Real Plastic Surgeons® in San Diego

Finding a qualified plastic or cosmetic surgeon in La Jolla or in San Diego isn't just about opening a phone book, seeing an ad, or going on-line. There are some basic things you should know; otherwise, you can be fooled or mislead. There are over 100 board certified plastic surgeons within San Diego County including areas like beautiful La Jolla.

A high number of board certified plastic surgeons in one community is good for you as a consumer. It means you have a high concentration of qualified plastic surgeons within relatively easy driving distance. It also means that when you "shop" for a surgeon that is right for you, you have many qualified physicians from which to choose.

Even though there are numerous board certified plastic surgeons in San Diego, you can still end up at a doctor who is actually boarded in another specialty and you're unlikely to even realize it.

Board certification is isn't as simple as you might think.  We want to help you understand this complex issue. Why, when you have so many choices, should you risk choosing a doctor who has not gone through the proper training and testing for the procedure you are considering.

First, you have a terrific organization to help you. The ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties) determines who has the right education and appropriate training to practice in particular specialties. The ABMS recognizes only 24 specialties. The ABMS has no designation for cosmetic surgery or treatments but includes them in other specialties, plastic surgery, dermatology and otolaryngology.  We have two of those specialties in our practice, plastic surgeons (including cosmetic surgery) and dermatology (including cosmetic treatments).

To confuse matters, there are over 180 self-designated medical boards in the U.S. -- many of which have applied to the ABMS and been rejected. What that means for you is that there are 7 self-designated organizations "certifying" doctors for every ABMS approved board. 

1. Your surgeon is board certified in plastic surgery by the ABMS
2. Your surgeon is a member of one or both of the plastic surgeon societies, ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons and ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)
3. Your surgeon has "staff" privileges at a local recognized hospital
4. Your surgeon operates in hospital operating rooms or in accredited facilities rated by an independent organization, AAAASF, JCAHO, Medicare or AAAHC
   

The catch to this part of your search is that many doctors, in specialties other than plastic surgery, perform cosmetic procedures. In our opinion, the doctors best qualified to perform cosmetic surgical procedures are surgeons who trained the longest in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures - plastic surgeons! Because doctors trained in non-surgical specialties like dermatology or internal medicine can legally (under state medical board rules and regulations) perform surgical procedures, you the consumer, must beware.

Nothing stops a doctor who is not a plastic surgeon from taking a short course consisting of days or even hours and advertising themselves as "cosmetic" surgeons. We have found websites of non-plastic surgeons using the word "plastic" in a way that would lead you to believe that they are plastic surgeons. So we recommend you go to the source - ABMS - and find out in which of the 24 recognized specialties the doctor's board certification lies. You want your surgeon to be a board certified plastic surgeon!

Point #2... Be sure that the surgeon is a member of one or both of these societies: American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) or The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Here are the two logos for these organizations:

These logos are easily recognizable, so look for them on websites and in ads. This is an easy way to determine if your surgeon is a board certified plastic surgeon, as only physicians who are board certified in plastic surgery can be members. Membership in either or both of these societies assures you that you're choosing a surgeon who has years of surgical training, participates in on-going education, and meets the ethical and professional standards set by each society.

Point #3... In each of our communities, there are accredited local hospitals where doctors attain what are known as "hospital privileges." In order to achieve this status, a doctor has to formally apply to the hospital. In this process, the hospital requires that the physician submit medical and licensure data as well as proving their ability and training in medical procedures in their specialty. Through this process, the hospital guarantees that their operating room facilities are only going to be used by surgeons fully trained in specific medical operations. So a heart surgeon isn't going to be doing brain surgery and vice versa.

Since most cosmetic surgery procedures are performed in office based or independent operating facilities, you may have doctors who don't have hospital privileges for a procedure at the hospital doing that procedure in a non-hospital setting. Certain off-site surgical accreditation organizations such as AAAASF require hospital privileges as part of their criteria for approval. If you are unsure of a physician's hospital status on any procedure you are considering, ask for a copy of his or her "hospital privileges" report.

Point #4... If you are having your surgery done in a non-hospital based facility, you want to be sure that it is accredited by one of the following organizations: AAAASF, JHACO, Medicare, or AAAHC. Accreditation ensures that certain basic operating room criteria are met and that the facility meets standards of staffing, licensing, certification, equipment, and physical plant standards. Operating Rooms in a good office-based or free-standing operating facility should be at the same standards you would expect to find in a hospital. Typically, non-hospital operating rooms provide only out-patient surgical services and do not provide on-going 24-hour care within the facility.

We trademarked the phrase Real Plastic Surgeons® some years ago to underscore the importance of board certification and surgeon training and experience. At La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, all of our plastic surgeons meet all of the criteria above.  They are board certified by the ABMS in plastic surgery. All of our plastic surgeons are members of one or both of the plastic surgery societies - ASPS and ASAPS. All of our board certified plastic surgeons have hospital privileges at Scripps Memorial Hospital. And our facility has on-site operating rooms that are accredited by AAAASF.

We hope you will choose a surgeon at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, but if you don't you still want to be sure that you use the criterion listed above to choose your surgeon. Ask questions and be sure that you are under the care of a highly trained and experienced plastic surgeon. We strongly believe this will help you obtain the best and safest medical care. Please feel free to call us at 800-942-2816 to learn more or to set up a free consultation appointment with one of our board certified plastic surgeons. Or continue to browse our website at www.ljcsc.com to learn more about our top-notch practice.

Note: This article reflects our opinions and beliefs about the topics covered herein.