The Smart Guide To Choosing A Plastic Surgeon

For anyone considering cosmetic surgery, it can be an exciting but also intimidating time. How do you choose a surgeon that will meet all your expectations?

There are several key factors to consider when choosing a surgeon. This article will detail what to look for specifically. Having a good plastic surgeon can make all the difference

The show centers on surgery-gone-wrong. Some of the botched jobs can be nightmarish. There are uniboobs from out-of-proportion implants, and many individuals who have had too many bad procedures (even individuals who have tried to make themselves into living-dolls).

Through the show, it’s up to the surgeon to fix these botched jobs and give these individuals quality work that will save their appearance. The end results are always rewarding to watch, but honestly, no one wants to be featured on Botched. Everyone wants their first-time surgery to go smoothly and result in a beautiful improvement.

Make sure the surgeon is board-certified

For plastic surgery, you want a doctor who’s certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. It’s simple: The American Board of Medical Specialties’ website will tell you if a doctor is board-certified in plastic surgery.

Plastic Surgery

When you hear of plastic surgery, what do you think of? A Hollywood star trying to delay the effects of aging? People who want to change the size of their stomachs, breasts, or other body parts because they see it done so easily on TV?

Those are common images of plastic surgery, but what about the 4-year-old boy who has his chin rebuilt after a dog bit him? Or the young woman who has the birthmark on her forehead lightened with a laser?

What Is Plastic Surgery?

Just because the name includes the word “plastic” doesn’t mean patients who have this surgery end up with a face full of fake stuff. The name isn’t taken from the synthetic substance but from the Greek word plastikos, which means to form or mold (and which gives the material plastic its name as well).

Plastic surgery is a special type of surgery that can change a person’s appearance and ability to function.

Reconstructive procedures correct defects on the face or body. These include physical birth defects like cleft lips and palates and ear deformities, traumatic injuries like those from dog bites or burns, or the aftermath of disease treatments like rebuilding a woman’s breast after surgery for breast cancer.

Cosmetic (also called aesthetic) procedures alter a part of the body that the person is not satisfied with. Common cosmetic procedures include making the breasts larger (augmentation mammoplasty) or smaller (reduction mammoplasty), reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty), and removing pockets of fat from specific spots on the body (liposuction). Some cosmetic procedures aren’t even surgical in the way that most people think of surgery — that is, cutting and stitching. For example, the use of special lasers to remove unwanted hair and sanding skin to improve severe scarring are two such treatments.

Why Do Teens Get Plastic Surgery?

Most teens don’t, of course. But some do. Interestingly, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reports a difference in the reasons teens give for having plastic surgery and the reasons adults do: Teens view plastic surgery as a way to fit in and look acceptable to friends and peers. Adults, on the other hand, frequently see plastic surgery as a way to stand out from the crowd.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROCEDURE

Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

Here you will find a list of common and popular cosmetic procedures, both invasive and non-invasive. Learn the basics about each procedure, who ideal candidates are, intended results, recovery details, and alternative options.

Body Procedures

Upper Body Lift – Lower Body Lift – Back Lift – Belt Lipectomy

When a person loses a significant amount of weight, through gastric bypass, lap band surgery, post-pregnancy, or diet and exercise, they can be left with an abundance of excess skin that cannot possibly conform to the new contours of their body. The lose skin makes it difficult to feel confident, fit into clothing, and or it may get in the way of maintaining personal hygiene and cause rashes and skin infections.

Arm Lift – Upper Arm Lift – Brachioplasty

An Arm Lift, or brachioplasty, reshapes drooping, sagging skin and fat deposits underneath the arm from the underarm to the elbow. While diet and exercise can help to improve body contours, they cannot reshape sagging skin. An upper arm lift may be combined with liposuction to create a sculpted upper arm that complements the rest of your figure.

Autologous fat transfer – Gluteal augmentation surgery – Buttock augmentation with fat grafting

It has become increasingly popular to have fuller, rounded buttocks. This look is achieved by the Brazilian Butt Lift, which uses excess fat, harvested from other parts of the body, to reshape the contour of the buttocks

How to Choose a Surgeon

In the process of selecting a plastic surgeon, you may choose to have multiple consultations or receive referrals from friends and family. If you have located a surgeon using Smart Beauty Guide’s Select a Surgeon search tool, then you have already started the process of finding a qualified plastic surgeon. If you get a referral from a friend or doctor, be sure to find out if they have the right qualifications before the consultation.

Board Certification

A doctor’s board-certification is the best indicator of his or her training in a particular medical or surgical specialty. In the USA, look for certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the only Board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to certify doctors in the specialty of plastic surgery. In Canada, look for certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCSC). International plastic surgeons should be board certified in their country of origin and a member of ISAPS and IPRAS.

ASAPS Membership

ASAPS membership ensures that in addition to certification by the ABPS or RCSC, a doctor also has significant experience in cosmetic surgery. ASAPS membership is by invitation only. Plastic surgeons who are not citizens of the United States or Canada who meet the high professional and ethical standards required for ASAPS membership may become ASAPS international active members. To ensure that your doctor is a member of ASAPS, search for them with our Select a Surgeon tool.

Experience

Experienced aesthetic plastic surgeons generally perform a wide range of cosmetic surgeries on a regular basis. Patients should ask about the surgeon’s experience with the particular procedure being considered. If considering a “new” technique or technology, patients should inquire whether results that substantiate safety and effectiveness have been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Facility Accreditation

Cosmetic surgery can safely be performed in a hospital, a surgicenter or an office-based surgical facility: Current published data show that accredited office-based facilities have a safety record comparable to that of hospital ambulatory surgery settings. However, the majority of office-based surgical facilities are not accredited. Another advantage of selecting an ASAPS member is that all ASAPS surgeons operate in accredited, state-licensed or Medicare-certified facilities.

Smart woman’s guide to choosing the right surgeon

It seems like there has been a tsunami of media recently highlighting the dangers of making a bad choice when it comes to cosmetic surgery or other aesthetic procedures.

Ask your GP, local nurse or other medical professional

Many of our patients come with a referral from a doctor or medical professional. Those professionals have generally seen many results and want to avoid some of the issues associated with unqualified surgeons. In many cases, nurses also come to us as patients or refer their friends because they also see a range of results. But even GPs get it wrong, so refer to the next point to make certain some is a genuine Plastic Surgeon.

Choose a REAL Plastic Surgeon – unfortunately anyone with a basic medical degree can call themselves a ‘cosmetic surgeon’. The government has promised to regulate this, but hasn’t yet which leads many women to believe those doctors have special training in in surgery, when the vast majority have not.

Then really research that Plastic Surgeon. Here are some things to think about:

Being able to see many proper before and after photos (not just selfies in underwear) says a lot about the skill of the surgeon and the satisfaction levels of their patients. So make sure you see lots of results on patients with similar body types to your own with results that match your goals.

Ask how many of that procedure they have performed. Obviously we specialise only in breast and body surgery, so we have performed thousands of those operations. Other surgeons may do a little bit of everything but we think being a specialist in just a few operations is better for mastery.

See if you like the vibe of their clinic, their team and the connection with the Surgeon themselves. If the fit doesn’t feel natural, then it is best to look elsewhere because surgery is a journey and you want to feel comfortable with the crew you are on that journey with.

Remember that cost is definitely a factor, but so to is your safety and the quality of the outcome. As we say, “we don’t do $6,000 breast augmentations, we fix $6,000 breast augmentations.”