Liposuction: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Board certification in an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) accredited field that deals with your specific procedure is an imperative minimum for you to evaluate your surgeon (tel# 1-866-275-2267).

In addition, you should look at whether or not they have privileges to do the same procedure in local area hospitals and not just in their offices–as hospitals require rigorous specifications to be met.

Many “cosmetic” or “aesthetic” or “skin” surgeons perform procedures in their offices in substandard conditions and they do not have privileges to perform in the hospitals.

Also, you should assess what percentage of their practice is dedicated to your specific procedure and what their results are.

These are minimum requirements and may still not guarantee that your outcome is what you had wished for, but they demonstrate that your surgeon is responsible and and serious about their practice.

Finally, awake versus asleep liposuction is not a determinant in proper liposuction. (Luis Zapiach, MD, Paramus Plastic Surgeon)

Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery remains the gold standard for plastic surgery. This is not to necessarily discredit your previous physician, but you should give serious consideration to a second opinion by an American Board Certified plastic surgeon, which means that he or she is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties as having expertise in plastic surgery. (Deason Dunagan, MD, Huntsville Plastic Surgeon)

The American Board of Medical Specialties, (ABMS), is the established umbrella organization for recognized boards. Under this is the American Board of Plastic Surgery, (ABPS).

Diplomates of the ABPS have done at least 5 years of surgical training, including cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in an accredited university based setting.

This is followed by rigorous testing. The doctor will be listed on the board’s website, you can also call them and they will be happy to assist you. The link has the websites and numbers.

Also check if the doctor has privileges to do this procedure in a hospital. Ask what hospital he/she is on staff on in case you need to be admitted quickly. (Jeffrey J. Roth, MD, FACS, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

Not all board certification is alike, and recognized professional boards are members of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). You should ask your surgeon about board certification, and which hospital within the community they are affiliated with.

All hospitals will have information about the credentials of members of the medical staff. You can also contact the ABMS on their website, and for plastic surgeons you can contact the American Board of Plastic Surgery and hit the board certification tab.

Also don’t forget to ask about the accreditation of the facility in which you plan to have liposuction.(Peter E. Johnson, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Just ask your surgeon if they are board certified. Considering how difficult it is to obtain board certification, no plastic surgeon will hide this information from you. The official societies for plastic surgery are the ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgery) or ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery).

For liposuction, anything else- especially any society using the word “cosmetic”- is an unrecognized board, and likely bogus. If you are looking online, look out for board certification on surgeon’s websites. Board certification is always displayed and easily identified.(Derek Lou, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

How do you know if your doctor is board certified?

You should not be wondering about credentials, but check out the facts. In the field of cosmetic plastic surgery you will find bona fide certified plastic surgeons and a whole lot of “wannabes”.

Choosing A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon For SmartLipo

You need to ask your surgeon what is he board certified in and is this board part of The American Board of Medical Specialties, ABMS (24 boards). There are a lot of exoteric boards created by physicians to serve their purpose, but are not legitimate boards with accredited residency training programs.

None of those surgeons or psedo surgeons have privileges to do these cosmetic cases in an accredited hospital. They can do these surgeries in their offices only, where thre’s no oversight, fly under the radar until something tragic happens.

To be board certified in the USA, means that you completed a residency in general surgery, ENT, urology or orthopedic surgery followed by a 2-3 year fellowship in a certified plastic surgery program. You must be board certified in your primary surgical field first, before you can enter pastic surgery training.

Onde you finish training then you must take a vigorous written examination (an all day examination). If you pass this, then you are invited to take an oral examination. You can read more on my website about this. (George Marosan, MD, Bellevue Plastic Surgeon)

You need to know that not all “boards” are recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which is the oversight organization established by the American Medical Association.

Some doctors are not board-certified, and some are certified by boards that are not recognized by the AMA. It turns out that there are many different ways to set up a “board” and some are believed to have more credibility than others.

So – first go to the ABMS website, which is at abms dot org. On the upper left is a box that asks “Is Your Doctor Certified?” Click on that, enter the information requested, and you’ll get an answer.

Should you go to doctors who are board-certified? There are, of course, no guarantees, but, in general, board-certification – meaning a board that is ABMS-recognize – is a good start for assessing the credentials and training of your surgeon (Alan M. Engler, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon: Look for The American Board of Plastic Surgery

There are multiple legitimate boards offered by the american society of medical boards. For a liposuction procedure, look for the certification of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. There are multiple weekend and mail order certifications which can be deceiving.

If a plastic surgeon is certified by the ABPS, they have completed the necessary training and have passed two sets of examinations, including evaluation of their own cases. Remember that this is your body and liposuction can cause permanent deformities which are very hard to reverse. (Andrew P. Trussler, MD, Austin Plastic Surgeon)

Plastic surgeon qualifications

Unfortunately, there are many “boards” and organisations that can be registered that give credibility to the consumer but the buyer should be aware.

They should check to see if the doctor has had a formal training program in plastic surgery(at least two years and not two weeks), has privileges in a major hospital to do the procedure that you have planned in case their is a problem that he could take care of you, his facility that he does his/her surgery is certified.

You could also start with seeing if he/she is certfied by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is not a “self-designated” “plastic” or cosmetic surgeon. This may not quaranttee an excellent result, but at least put you on that road! (Edward J. Domanskis, MD, Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon)

The patient looking for aesthetic plastic surgery is often lost in a “buyer’s beware” market. The validation of training and the integrity of their certificates is becoming more and more confusing. As my other colleagues have pointed out, the only nationally recognized North American certificate in plastic surgery is offered by the American Board of Plastic Surgery under the authority of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Beware of practitioners who claim this certificate, but are not confirmed by the Board. (Randy Wong, MD, Honolulu Plastic Surgeon)

Board certification refers to going through require training and passing certainl exams through an ACGME recognized program. An internist can be board certified, it does not mean that they are qualified to perform liposuction. Go the ASPS or ASAPS website to locate a plastic surgeon near you who is board certified and was trained in liposuction during residency. (Steven Wallach, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Don’t be fooled by bogus Boards–there is only one that counts–The American Board of Plastic Surgery

The only Board that matters is the American Board of Plastic Surgery. All the other Boards that contain the words “cosmetic, plastic, liposuction, etc” are bogus. Unfortunately, the are no laws that govern what Board a doctor can say he/she is certified by.

For a physician to become board-cerified in plastic surgery he/she must complete a fully accredited residency program in plastic surgery (within the United States). This is usually a total of at least 5 or 6 years of training following the completion of medical school.

After successful completion of a plastic surgery residency and at least one year of practice, he/she must then take a written followed by an oral exam given by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

The failure rate of this exam is amongst the highest of any other specialty in medicine! Only after all of these steps can a surgeon call himself/herself Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

To become certified by any of these other bogus Boards, a physician usually only has to send in a copy of his/her state medical license, complete a simple questionaire and send in some money.

Proof of residency in plastic surgery and/or a rigorous examination process is not required. You can go to the American Board of Plastic surgery website to find out if your surgeon is Board-Certified. (Elan B. Singer, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

Beware of pseudo credentials.
If the person was board certified in plastic surgery he / she would not hide behind some esoteric society but would be proud to let you know.

Make sure your provider is board certified in plastic surgery by asking directly or go to abplsurg.org. (Marcus L. Peterson, MD, Saint George Plastic Surgeon)

The only boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) for body contouring, liposuction, and comprehensive plastic surgery is the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I would ask your doctor if s/he is board certifie by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. (Navin K. Singh, MD, Washington DC Plastic Surgeon)

Knowing your Surgeon is Board Certified

The only board name that you should be looking for a Plastic Surgeon is the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Any other board is NOT a plastic surgeon.

There are no rules on who can call themselves a Plastic Surgeon or a Cosmetic Surgeon. However, in most cases, if the doctor is calling themselves a Cosmetic Surgeon then they are NOT a true Plastic Surgeon.

True Plastic Surgeons go through extensive training in all aspects of Plastic Surgery. Many also do extra fellowships in Aesthetic Surgery focusing on the cosmetic aspect of Plastic Surgery. Other doctors who are not board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery may be some other type of doctor such as a family doctor, gynecologist, dentist, etc who has taken a weekend course in whatever procedure they are trying to sell you.

So, please be careful in choosing your surgeon. (David Shafer, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Look at the American Board of Plastic Surgery website to see if your surgeon is board certified

It’s important to know whether or not your plastic surgeon is board eligible or board certified before embarking on any cosmetic surgery procedure. Google the American Board of Plastic Surgery website to research your plastic surgeon. (Jeffrey E. Schreiber, MD, FACS, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)