Tummy tuck surgeon
If not certified by the American board of plastic surgery get another opinion.
You should carefully scrutinize credentials of your tummy tuck surgeon before abdominoplasty. I would be very suspicious of someone offering surgical services for this procedure that is not certified by the American board of plastic surgery. (Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
Board certification is a minimum requirement in plastic surgery.
If you cannot afford a legitimate private tummy tuck surgeon, you are better off at the plastic surgery clinic of a teaching hospital. (George J. Beraka, MD (retired), Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)
American Board of Plastic Surgery Membership Is Not Only Important – It Is Essential!
The tummy tuck surgeon
When choosing a cosmetic plastic surgeon, the absolute bare minimum requirement is Board Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). Do your research. Go to the American Board of Plastic Surgery website, and if the doctor you are considering for cosmetic surgery is not listed, choose a different tummy tuck surgeon.
Plastic surgery residency is rigorous and it weeds out most of the inept and inadequate. Next, Chairmen of plastic surgery departments must recommend residents to sit for the Boards. This is the next level of weeding out potentially inadequate plastic surgeons. Then there are the oral and written boards, no cakewalk. Board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery does not assure creativity nor even honorability, but it assures the prospective patient of a physician who has been tested, evaluated and observed for basic knowledge and safety.
Tummy tuck surgeon photo
Membership in the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery gives a strong indication that the surgeon is dedicated to cosmetic plastic surgery and once again, it indicates that his peers do not find him or her below community standard for cosmetic plastic surgery. Membership in the American College of Surgeons (the surgeon has FACS after his or her name) indicates that the surgeons in the specific community in which he or she resides do not find him or her dangerous or unethical. Using cost of surgery as a guide to the tummy tuck surgeon you choose can be a very big error.
Never use cost as a deciding factor because the most expensive may not be all that good and the least expensive may be dangerously bad. Hospital privileges, online reviews, word of mouth from friends who have had the same surgery may all be added to your mix in making a decision.
Tummy tuck surgeon image
There are so many factors in deciding which surgeon to go to. This is not an easy or quick process, but there is one very easy decision one can make: “If you find a surgeon who is not Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, don’t have plastic surgery by that individual”. (S. Larry Schlesinger, MD, FACS, Honolulu Plastic Surgeon)
Credentials do matter
Do not underestimate the importance of Board Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Training and credentials do matter and mean that your tummy tuck surgeon has at least met the minimum standards for performing an abdominoplasty. I am sure that there are many qualified and experienced plastic surgeons in the Southeast MI area. (Jeffrey Zwiren, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
How Important is It That the Doctor I Met with is Not Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
Abdominoplasty surgeon
It seems that you are asking about two different things. The AMA is the American Medical Association and most doctors no longer belong to it. The more important designation is by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS, see website link below).
To be certified by the ABPS, a plastic surgeon must have at least 5 years of training and pass a series of exams that demonstrate proficiency, safety and ethics, as well as have a review of their cases up to that point.
If your surgeon is not ABPS certified, then he or she may be in the process of certification (it can take 1-2 years) so ask about it. Membership in ASPS (American Society or Plastic Surgeons) and in ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) is also a good indicator of a plastic surgeons quality.
Do not accept any other board certification for plastic surgery procedures (except for the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery for facial procedures) as many “boards” are not accepted as official by the American Board of Medical Specialties (Karol A. Gutowski, MD, FACS, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
