Online Tools

The Internet has a wealth of information available to those who want information on potential plastic surgeons. In fact, many state boards list the credentials and licensure information for doctors on the web. With the correct Internet address, you can find out which plastic surgeon is right for you. Some of the more popular places to look on the Internet are:

American Board of Plastic Surgery - http://www.abplsurg.org
American Board of Medical Specialties - http://www.abms.org
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery - http://www.surgery.org/public/find_a_surgeon

All of the above websites list accredited surgeons and information and contact information.

Word of Mouth

Oftentimes the some of the best and worst information we get is from friends and family. The saying that “word travels fast” couldn’t be more true when dealing with a person’s health care experience. Plastic surgery is becoming more and more popular as people choose it as an option to obtaining their ideal body image or reconstruction. Friends and family are usually more than willing to share their experiences with doctors, hospitals and surgeons. Be sure to ask them questions regarding the care they received and not just what type of surgery they had done. Beware though that people’s opinions vary from one to another. Your best friend may rave about her surgeon but your mother in law may have a more less than stellar rating of the same surgeon. Take all information in and consider each person’s opinions carefully. If nothing else, you may get a good list of surgeons to further investigate.

Many times, you can receive valuable information on potential surgeons from your family doctor, hospital or a nurse. These resources have an inside track on working closely with many of the surgeons that have privileges with the hospitals.

The Next Step

Once you have some surgeons in mind you need to fully check out their credentials. To do this you should be very specific in what you want to know. For instance, you should look into the kinds of training and the extent of his or her training. Investigate their schooling, residency and even the years of experience.

You can also request to see before and after plastic surgery photos of that surgeon’s operations. A flag for a surgeon with credentials that are not legitimate is one who may have certifications or completed their residency in a specialty other than cosmetic plastic surgery or reconstructive surgery. You would also flag any surgeon you come across who does not have hospital privileges for your desired cosmetic plastic surgery. Additionally, you can question by calling other board-certified members and a face-to-face interview with potential surgeons will also answer some of your questions regarding plastic surgery credentials. Armed with these valuable tips, you can make informed choices before selecting a surgeon to provide you with your plastic surgery needs.