.
Questions To Ask Your Surgeon at Your Plastic Surgery Consultation
Your first meeting with a plastic surgeon is called the consultation. This is your opportunity to ask questions, tell the surgeon what you want done and why, and go over your medical history.
You should consider the consultation as a chance to interview the surgeon. Ask about credentials, experience, and especially about experience in performing the surgery you want. Ask about their education, where they did their residency, and whether they are board certified. If they are board certified, ask what boards they are certified by. Ask the surgeon how often he or she performs the procedure you are interested in. A surgeon should perform a given type of surgery frequently so that he or she does not lose expertise.
You should ask to see before-and-after photos of the surgeon's work. Make sure these photos are patients on whom your surgeon has operated and not just generic examples of the surgery. You can also ask to speak with other people who have had your surgery with that surgeon.
The consultation is the time for the surgeon to ask you questions, too. He or she will ask questions about your medical history and family medical history, about your lifestyle, and about why you want cosmetic surgery. The surgeon will be trying to make sure that you have realistic expectations of what plastic surgery can do for you, such as improving your looks or boosting your self-esteem.
The surgeon will explain the procedure to you and perhaps give you some brochures to read as well. In some cases, he or she may suggest an additional procedure that may help you achieve your goals, but you should not feel as if you are pressured into having extra surgery.
The surgeon will also go over all the risks of cosmetic surgery, and should do it in detail. There is no risk-free surgery and there probably never will be. You must be aware of the risks involved.
What to Bring to Your Plastic Surgery Consultation
What should you bring to your consultation? Because you will be going over your medical history, it is a good idea to think about it in advance and make a list of any surgeries you had or serious illnesses, and when you had them. You will also be asked about the health of your parents and siblings, or if they are deceased, what they died of, so you might want to collect that information, too.
Bring a list of any medications you take and the dosages. This list should included vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements (with dosages), and any nonprescription medications you take regularly.
You can also bring photos as suggestions. Photos can help to show the surgeon how you want to look—or how you don't want to look, for that matter.
Get a feel for how the surgeon treats you. Did he answer all your questions? Did you feel like you were being rushed after only a short time? A consultation is not an all-day affair, but you shouldn't feel like you are being shown the door after 15 minutes either. Did you feel that you were being treated with respect?
While you are at the surgeon's office, ask to check out the surgical suite if your surgery will be done in the office. Take a look around the office, too. Read the diplomas and certificates on the wall. See if the staff treats you politely. All of these factors will go into your decision on whether this surgeon is the right doctor for you.
What Does "Board Certified" Mean?
A board-certified surgeon or physician is a medical professional who has been evaluated and certified by the governing board of a medical specialty. This certification means that he or she has the training and education required to evaluate and treat diseases and conditions or perform medical procedures within that specialty. There are medical specialty boards for surgery, pediatrics, etc., and there is a medical specialty board for plastic surgery.
To earn board certification, a physician or surgeon must have a valid medical degree and license to practice medicine in his or her state. He or she must then go through years of residency and practice in their specialty. He or she then must apply to the medical specialty board and pass rigorous oral and written tests.
Requirements to become "board certified":
Different specialty boards have slightly different requirements. For example, to be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a surgeon:
- must have earned a degree from an accredited medical school
- must have completed 3 years of general surgery
- must have completed 2 to 3 years of supervised residency in plastic surgery
- must have had at least 2 years of professional practice
- must have passed rigorous written and oral exams
What does "board certified" mean in plastic surgery field?
Because plastic surgery is a popular field, many physicians and surgeons have moved into it from other areas of medicine. They may be board certified in some other specialty. If a doctor says that he or she is board certified, you should ask what board did the certification. A board-certified psychiatrist might not be the best choice for performing your breast augmentation. However, plastic surgery of the head and neck is also a subspecialty in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat medicine). Cosmetic medicine and surgery is also done within dermatology and ophthalmology (eye diseases and surgery). In addition, many surgeons who regularly perform cosmetic surgery are certified by the American Board of Surgery, which oversees general surgery.
Some surgeons may be certified by more than one medical specialty board, which is a good sign.
A medical specialty board is different from a state medical board (called a board of medical examiners or by other names in some states). State medical boards are in charge of the licensing, and if necessary, the disciplining of physicians in that state. They set a minimum standard to practice medicine in a state.
When you walk into a physician's office, take a good long look at the diplomas and certificates on the wall. Ask questions about the doctor's background and experience performing the procedure you want. Ask how often he or she performs the procedure you want. You are more likely to be satisfied with the outcome if you are dealing with an experienced and board-certified plastic surgeon.
 |
Calculator
to see how affordable
cosmetic surgery
can be!
surgery is for you
Important Factors to
Consider.
- Liposuction
- Breast
- Tummy Tuck
- Facial Plastic Surgery
- Male Plastic Surgery
- Rhinoplasty
