How Do I Know if my Doctor is Board Certified?

Your physician or surgeon should always be Board Certified in a specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialites, (the ABMS). There are a number of 'specialities' operating in the world of medicine who create their own 'board certification' in ares that are not recognized by the ABMS. There is a *BIG difference* and, unfortunately, the general public is not aware of the difference.

Specialties that are officially recognized by the ABMS have comprehensive residency programs with very strict criteria. Strong residency programs ensure that your physician is prepared to deal with complications, should they arise. Check the ABMS.org web site to find out if your doctor's specialty is listed! Learn more about this little known fact by watching the video and/or reading about it in my blog post (listed in the web reference).

Thank you for your question. My recommendation to select a surgeon research the experience, the reviews and the results. I would suggest to be treated by board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this procedure, to get the best desired results.
Respectfully,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.-

Board certification implies passing tests of one of many specialties regulated by the American Board of Medical Specialties.  Normally liposuction is performed by either plastic surgeons or dermatologists.  Therefore the boards would be of The American Board of Dermatology (Tumescent liposuction which is performed by most liposuction surgeons today, was invented by Dr. Jeffrey Klein, a dermatologist), or The American Board of Plastic Surgery,  both of which have guidelines of training in liposuction that are followed in residency training and regulated by the ACGME (the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education). 

The American Board of Medical Specialties, (ABMS), is the established umbrella organization for recognized boards.  Under this is the American Board of Plastic Surgery, (ABPS).  Diplomates of the ABPS have done at least 5 years of surgical training, including cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in an accredited university based setting.  This is followed by rigorous testing.  The doctor will be listed on the board's website, you can also call them and they will be happy to assist you.  The link has the websites and numbers.

Also check if the doctor has privileges to do this procedure in a hospital.  Ask what hospital he/she is on staff on in case you need to be admitted quickly.

There are multiple legitimate boards offered by the american society of medical boards. For a liposuction procedure, look for the certification of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. There are multiple weekend and mail order certifications which can be deceiving. If a plastic surgeon is certified by the ABPS, they have completed the necessary training and have passed two sets of examinations, including evaluation of their own cases. Remember that this is your body and liposuction can cause permanent deformities which are very hard to reverse. I would recommend seeking a second opinion for liposuction by a board certified plastic surgeon. I hope this helps. Dr. Trussler

Being board certified means that in the specific field the doctor has not only had specialty training, but also passed an examination or ongoing examinations testing his competence. The best way to verify a doctor’s board certification is by checking board association websites like American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), You will get the most current information from this resource.
You will find out if your doctor is listed there and which board he is a member of.
Most doctors offer also plaques hanging in their offices   but do not rely only by that

The patient looking for aesthetic plastic surgery is often lost in a "buyer's beware" market.  The validation of training and the integrity of their certificates is becoming more and more confusing.   As my other colleagues have pointed out, the only nationally recognized North American certificate in plastic surgery is offered by the American Board of Plastic Surgery under the authority of the American Board of Medical Specialties.  Beware of practitioners who claim this certificate, but are not confirmed by the Board.  You can search for the practitioner at the link attached.  Thank you for being diligent and doing your own research.  I hope this may help you in your quest.

Board Certification is governed by the American Board of Medical Specialties or ABMS. You can find a link for the ABMS at the bottom of the web page referenced below. To prevent bots from collecting the information, you have to create a free account. Once signed in you can see what, if any, Board Certification your doctor has.  

The link below is to an article I posted on my blog about what Board Certification means, and it has several links at the end of the article to useful sites. You can find links on the page to the ABMS and the American Board of Plastic Surgery, where you can check if your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (no sign in necessary). It is also a good idea to look up your doctor on your states medical board's web site. A link for my state's, California, is also provided in the posting.

This is an excellent question. You should not be wondering about credentials, but check out the facts.In the field of cosmetic plastic surgery you will find bona fide certified plastic surgeons and a whole lot of "wannabes". You need to ask your surgeon what is he board certified in and is this board part of The American Board of Medical Specialties, ABMS (24 boards). There are a lot of exoteric boards created by physicians to serve their purpose, but are not legitimate boards with accredited residency training programs. None of those surgeons or psedo surgeons have privileges to do these cosmetic cases in an accredited hospital. They can do these surgeries in their offices only, where thre's no oversight, fly under the radar until something tragic happens. To be board certified in the USA, means that you completed a residency in general surgery, ENT, urology or orthopedic surgery followed by a 2-3 year fellowship in a certified plastic surgery program. You must be board certified in your primary surgical field first, before you can enter pastic surgery training. Onde you finish training then you must take a vigorous written examination (an all day examination). If you pass this, then you are invited to take an oral examination. You can read more on my website about this.

Board certification is important in any field of medicine. Contact the American Medical Association for your doc's credentials.  Since you are having tumescent liposuction, I would imagine your doc has his board certification in Dermatology which is appropriate since no other specialty has as much liposuction training in their residency programs as dermatology does.  Being board certified in plastic  and reconstructive surgery or any specialty  doesn't necessarily  equate to be good at liposuction.  Ask if liposuction is a major part of his practice and if he does it under local tumescent anesthesia with the micro canulas.  If he still does it under general anesthesia, that can be a RED flag!