All surgeons are not alike. Surgeons that are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery are uniquely qualified and specially trained. They have been proven to provide the best patient care and have the lowest rates of complications. A 1997 survey1 based on more than 400,000 operations performed in accredited facilities found that:- The rate of serious complications was less than half of 1 percent.
- The mortality rate was extremely low – only one in 57,000 cases.
- The overall risk of serious complications in an accredited office surgical facility is comparable with the risk in a freestanding surgical center or hospital ambulatory surgical facility.
1. Morello, D.C., Colon, G.A., Fredericks, S., Iverson, R., Singer, R. Patient safety in accredited office surgical facilities. Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 99: 1496, 1997.
Do not assume that all doctors who claim to be "board certified" have the same training. Be sure that your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the ABPS (in Canada, look for a physician who is certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada). Don't be fooled by other professional sounding boards. If a doctor is certifed by the ABPS this means that they are certified in plastic surgery and have met the following requirements:- they have earned a degree from an accredited medical school
- they have completed 3 years of general surgery
- they have completed 2-3 years of supervised residency in plastic surgery
- they have had at least 2 years of professional practice
- they have passed rigorous written and oral exams (only about 70% of physicians who take the test pass it).
The ABPS is recognized and overseen by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and sets high education and training standards. |
