Cosmetic Surgery or Plastic Surgery?

The terms “plastic surgery” and “cosmetic surgery” are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Cosmetic surgery is subset of plastic surgery. The difference between a cosmetic or plastic surgeon and a “board-certified” plastic surgeon matters a lot! Training and credentials in surgery are the issues. Although a doctor may offer cosmetic, plastic, or aesthetic surgery, he or she may not be board-certified to perform that type of surgery. The person could be a gynecologist, pediatrician, or dermatologist with no training in cosmetic surgery whatsoever. Scary, huh?

“Board-certified” means the doctor has gone through very specific and extensive training in a specialized field and has passed a difficult examination administered by a board of experts in that field.

A non–board-certified cosmetic or plastic surgeon may be self-taught and may lack formal training in that field. Board-certified plastic surgeons, on the other hand, as mentioned above, have specific training and have passed rigorous qualifying exams.

You may hear those who are certified as plastic surgeons say why would you go to anyone but a board-certified plastic surgeon? They’re right, why would you? “Would you want your cosmetic corrective surgery performed by someone who has never had any formal plastic surgery training?” And that’s the issue; cosmetic surgeons may not have the training which is why the certification is so important. We can’t stress that enough.

One clear distinction that sets board-certified plastic surgeons apart is that they have privileges to perform plastic surgery at an accredited hospital. Although most cosmetic surgery procedures are performed in a doctor’s office, you want to be assured that your surgeon has a level of skill that is accepted by an accredited hospital.