Cosmetic surgery positively changes millions of lives every year, but even small minimally invasive procedures are huge life changing decisions, especially if it is your first procedure. It is decisions like these that must be made with the utmost care to ensure a safe procedure and smooth process. The first step in this due diligence is to make sure you are working with a board certified cosmetic surgeon.
But what is board certification, and what is the process for a doctor to become board certified?
There are a lot more than just one “board”. To perform cosmetic surgery in the New York or any where in the United States a doctor does have to be board-certified by the state, but does not have to be “board-certified” by any specialty board.
These boards also do most of the necessary due diligence for you. They ensure that the physician completed medical school, has agreed to a code of ethics, completed residency, has a unrestricted medical license, has an acceptable peer-reviewed record, and has agreed to continuing their education in their specialty.
The next step is to look at doctor’s experience. How long has this person been performing the procedure you want to have done, and is it what they specialize in? There are a surprising number of examples of doctors (and even dentists) who don’t specialize in plastic surgery performing plastic surgery procedures. As cosmetic surgery becomes more popular, the industry has become as much about marketing online and offering discounts and less about quality.
But here is the most important reason to choose an experienced, board certified surgeon – they have better outcomes. In studies of complications and reviews, the verdict is clear. The rate of satisfaction is much higher among board-certified doctors.
Dr. Lopa Gupta is licensed by New York State and Connecticut as well as being a board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.