What is the difference between the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Board of Plastic Surgeons

Hello. That’s a great question that shows you were doing your homework. The American board of plastic surgeons requires multiple examinations and is a certification that guarantees a level of excellence experience and ethics.

The American society of plastic surgeons is an organization for plastic surgeons that hosts meetings and provides educational resources. There are criteria to belong to the American society of plastic surgeons, and board certification is one of them.

Since your surgeon is in Mexico, unless he trained and took examinations in the United States, he cannot be Board Certified by the American board, but to be an international member he must be board certified in his own country and have a letter of recommendation from an ASPS member to “vouch” for his skills and ethics.

Sometimes the choice to use local anesthesia is to improve patient safety. However, sometimes it just means that the physician is not credentialed to be able to utilize general anesthesia. I would clarify the distinction before you move forward.

Hope this helps!

Hello thriving 165554. Thank you for your question regarding the differences between the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Board of Plastic Surgeons (ABPS).

The American Board of Plastic Surgery is the official medical board that certifies doctors to be plastic surgeons. It is an organization responsible for administering both the written and oral exams necessary for a surgeon to qualify as a board-certified plastic surgeon. Most plastic surgeons practicing in the USA are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

In contrast, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is an elective organization. The ASPS hosts meetings several times a year to present papers and discuss recent advances in all fields of plastic surgery. They also publish a journal where medical articles are shared. Essentially, the ABPS functions as a testing and administrative body, while the ASPS serves as an academic, elective, and social organization.

Regarding your plastic surgeon's use of local anesthesia for your tummy tuck, this approach is not advisable. To repair the rectus abdominis muscle during a tummy tuck, the patient needs to be paralyzed, which is not achievable with local anesthesia. Local anesthesia will not relax the muscles sufficiently to achieve a tight closure. Additionally, less fat can be removed under local anesthesia compared to general anesthesia.

Please seek a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in performing tummy tucks and 360 liposuction.

Thank you for your question regarding the differences between these two organizations and the anesthesia concerns for your procedure.

Sincerely,

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FASMBS, FICS

The board of plastic surgery administers the exams for surgeons who have completed their training. The Society is a group of members that a plastic surgeon can joint nice the surgeon has passed the exam. You shouid look for a surgeon who has both been certified by the board and is a member of the society

There are great surgeons in Mexico and great surgeons in the US. In Mexico however, consumer protections are essentially non-existent. Surgeons in the US must abide by rules, regulations, and ethical standards promoted and enforced by state medical boards, by specialty societies, by accrediting agencies, and by the federal government. Consumers have recourse through several mechanisms but most notably via the plaintiff's bar. In Mexico, you'll save money, but the reason for that is you forfeit all consumer protections you have in the US. Your risk increases. The systems imposed upon US doctors add tremendous expenses to practice here, and those expenses are passed on to consumers in the form of higher costs of care. Abdominoplasty under local anesthesia? Hmmm....

The American Board of Plastic Surgeons regulates the board exams for USA plastic surgeons. The American Society of Plastics Surgeons is an organization that is opened to those surgeons who have passed their oral and written board exams and other qualifications. Liposuction under local anesthesia works nicely, but I do not recommend this for the tuck if the muscle is to be tightened.

It's great that you are researching your surgeon carefully. The board administers exams that plastic surgeons must pass in order to become board certified. You absolutely want a surgeon who is board certified. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is an organization that plastic surgeons can join once they are board certified. For a tummy tuck and 360 liposuction general anesthesia is recommended. This is for your safety and the quality of your results. Keep up the research and be sure to ask lots of questions.

There are multiple questions and issues presented here. First the American Board of Plastic surgery is a subsidiary of the American board of medical specialties. This is the only certifying Organization that test and list plastic surgeons who have passed certifying examinations in Plastic surgery . The American society of plastic surgeons is a society organization that plastic surgeons can join in a membership once they become board certified by the American border Plastic surgery they are two separate organizations a doctor is a member of the American sided plastic surgeons most likely since he’s in Mexico, he’s in the internationalbranch of that society does not mean he’s certified. He is an international member. This doctor might be board-certified in the country he practices? Also the other issue was doing abdominal ectomy or tummy tuck under anesthesia. The majority of plastic surgeons in the United States would not attempt to do an abdominal plasty under local Anest. branch of that society does not mean he’s certified. He is an international member. This doctor might be board-certified in the country he practices? Also the other issue was doing abdominal ectomy or tummy tuck under anesthesia. The majority of plastic surgeons in the United States would not attempt to do a abdominal plasty under local anesthesia. So you see there are multiple issues here , best to have in person consultation doctors in the United States the Bordertown in Texas I assume or do a virtual consult with certified US doctors

I generally do not recommend people travel, long distances to have elective surgical procedures.
In this case, the distance may not be long, but the difference in medical standards is dramatic. Once you hop across the border.
I’ve heard too many horror. Stories of surgery gone wrong in Mexico to recommend anybody go there for elective cosmetic surgery, if you live in the United States.
Tummy tuck is a highly invasive operation that should be done an anesthesiologist and preferably general anesthesia.
There are people who do mini tummy tucks with anesthesia and sedation.
Personally, I suggest these procedures be done properly.
The American board of plastic surgeons, determine educational criteria And are under the umbrella of the American board of the medical specialties which overseas residency training criteria for all medical specialties.
The American Society is just an organization of plastic surgeons.
There are several.
The American Society of plastic surgeons happens to be the biggest plastic surgery society in the United States.
Admission criteria for the American Society of plastic surgeons is fairly unrestrained in comparison to getting board Certification.
I am board-certified, but no longer belong to the Americans Society of plastic surgeons because I’m tired of paying their annual dues.I suggest consulting with local plastic surgeons north of the border.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD