Questions About Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is an intensely personal decision and should be approached with care and preparation. I have decided to answer many questions that are often asked by my patients as they start their journey to decide what procedure is right for them and who would be best to perform that procedure for them. I hope you find this helpful.

Nicole's ImplantInfo

The following is a transcription of Dr. Michael Edwards live question and answer session on ImplantInfo.com on November 13th, 2008. Dr. Edwards is a plastic surgeon specializing in breast surgery. He is renowned for his expertise at both primary breast augmentation and breast augmentation revision surgery. Many women from around the country joined Dr. Edwards to ask him questions about breast augmentation and breast implants. Read on and enjoy the discussion. (Please note that all visitor names have been deleted to protect their privacy.)

To read Dr. Edwards live Q & A session click here

GENERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT DR. EDWARDS AND HIS PRACTICE

1. Are you board-certified? How do I verify this?

I am board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. These require re-certification every 10 years and I have re-certified in each of these boards in my effort to ensure currency. I will provide information below to show how you can verify if a physician is board-certified in the specialty you are seeing them for. Your plastic surgeon should be board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (www.abplsurg.org) (215-587-9322). This board has strict criteria in order to become board certified. It is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties, (www.ABMS.org). They provide on-line verification of board certification (www.ABMS.org) or (866) ASK-ABMS. A physician can be certified by other boards representing their area of training, but they may not have the proper training to do cosmetic surgical procedures. A series of weekend courses and seminars cannot begin to replace 2 or 3 years of a plastic surgery residency. To be board certified in plastic surgery a doctor must graduate from an accredited medical school, do residency training in an accredited program, and complete an approved residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery. They also must practice a minimum of two years after graduation, and pass both written and oral examinations in plastic surgery. Board certification takes approximately about 8 years after graduation from medical school. There is a difference between state medical license and board certified in plastic surgery. Any doctor can get apply for a state medical license, but they do not necessarily have the training in plastic surgery.