Whether a cosmetic surgeon is board certified is a very important thing for a patient to know. In the early days of cosmetic surgery, there was no board certification. Doctors simply learned how to do specific techniques, and when they learned them, they worked at perfecting them -- and they passed them on to other doctors who wanted to perform cosmetic surgery as well. While there has to be a learning curve with anything, cosmetic surgery is one of those areas where an individual really wants his or her doctor to know what should be done and how to do it the right way. This is part of the reason that board certification came about, so that people who were interested in plastic surgery would know who they might want to choose for their cosmetic procedures.

Board Certification

Board certification means that a cosmetic surgeon has completed what is required of him or her in order to be recognized and certified by the governing body of the medical association that deals with cosmetic surgery. This kind of certification is very important, because it instills confidence in those who want cosmetic surgery from a particular surgeon. In addition, board certification requires a cosmetic surgeon to attend continuing education classes and prove that he or she is up-to-date with the latest procedures, requirements and safety features. By requiring these kinds of things, cosmetic surgeons are held to a very high standard and the patients that use them typically get very good results from their procedures, provided they follow the instructions that their doctors give them.

How Important Is The Certification, Really?

There are many competent surgeons today, but cosmetic surgery is somewhat different from ‘standard' surgery. Those who realize this will acknowledge that they are either cosmetic surgeons or they are not cosmetic surgeons -- most surgeons do not try to be both. This certainly does not mean that there are no ‘standard' surgeons who are capable of performing cosmetic surgery. Surgeons today specialize, though, and those who do not specialize in cosmetic surgery often do not know what is expected of them with regard to the latest procedures in that field. They will not be comfortable performing cosmetic procedures and they will recommend a different surgeon.

In addition, there are people who bill themselves as cosmetic surgeons, but they do not have board certification. Some of these people are very good, but many of them are questionable, and they are not board certified because they do not qualify. They may not have enough education in their field, they may not have performed enough high-quality procedures or they may simply not be good enough overall to earn certification. If that is the case, a person wanting a cosmetic procedure would be wise to stay away from them and find someone who is board certified. The certification is there for a reason, and part of that reason is to ensure the safety of patients as much as is possible with an elective surgical procedure.