Is AAAASF better than AAAHC? Or are the two accreditations just different but neither is superior?

They are both acceptable and safe. More important to choose the right surgeon. That makes all the difference.

In my opinion, they are equal. There are some subtle differences. However, as far as safety is concerned, I believe both are equally safe. The most important is your surgeon's team. I'm certain your surgeon has created a cohesive, solid, cooperative team that will deliver superior results. That is more important than the accreditation of the surgery center. In the end, your physical team of surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurse, and surgical techs, are the ones taking care of you. Not a diploma on the wall. I hope this helps to answer your question of whether AAAASF or AAAHC accreditation is better.

Sincerely, Dr. Katzen.
(“Verified” Plastic Surgeon, President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, International College of Surgery, and American Board of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and ​member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

Both accreditations are good and you do not need to spend your time worrying about such. Just focus on picking your surgeon and let your surgeon worry about the details of the facility.

Obviously safety is important but in reality the biggest risks for cosmetic surgery isn’t so much dying from the procedure though obviously that’s pretty bad what patients should be worried about is being left disfigured.

Simply choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon is probably sufficient when it comes to formal accreditation. Which accrediting society it’s probably fairly pointless since this really comes down to rules and regulations and has little to do with skill and judgment.

The following is a list of general recommendations for those seeking cosmetic surgery.

1. I recommend patients avoid traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures. There are of course instances where there is a lack of local talent and traveling to some degree is inevitable. If traveling for the procedure patients should be ready to travel to have the consultation, post operative appointments and follow up should there be issues or complications.
Patients sometimes do not appreciate the importance of in person consultations, that complications do happen or the number of people who have issues with their results or need revisions.

2. Schedule multiple consultations with different providers in your area who seem to have a good reputation for the procedure you’re interested in. Starting with at least five consultations seems like a reasonable number to me.

3. Whenever possible schedule in person consultations.
4. During in person consultations ask each plastic surgeon to show all of their before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in.

The goal is not to see the best results of their career but to get an idea of what average results look like and get some type of confirmation of how many of these procedures that provider has performed.

Ask to see results that were not as good as the doctor would’ve hoped for and talk about the differences in outcomes.

Honest and experienced providers should have no problems presenting this type of information.

A highly experienced plastic surgeon should have hundreds of before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in. At a minimum at least 20+.

5. Read all the reviews on various physician review websites paying close attention and avoiding providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews. Providers with an abundance of reviews often have aggressive marketing campaigns.

The plastic surgeons I respect most all have the single variable of not having justified negative reviews on their online profiles.
In my opinion justified negative reviews are far more telling than an abundance of positive reviews.

6. Avoid scheduling for surgery or making a deposit on the day of the consultation. Give yourself some time to think about the decision and make sure you finished all scheduled consultations before committing to having surgery that will permanently and irreversibly change your body.

When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.

Choosing the right plastic surgeon is the single most important variable to having a positive experience.

7. Don’t go chasing after technology or names of certain equipment. Instead focus all your efforts on finding the most experienced and talented board-certified plastic surgeon.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom, MD