Choosing a Cosmetic Surgeon

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safety and success of your procedure. Because this is such a crucial step in the cosmetic surgery process, you should be prepared to spend some time on it. With thousands of surgeons and physicians throughout the nation offering cosmetic surgery procedures, singling out the right one can seem like a daunting task.

Ways to Find the Right Surgeon

There are several ways to find a qualified facial plastic surgeon. To begin your search, you should tap into trusted sources. One of the best ways to find a good facial plastic surgeon is through "word of mouth"; ask for recommendations from friends, family members, and personal acquaintances. If a trusted friend or acquaintance has had a good experience and a good result with a particular surgeon, you may wish to put that surgeon's name on a list for further investigation. However, note that if your friend had a great experience and a great result with a procedure other than rhinoplasty, such as breast implants or liposuction, it doesn't necessarily mean that the surgeon is equally experienced in performing rhinoplasty. When you ask for referrals, it's best to ask specifically about surgeons who perform rhinoplasty.

Other trustworthy referral sources are your personal physicians, such as your primary care physician, gynecologist, or dermatologist. These physicians receive many reports from their patients about the cosmetic surgery procedures they've had and the cosmetic surgeons who performed them. In addition, doctors network with other doctors and often hear about surgeons who are doing quality work. For these reasons, your personal physicians may be able to give you a few names to add to your list. Once you have some physicians' names on your list, visit their websites. Just by browsing these websites, you might get a better feel for the surgeons and their experience with rhinoplasty.

The Internet may be helpful in finding facial plastic surgeons. However, searching for surgeons online can have pitfalls. Many plastic surgery sites feature a search function to find a surgeon in your area. However, these sites don't necessarily feature the best surgeons in your area. Rather, they simply list any physician who pays a fee to the website, which offers no verification of the surgeon's credentials. Fortunately, there are reputable websites featuring a "physician finder" section that lists only cosmetic surgeons who meet stringent criteria. These sites include the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Surgeon Qualifications

Certainly you want a surgeon who has the proper qualifications. But what qualifications should you look for? When searching for a surgeon for your rhinoplasty procedure, you need to look for several things. The surgeon should be a licensed physician with adequate training, board certification, and sufficient experience performing rhinoplasty. If you've already had one or more nose surgeries, and you would like to make further improvements, you should look for a surgeon who specializes in revision rhinoplasty.

Training and Education

Becoming a facial plastic surgeon requires the completion of several years of formal education and training. Education requirements include graduating from a four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree and then graduating from a four-year accredited medical school with an M.D. degree. An accredited medical school is one that meets national standards set by a national authority for medical education programs.

Doctors who wish to perform facial plastic surgery must then complete at least five years of additional hospital training called a residency. During a residency, the physician in training, known as a resident, works closely with senior-level surgeons to observe their work and gain hands-on experience in the operating room. Once the residency is completed, the doctor can go into practice as a facial plastic surgeon. Some surgeons continue their training with a highly selective one-year fellowship in facial plastic surgery offered by the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery (AAFPRS). At the completion of the fellowship, surgeons are required to take yet another rigorous written and oral examination given by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS). However, training doesn't end there. Facial plastic surgeons are required to take continuing medical education courses throughout their careers.

Licensure

In order to practice medicine, a facial plastic surgeon is required to be licensed by the state in which the surgeon's office is located. State licensing is mandatory, and licenses are usually granted only to medical school graduates who pass a comprehensive exam. Each state has slightly different requirements, so if a physician relocates, he or she needs to acquire a new state license. To verify that your facial plastic surgeon is licensed, you can check with your state's medical board. You can also check with the medical board to see if any complaints have been lodged or disciplinary actions taken against a surgeon. A list of state medical boards and links to their websites are available on the Federation of State Medical Boards website.

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