Facial Plastic Surgeons Best for Facial Surgery?

A Facial Plastic Surgeon is a Surgeon originally trained in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and who has later usually completed a fellowship in Facial Plastic Surgery; those entering Facial Plastic Surgery fellowships are generally well published and the "creme de la creme" of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residents.  Those entering Facial Plastic Surgery have a heavy representation of Alpha Omega Alpha graduates (top 10% of their respective Medical School classes).  My personal post-graduate training was a total of 7 years.

The anatomy of the face and neck is by far the most complex in the body and requires meticulous skill and surgical technique to provide excellent results without distortions or injury. Oto-Head and Neck Surgery residencies have a significant involvement in performing and assisting Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgical cases; Facial Plastic Surgical fellowships are obviously exclusively devoted to Facial Plastic Surgery.

The ability and skill of Facial Plastic Surgeons to advertise for or perform Facial Plastic Surgery is certainly well recognized by both the AMA and by State Medical Boards throughout the country.  Facial Plastic Surgeons hold a seat on the AMA Board of delegates and are considered ABMS board equivalent in Florida and throughout the United States. Facial Plastic Surgeons are the only specialty that devote their training and experience exclusively to facial surgery.

The turf battles between Facial Plastic Surgeons and Plastic Surgeons are decades old and obviously each tribe has their own preference as to who has better training.  That is for the public to decide.  There is, however, no doubt to the American Cosmetic Surgical Consumer that specialization is preferable when considering Facial Plastic Surgery.  Specialists in Facial Plastic Surgery can include Facial Plastic Surgeons and General Plastic Surgeons.

My advice to patients:  seek a Surgeon who impresses you more with their results and demeanor than overwhelms you with negative statements about other surgical specialties.  In my experience, the greatest Surgeons I have met have the requisite skill and ability combined with an appropriate amount of humility.  This has included members of both specialties.

Don't get too worried about terminology but here are the facts:

1) ENT surgeons spend 5 years of training ONLY on the face and neck.  a quarter of that training is dedicated to cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face and neck

2) Facial Plastic surgeons are usually ENT surgeons who went above and beyond and did one more year of training ONLY on the face and neck.  That is 6 years EXCLUSIVELY on the face and neck.

3) Plastic surgeons are either general surgeons who spent 5 years operating inside the abdomen taking out gall bladders and fixing hernias then they spent 2 more years learning plastic surgery of THE ENTIRE body from head to toe.  Or they did a combined program where they did 3 years of general surgery then 3 years of plastic surgery of the entire body.  That includes burn, hands, free flaps, body surgery and face surgery.  

All 3 of these specialists are "certified" by the ABMS to perform plastic surgery of the face and neck but only the plastic surgeons (#3) are certified to perform body plastic surgery.

These are the facts no matter what anyone else tries to say.  Day is day and night is night.  Be careful and do your homework because there are some GREAT surgeons and some horrible surgeons in all three of the above specialties.  

see the link below

Certain specialists will give you the impression that they were first plastic surgeons and then subspecialized in plastic surgery of the face (facial plastic), eye (oculoplastic), etc.
This is not the case.
Facial plastic surgeons are ENT surgeons. Some have taken an additional year training in facial plastic surgery, some have not.
Oculoplastic surgeons are opthalmologists. Some have taken additional training in oculoplastic surgery, some have not.
Dermatologic surgeons are dermatologists.
Cosmetic surgeons is a basket term for anybody who wants to call themself a cosmetic surgeon. They typically have no plastic surgery training.
Plastic surgeons are the only surgeons who have trained in a plastic surgery residency.
Some plastic surgeons become double board certified. Some take an additional year with a formal Aesthetic Fellowship. In my case, with Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Plastic surgery research and an Aesthetic Fellowship that was 10 years of surgical residency after medical school. I had performed over 2000 surgeries as surgeon before ever entering medical practice.
I would love to have cut my training short by 5 years and call myself a superspecialist uniquely qualified to understand the anatomy of a certain area, but that wouldn't be honest, would it?