If you're not a board certified plastic surgeon, shouldn't you be allowed to perform surgery like liposuction?

     It would be foolish to believe that cosmetic surgeries are easy enough to perform so that a weekend course would suffice.  It may be instructive to realize that the integrated plastic surgery programs represent the most competitive residency positions, by a large margin over other residencies.

Thank you for your question. When someone graduates from medical school they are a "Medical Doctor". Receiving your MD, does not mean you are trained to perform specific procedures. This is why it is very important for patients to do their research. The American Board of Plastic Surgery enures specialized training, continuing education and accesses the surgeon's knowledge. Through the Maintenance of Certification program, they ensure ongoing training. The Board Certification only lasts 10 years, unlike others that are a lifetime. I suggest patients choosing to have a cosmetic surgery procedure performed choose a surgeon who is a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. ASAPS membership is by invitation only and must be elected to membership by at least 80% of the membership. These surgeons are not only Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, they are formally trained and experienced surgeons who specialize in cosmetic surgery procedures. Ongoing continuing education is required as is the requirement to operate at accredited facilities. Being Board Certified was the "go to" for many patients a decade ago, but today, patients should be looking for a surgeon who is an ASAPS member if they are choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure. 

Hi and thank you for your question. Unfortunately it can be a little confusing but the bottom line is you should want to put yourself in the best possible situation and in the best hands. A board certified Plastic Surgeon is the safest and most highly trained physician for your cosmetic needs. A given result can never be promised or guaranteed, but your best chances for your safest and best result lies in the hands of someone has not only received the highest training, but is required to maintain that highest training in a way that sets us apart from other specialties. Those are facts unrelated to ego!
If someone takes a "weekend course" how do you think that they get their practice and who do you think they practice on? I have had to try to fix the lipo done by the obgyns in my area and I say "try" because often its not really possible to fix the situation that they have created. But often the patient may be charged less to get them in the door. One tells them they are charging less because they are "giving back to the community".  
I hope this explanation helps. Best wishes

You have made a great point and it should be more regulated, but it is virtually impossible to control who does liposuction and other "plastic surgery" operations. An MD license does give you the privilege  to operate as well "practice medicine", but it does not mean you're trained the same way a board certified plastic surgeon has been trained. That's why patients need to do their research! This is not likely to change for a variety of reasons which we cannot go into at this time.

One of the most common misconceptions in medicine is that plastic surgeons are the only ones qualified to perform liposuction. In fact, from its earliest days, liposuction has been a procedure practiced by a number of specialties, chief among them Dermatology.  Dermatologists have pioneered a number of important advances in the procedure. Dermatologists and plastic surgeons are the only two specialties which require training in liposuction in residency. However residency training in liposuction varies from program to program. I established liposuction hands on training for dermatology residents at Tulane in 1983, one of the first programs of any specialty  in the U.S. . I have taught many plastic surgeons at our program, side by side with our dermatology residents. Having personally performed many thousands of liposuctions on patients from every continent (except Antarctica), and seen lots of other work performed by others, I can tell you that the results depend on the individual doctors' skill, not their specialty. I have seen countless botched liposuctions performed by plastic surgeons, along with nice results as well. Studies of data from Florida, where the state keeps statistics of complications form cosmetic procedures, reveal that dermatologists have the best safety record for liposuction. People looking for a good doctor to perform their liposuction would be wise to consult with both experienced dermatologists and plastic surgeons to obtain the best recommendations for their individual situation,William P. Coleman III, MDEditor In Chief, Dermatologic SurgeryClinical Professor of Dermatology, andAdjunct Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery)Tulane University Health Sciences CenterNew Orleans, Louisiana504-455-3180

Once someone is a licensed physician which requires completing medical school and one year of internship that doctor can legally perform any surgical procedure including heart transplants liposuction delivering of babies or anything else.
This has to do with business laws in the United States and not with medical regulation.
There are laws that limit the governments ability to hinder competition.
In other words the United States is a country that allows free trade and once the licensed physician has completed the minimum training they are allowed to compete with any other physician.
There is no residency in cosmetic surgery.
All real recognized board certifications are overseen by the American board of medical specialties.
This organization oversees the board certifications of all normal medical specialties lake dermatology, OB/GYN, general surgery plastic surgery etc. etc. etc.
Just like legally any doctor can perform any surgical procedure any person conform any medical board they wish.
The American Board of cosmetic surgery is one of these boards.
It is not recognized by the American Board of medical specialties.
You would think the majority of members of the American Board of cosmetic surgery would be plastic surgeons.
They are not there all the doctors who want to perform cosmetic surgery but don't have the appropriate training.
You're bored certificates look very impressive and for most laypeople it's difficult to discern the difference.
Cosmetic surgery can be easy and can be difficult.
You should know that it's not just the procedure that counts.
Having cosmetic surgery performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon assures that the patient is given all the alternative procedures, complications can be recognized and treated, the surgeries can be reformed an accredited operating rooms, using board-certified anesthesiologist.
There are regulations however that each medical institution can apply.
For example the hospital will generally never Grant privileges to a dermatologist to do facelifts.
So I doctor that does not have proper qualifications will need to own their own facility to do the procedures.
Since many procedures including liposuction can be done in office settings this gives an open door to doctors not trained in plastic surgery to perform these types of cosmetic surgery.
Certain procedures like an abdominoplasty generally always requires General Anastasia.
Therefore you will find very few doctors not board-certified in plastic surgery offering these procedures.
However, if a doctor owns their own surgery center then they can give them selves privileges to perform any procedure they wish.
In the end it's up to the patient to get educated before moving forward with elective surgery.
The question you bring up is unique to cosmetic surgery because of the lucrative nature.
Personal greed basically bushes certain individuals to perform procedures are not properly trained in to make a better living then they can practicing the type of medicine and they were trained in.
Glad you're still alive.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom M.D.