All you have to do is look around and you’ll see with your own eyes that plastic surgery isn’t only popular, it’s more popular than ever before. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, about 17.5 million plastic surgery procedures are performed in the United States every year – and this comes as no surprise!
While you may be very eager to get a specific procedure done, you don’t want to have just any plastic surgeon perform the surgery. But once you get online, the number of doctors performing plastic surgery in your area may be daunting to say the least. Where do you begin? How do you know you’re deciding on the “right” plastic surgeon?
What Should You Be Looking For?
Googling “top rated plastic surgeon” or “plastic surgeons near me” or “Ventura plastic surgeon” can certainly yield search results, but how do you choose one doctor from your Google search? You definitely need to understand what you’re looking for and having a minimum set of criteria will help you narrow down your candidates.
Here’s a breakdown of what you need to look for:
- Board certification: At the very minimum, find a plastic surgeon who is board certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery. Both are recognized specialty boards that certify the training and experience of practicing plastic surgeons.
- Experience: The surgeon should have extensive experience performing the procedure you are interested in. It takes real self-awareness of the surgeon and confidence in his skills to tell you what procedures they perform and what procedures they do not. Most surgeons limit their practice to certain procedures and not others.
- Before and after photos: The surgeon should have a gallery of before and after photos from actual patients.
- Great ratings from patients: The surgeon should have excellent ratings and reviews from previous patients.
- Highest safety standards: The surgeon should practice the highest safety standards. One good indication of adherence to patient safety is board certification and surgical facility certification by a national certifying agency.
- Refferals: The best way to be comfortable with the choice of a surgeon is through referrals from friends or acquaintances who have had surgery and have gone through the process with the surgeon.
Even though it’s important that a plastic surgeon have experience and excellent credentials, their bedside manner is also critical. A good plastic surgeon will provide the patient with a thorough consultation, they’ll create a custom plan that is tailored to the patient, and they’ll “connect” with the patient on a personal level, which is something our Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Yuly Gorodisky believes is very necessary for making patients feel comfortable and at ease.