Patrick Hudson MD, FACS

WARNING - USA Today and ASPS warn of doctors who are not board certified in plastic surgery doing cosmetic surgery

Not all doctors who do plastic surgery, or call themselves plastic surgeons, are trained as plastic surgeons. In Albuquerque patients are advised that several doctors perform cosmetic surgery procedures without full training as a plastic surgeon.  Many are able to do this because they operate in their own office with no external supervision. Of course no doctor can guarantee results but there are several ways you can select a doctor who is really trained and board certified in plastic surgery.

Some tips for validating your doctor's qualifications:

-Ask if your doctor is board certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Surgeons are often board certified in an area other than plastic surgery but that does not necessarily qualify them to do your surgery.
-Look for a certificate in the doctor's office that includes the seal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
-If you have any doubts about their certification go to www.plasticsurgery.org and click on "Find a Surgeon" to see if your doctor is listed on the ASPS site.

USA today recently ran a  series of articles and concluded in an editorial that there should be limits on who should be allowed to do cosmetic surgery. "Patients have a responsibility to check out their doctors. But that can be a tall order amid a sea of acronyms identifying specialties and advertisements promising safe, quick, inexpensive surgeries."

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is launching a new public safety campaign on the heels of a string of incidents involving plastic surgeries gone wrong during procedures performed by non-board-certified plastic surgeons. 

ASPS  says  - "Patients are getting injured, some are dying during procedures performed by non-board-certified plastic surgeons," said Malcolm Z. Roth, MD, ASPS President. "We want patients to understand what to ask their doctor and what to look for so that they can maximize their chance of a safe and successful procedure."

The message in the new ASPS Public Service Announcement focuses on exposing what plastic surgery industry leaders call "white coat deception." Roth explained that just because a doctor wears a white coat does not mean he or she is qualified to perform plastic surgery.

"There is a misconception among consumers that as long as a doctor is certified in a medical field that he or she is qualified to practice plastic surgery. This is absolutely wrong and it is dangerous for patients," said Dr. Roth. "If you are considering a plastic surgery procedure it is critical that your doctor is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This is the best way to be certain that he or she has completed the necessary training and meets certain standards to practice plastic surgery."

Consumers may wonder how doctors who are not board certified in plastic surgery are able to perform such procedures. The reason is that it is perfectly legal in the United States for any doctor with a medical license to practice in any medical field. Only four states -- California, Florida, Louisiana and Texas -- have tough Truth-In-Advertising measures on the books which require medical providers to be more transparent about their training

Dr. Hudson is a plastic surgeon board certified in plastic surgery