Some, but not all, plastic surgeons perform cosmetic surgery as part of their practice. Cosmetic surgeons may also use these terms. While many plastic surgeons choose to complete additional training and also perform cosmetic surgery, the foundation of their surgical training remains reconstructive plastic surgery. A significant number of plastic surgeons choose to focus their practice on cosmetic surgery and, as such, the terms are often used interchangeably.
Because cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery have different practice objectives based on a set of specific procedures, it only follows that the training and certification process of a board-certified plastic surgeon will be very different from that of a board-certified plastic surgeon. Elective aesthetic procedures are performed by doctors from various fields of medicine, including plastic surgeons. Therefore, the title of “board-certified plastic surgeon” indicates a certain level of training and experience with respect to plastic surgery, but it does not indicate the same with respect to cosmetic surgery, since the residency training required to obtain board certification in plastic surgery may not include training with respect to many common cosmetic procedures. The training, experience, and knowledge needed to become a board-certified cosmetic surgeon reflect a specialization that goes beyond what is needed to obtain board certification in a related discipline, such as plastic surgery.
