How to select the best plastic surgeon for you
Choosing a plastic surgeon is a very personal decision. You should follow your instincts during the process to find “the one” for you. Some ways to narrow down your search:
First, find someone who is Board Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. The Board of Plastic Surgery has a rigorous process to screen its members. You must train in general surgery, then do a fellowship in a certified residency program in Plastic Surgery. There is a minimum of five years of surgical training. You then take a written test. Once in practice you submit your cases. Then, if those are approved, you sit for your oral boards. Re-certification is required every 10 years.
What if they are not Board certified? Board Certification is an additional voluntary credential a physician chooses to obtain after medical school and residency. If not board certified, it can mean the surgeon did not complete the requisite training requirements, completed training outside the Unites States or Canada, did not take the exam, or failed the exam. Again, find what residency program they did. If they trained in an official plastic surgery residency, find why they are not board certified.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is our society. I am a member. To be a member, you must be:
- Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery® or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada®.
- Have at least six years of surgical training and experience, with at least three years in plastic surgery.
- Operate only in accredited medical facilities.
- Adhere to a strict code of ethics.
- Fulfill continuing medical education requirements, including standards and innovations in patient safety.
The Aesthetic Society is another credible organization. I am a member. To be a member, you must:
- Have Board-certification in Plastic Surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).
- Attend The Aesthetic Meeting
- Document of a minimum of 75 aesthetic surgical cases during a recent 18 month period, show CME in aesthetic surgery
- Two sponsors that are an ASAPS Active/Life Member.
Second, find someone who’s aesthetic you like. The Bay Area has a wealth of board certified plastic surgeons. How do you choose which one? Look at the photos. For example, with a breast augmentation: every doctor has what they consider “a pretty breast.” For me, I like natural. I love it when a patient comes in with the story, “I was changing in the locker room and my friend asked me how I look so good after three kids. She couldn’t tell I had done anything.” All of us cosmetic surgeons have photo books. Look at them.
Third, find a surgeon you are comfortable with. Do you like the doctor? the staff? the office feel? Do you meet with the doctor or a nurse? When you talk with the doctor, do you feel like they hear you or do you feel like you are a number? We all expect a smooth surgical experience. If there is a problem, is that the doctor you want?
Finally, here are other things to consider:
- Is the surgeon extensively trained in the procedure you’re interested in (ask how often they perform the technique), and do they have significant experience performing the treatment.
- How do you feel during the consultation? Does she answer your questions fully? Are you meeting with the doctor directly or with someone else? Do you feel you are getting a customized plan unique to you?
- Do they talk about the options, the pros and cons, and the risks?
I have been in practice since 1999 and focus on spending time one-on-one with my patients. I advocate for personalized, individual, educated decisions for my patients, and I understand the changes to the body from the surgeon’s perspective as well as that of a woman and mother of three. As the daughter of a plastic surgeon, this has been my lifelong passion.
Dr. Lauren Greenberg is a plastic surgeon in a boutique solo private practice in Palo Alto and Menlo Park, California. Her office is now in Menlo Park. (For 21 years she was on Welch Road on Stanford’s campus, where she did her Plastic and General Surgery residencies.) The new office offers more space and privacy. In addition to her two surgical residencies at Stanford, she completed additional fellowship training specifically in cosmetic and breast surgery. She is a member of ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgery), The Aesthetic Society, and Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
