Plastic Surgeon: Finding The Right One For You

Plastic surgery is a vast specialty to which all kinds of specialties belong. If you are looking at having plastic surgery, there are a few steps to follow to help narrow down the choices of surgeons which will ultimately lead you to a qualified and capable choice for a surgeon.

To begin, you need to differentiate as to whether your surgical needs are considered reconstructive or cosmetic. Reconstructive surgeries are generally seen as medical needs or as the results of prior medical needs, and these procedures will need to go through your insurance referral process; however, you do not have to just take who you get even if you are using your health insurance to pay. You can present your research to your referring physician and ask that your research be considered as your doctor makes the health insurance referral. If your impending surgery is considered cosmetic and the cost will met with your personal funds, then you will have free reign as to who to pick to complete your procedure.

Begin by gathering a list of prospective plastic surgeons. Ask your primary care physician if he/she has had any patients undergo plastic surgery and ask if he/she can disclose the name of the surgeon that was used. Perhaps your primary care doctor, or for that matter any of your medical providers, knows a few plastic surgeons that have good reputations in the specialty for which you are researching. Of course, friends and friends of friends who have undergone cosmetic surgery are always a good place to start looking. Even if you do not know someone who has had the specific surgery that you are anticipating, anyone who has had a procedure done will be familiar with a surgeon or a group who can refer you to someone who does specialize in your need.

Ultimately, you want to be certain that your prospective choices are legitimate members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Once you have a list of possible doctors that you want o consider, check each one for ASPS certification. ASPS doctors must have at least six years of surgical experience with at least three additional years being the area of plastics. They must adhere to strict ethical codes of conducts, and are only allowed to operate out of accredited medical facilities. This is an important piece of the puzzle; you want o remember that you are considering having a surgery. An accredited facility with privileges at a local hospital is important.

Just because your surgery is elective does mean that it does not carry the risks that all surgeries carry, and you need to know that in an emergency that you can be transported and immediately treated at a nearby medical facility and that the medical emergency will be covered by your health insurance provider. Asking some hypothetical questions both of the back up medical facility and of your insurance provider is a great way to provide yourself peace of mind.