Who is Qualified to Do Liposuction?

Laws tend to vary from state.  In most states, any medical doctor with a license can perform liposuction.  However, it is vital that one remembers liposuction is a surgical procedure requiring special training, expertise, and experience.  Just because any licensed doctor can perform the procedure, does not mean this is the right choice for a given patient.  I recommend that patients consult with a board certified plastic surgeon with experience performing liposuction.  Sometimes it is best to see multiple surgeons to determine which one is right for you. 

Bear in mind that liposuction is surgery: Incisions are made (even if tiny), instruments are inserted into the body, and tissue is removed, some times in large amounts. There is a lot of marketing hype these days minimizing the surgical aspect of the procedure, but it should be done in a surgical facility. A board certified plastic surgeon (American Board of Plastic Surgery) will only work in properly licensed facilities so choosing an ABPS surgeon is a good place to start..

In Georgia, after internship and passage of the boards, doctors are permitted to perfom legally "medicine and surgery". So although it is legal, it is not necessarily good or even ethical. I would recommend a board certified plastic surgeon (after all,  liposuction is surgery) who performs it regularly.