Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) –
How to Find & Choose a Good Surgeon
As outlined in our pages about risks of surgery, tummy tuck plastic surgery procedure can provide a wonderful result, but it is a serious surgical procedure and is not without serious risks and potential complications.
Therefore, it is essential to find a plastic surgeon with solid medical training, considerable surgical skill and extensive plastic surgery experience to increase your chances of a successful tummy tuck surgery outcome. It is preferable that the doctor is board-certified, so you should learn how to choose a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon.
Why Should You Choose a Board-Certified Surgeon?
When choosing a plastic surgeon, it is highly recommended that you choose a board-certified surgeon. Certification indicates that the doctor successfully completed an approved educational program and met board certification requirements, including an examination to determine his or her ability to provide quality medical care.
Know what it means to be a board-certified plastic surgeon.
How Can You Verify Whether a Plastic Surgeon Is Certified by a Board?
To verify your plastic surgeon's board certification, use the certification verification tool offered by American Board of Medical Specialties. You will need to register for the free service. (The Board does not require to submit any additional information other than your first name and e-mail address. After registration, your password will be e-mailed to you for future use.)
Are All Board Certification Levels Equal?
Tummy tuck surgeons with the most training include plastic surgeons who are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). Learn what it takes to get certified by the ABPS by visiting Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery.
Board certification does not always guarantee a successful tummy tuck surgery outcome. The surgeon's overall capability depends on other factors such as frequency and complexity of tummy tuck surgeries, use of innovative techniques, and other factors. A particularly important aspect of any surgery is anesthesia. While board-certified surgeons carefully monitor patients' vital signs, sometimes anesthesia complications occur, leading to various damages ranging from short-term memory loss to permanent closed head injury.
Before making choosing a tummy tuck surgeon, try to gather as much information as possible about his or her capabilities and expertise. Speak to other patients who had their tummy tuck performed by the surgeon and take a look at before and after tummy tuck photographs to review results of previous tummy tuck surgeries.
Keep in mind that tummy tuck and panniculectomy surgery are not the same procedure. M any board-certified plastic surgeons perform both procedures.
What If Your Surgeon Is Not Certified by American Board of Plastic Surgery?
In this case, your doctor may be qualified to perform a tummy tuck. Get more information on what how other boards provide certification and how they differ from the certification by ABPS.
What If Your Doctor Is a Member of a Plastic Surgery Association or Society?
Learn the difference between board certification and membership in a plastic surgery association or society.
What Are the Operating Facility Requirements
Remember that the facility where the surgery will be performed must meet certain quality standards and be accredited by the American Assoc for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). You can get acquainted with the standards and verify that an office or facility is accredited by the AAAASF by visiting their website.
Top Plastic Surgeons For Other Procedures
Are you looking for a plastic surgeon for a different procedure? Check out the information in our sister websites about liposuction surgery recovery, rhinoplasty nose surgery and cost of breast surgery.
Need More Information?
- Visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Tummy Tuck
- Learn about how factors can influence surgical decisions.