Plastic surgery training involves a wide range of procedures to restore the body's normal appearance and function, while cosmetic surgery training focuses exclusively on aesthetic procedures. However, many plastic surgeons offer cosmetic procedures in their office. If you've always thought that cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery were the same thing, you're not alone. A significant number of plastic surgeons choose to focus their practice on cosmetic surgery and, therefore, the terms are often used interchangeably.
However, this is not technically correct. Cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery are closely related specialties, but they are not the same thing. A big problem for many people is that a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon can be confused. But while cosmetic surgery is a type of plastic surgery, cosmetic surgeons can only perform cosmetic procedures, he explains Dr.
Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). In other words, cosmetic surgery is a subspecialty of plastic surgery. Reconstructive surgery is often considered “medically necessary” and may be covered by health insurance. Plastic surgery is a broad field that encompasses both cosmetic (aesthetic) procedures such as reconstructive procedures.
Reconstructive surgery focuses on repairing or reconstructing problems caused by congenital deformities, the removal of tumors such as cancer, trauma, or other reasons. Some other lesser-known plastic surgery procedures include carpal tunnel surgery, microsurgery, rhinoplasty, and peripheral nerve surgery. Rebuilding a breast after a mastectomy is a reconstructive procedure that should only be performed by a plastic surgeon. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the other major society that certifies plastic surgeons.
To become a plastic surgeon and use the title of “plastic surgeon” in their practice, doctors must be fully licensed to practice medicine and must complete at least five years of formal residency training, including at least two years in a residency program focused on plastic surgery techniques. 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. The training, experience and knowledge needed to become a certified cosmetic surgeon reflect a specialization that goes beyond what is needed to become certified in a related discipline, such as plastic surgery. Elective aesthetic procedures are performed by doctors from various fields of medicine, including plastic surgeons.
A bigger problem than knowing the difference between surgeons is that many people seek cosmetic procedures from professionals who are not cosmetic surgeons. Plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery are sometimes used interchangeably, but if you need reconstructive surgery or want an elective cosmetic procedure, it's important to know how to find the most qualified surgeon. Upon completion of medical school, a board-certified plastic surgeon first serves as a surgical resident for at least 3 years, where they receive rigorous training in all aspects of surgery and then 3 years of specialized training in plastic surgery. The main difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon is the training they have received.
Therefore, the title “board-certified plastic surgeon” indicates a certain level of training and experience with respect to plastic surgery, but 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. To be a “certified plastic surgeon,” a doctor must be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the leading plastic surgery certification board. Board-certified plastic surgeons have completed at least six to eight years of specific training in an accredited plastic surgery training program in the United States, regulated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In a survey of 5,135 people, 87 percent believed that surgeons needed to have special credentials and training to perform cosmetic procedures or to advertise themselves as aesthetic, aesthetic surgeons or plastics.
But you should understand that there is a big difference between whether a plastic surgeon or a cosmetic surgeon performs the procedure, in terms of training, experience and expert knowledge of cosmetic techniques. Many cosmetic surgeons and most plastic surgeons are “board certified”, but I repeat, there is a difference because the boards that are responsible for certification are not the same.
