Cosmetic surgery is a subspecialty that uniquely
restricts itself to the enhancement of appearance through surgical and
medical techniques. It is specifically concerned with maintaining normal
appearance, restoring it, or enhancing it toward some aesthetic ideal
Cosmetic surgery is a multi-disciplinary and comprehensive approach directed
to all areas of the head, neck and body. Cosmetic surgery is practiced by
surgeons from a variety of disciplines including board-certified
dermatologists, general surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons,
ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, plastic surgeons and physicians from
other fields. All of these disciplines have contributed to the vital growth
of cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery is primarily learned during a
surgeon’s post residency through ongoing continuing education, training, and
experience.
Consumers considering cosmetic surgery
are almost universally unaware of the difference between “cosmetic” surgery
and “plastic” surgery. For this reason, they are easily misled to believe
board certification in plastic surgery evidences a physician’s competence to
perform cosmetic surgery. It does not. Importantly, with an expanding number
of consumers anxious to undergo cosmetic surgery and a highly competitive
pool of physicians, it is imperative consumers have access to accurate
information. It is equally imperative consumers have the freedom to choose
among competitors and that the number of qualified providers is not
artificially restricted. Unfortunately, the public almost universally
equates cosmetic and plastic surgery as one and the same. Consumers'
misapprehension in this regard has them relying on incomplete and false
information when choosing a physician to perform their cosmetic procedure.
Unlike cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery deals with the repair,
reconstruction or replacement of physical defects of form or function
involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, crainomaxillofacial structure,
hand extremities, breast and trunk and external genitalia. While board
certification may evidence a physician competent in "plastic surgery", it
does not evidence competency in "cosmetic surgery" nor does it demonstrate
more "cosmetic surgery" education, training or experience than that of a
board-certified dermatologist, general surgeon, oral and maxillofacial
surgeon, otolaryngologist or ophthalmologist.
Yet
many board-certified plastic surgeons seek to equate the terms "plastic" and
"cosmetic" in order to represent their certification in plastic surgery as
evidence of their competency to perform "cosmetic" procedures. The spreading
of this misconception reduces patient choice and jeopardizes patient safety.
The misinformation has consumers believing that when searching for a
cosmetic surgeon to perform cosmetic surgery, they must look only to the
universe of Board Certified Plastic Surgeons and that they cannot find a
competent cosmetic surgeon among board-certified dermatologists, general
surgeons, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists or other surgeons. |