Every prospective patient who seeks cosmetic enhancements knows to ask or look for ‘board certification’ of their surgeon or treatment provider. While this is a seemingly good question, a positive answer may still not be a reassuring one that guarantees your doctor has all the requisite training and experience to give you the best result. This is because board-certification today does not mean what it meant decades ago. Many ‘Boards’ have emerged that are relatively new and self-regulating and certifications in some of these boards is not the same as others. It thus becomes important to ask your doctor board-certified in what board and by whom as some board certifications really matter. The American Board of Plastic Surgery’s is one of the most rigorous of these boards and is the only certification for whole-body plastic surgery recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. (ABMS) The American Board of Medical Specialties runs a website, CertificationMatters.org, where prospective patients can see if their doctor is certified by this rigorous board. This is a great place for patients to see if their doctor is listed in this board registry.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana