Doctors listed on RealSelf.com and participating in Q&A must be from a "core aesthetic" specialty. This term relates to the specialty areas of medical training, certification, and practice that require physicians to possess demonstrable knowledge associated with performing a variety of cosmetic procedures and diagnosing related conditions.
Core aesthetic specialties recognized on RealSelf.com
- Dermatologist
- Dermatologic surgeon
- Plastic surgeon
- Facial plastic surgeon
- Oculoplastic surgeon
- Cosmetic dentist
In select cases, doctors from non-core aesthetic specialties can participate in limited areas of discussion. These specialties are:
Board certification
As used on RealSelf.com, the terms "board certified" and "board certification" refer only to medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy who have earned specialty certification from an ABMS member board or a recognized ABMS non-member board.
Credentials of international medical professionals practicing outside the U.S. and Canada shall be verified on a case by case basis.
Specialty definitions
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is certified in dermatology by the ABD, RCPSC or AOBD.
- Certification must be verified through the ABMS, RCPSC or AOBD.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who meets the RealSelf criteria for designation as a "Dermatologist," and who is also a member of the ASDS.
- Certification must be verified through the ABMS, RCPSC or AOBD. Membership must be verified through the ASDS.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is certified in plastic surgery by the ABPS or RCPSC.**
- Certification must be verified through the ABMS or RCPSC. Membership must be verified through the ASPS.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is certified in head & neck or facial plastic surgery by the ABFPRS, ABOto or RCPSC.
- Certification must be verified through the ABFPRS, ABMS or RCSPC.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who meets the RealSelf criteria for designation as an "Ophthalmologist," and who has also completed an ASOPRS-approved fellowship.
- Certification must be verified through the ABMS or RCPSC. Fellowship completion must be verified through the ASOPRS.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is certified in general surgery by the ABS and is also a regular member of the ASMBS.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is certified in general or vascular surgery by the ABS or RCPSC.
- Certification must be verified through the ABMS or RCPSC.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is certified in ophthalmology by the ABO or RCPSC.
- Certification must be verified through the ABMS or RCPSC.
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* DDS or DMD who offers cosmetic dental services.
- Licensure must be verified through state licensing boards (except CA).
- This specialty may be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* DDS or DMD who offers orthodontic dental services.
- Licensure must be verified through state licensing boards (except CA).
* The term "actively licensed" refers to professional participants who have an active, unrestricted license issued by the appropriate medical or other occupational governing board of the state or province in which they practice.
**Effective July 1, 2009: The specialty "plastic surgeon" may no longer be selected by or on behalf of any actively licensed* MD or DO who is not certified in plastic surgery by the ABPS but who is an ASPS candidate member (full ASPS membership must be attained within one year). This policy change will not currently affect participants who joined RealSelf.com prior to July 1, 2009.
Selecting multiple specialties
- No more than TWO specialties may be selected for any one participant.
- Multiple specialties may be selected in the event that a physician is certified by ABMS member boards or recognized ABMS non-member boards in more than one of the following specialties:
- Plastic surgery
- Facial plastic surgery
- Dermatology
- Oculoplastic surgery
Directory placement
Professional participants may appear only in specialty directories that correspond with their specialty designation(s). Example: A physician designated exclusively as a Plastic Surgeon may not appear in the Facial Plastic Surgeon directory for his or her city.
Professional participants may appear only in procedure directories for procedures related to their specialty designation(s). Example: A physician designated exclusively as a Facial Plastic Surgeon may not appear in the Breast Implants directory for his or her city.
Physicians designated as non-core aesthetic specialists on RealSelf.com may not obtain directory listings for cosmetic procedures, or procedures typically performed solely or primarily to improve a patient's physicial appearance.
Participation
Professionals who take part in Q&A and other participation modes on RealSelf.com are expected to limit their involvement and discussion to procedures and topics related to the area(s) of expertise implied by their specialty designation. Example: A participant designated exclusively as a Cosmetic Dentist should refrain from discussing procedures, such as Facelift surgery and Botox injections, and focus instead on discussing procedures, such as Teeth whitening and Porcelain veneers.
Physicians designated as non-core aesthetic specialists on RealSelf.com may not engage in Q&A discussion about cosmetic procedures, or procedures typically performed solely or primarily to improve a patient's physicial appearance.
Policy enforcement
In the event that RealSelf.com has reason to believe that a professional participant has misreported or misrepresented his or her qualifications, credentials, memberships et al, his or her profile and other content submissions may be removed from RealSelf.com.
Professional participants designated as plastic surgeons based on ASPS membership candidacy must obtain full ASPS membership or ABPS certification within one year to retain the plastic surgeon specialty designation.
RealSelf.com reserves the right to discretionarily revise professional participants' specialty and board certification designations, for the purpose of enforcing RealSelf.com policies.
Acronym Definitions
MD - Medical Doctor
DO - Doctor of Osteopathy
AAD - American Academy of Dermatology
ABD - American Board of Dermatology
ABFPRS - American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
ABMS - American Board of Medical Specialties
ABOto - American Board of Otolaryngology
ABO - American Board of Ophthalmology
ABPS - American Board of Plastic Surgery
ABS - American Board of Surgery
AOBD - American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology
AOCD - American Osteopathic College of Dermatology
ASDS - American Society of Dermatologic Surgery
ASAPS - American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
ASOPRS - American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
ASMBS - American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
ASPS - American Society of Plastic Surgeons
DDS - Doctor of Dental Surgery
DMD - Doctor of Dental Medicine
RCPSC - The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada
ABMS Member Boards
The American Board of Allergy and Immunology
The American Board of Anesthesiology
The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
The American Board of Dermatology
The American Board of Emergency Medicine
The American Board of Family Medicine
The American Board of Internal Medicine
The American Board of Medical Genetics
The American Board of Neurological Surgery
The American Board of Nuclear Medicine
The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
The American Board of Ophthalmology
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
The American Board of Otolaryngology
The American Board of Pathology
The American Board of Pediatrics
The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
The American Board of Plastic Surgery
The American Board of Preventive Medicine
The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
The American Board of Radiology
The American Board of Surgery
The American Board of Thoracic Surgery
The American Board of Urology
Recognized ABMS Non-Member Boards
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology
The above enumerated RealSelf.com Professional Identification Policies may be updated or revised at any time, without notice, at the sole discretion of RealSelf.com.
Last modified 2 months ago