What criteria should I use to select a plastic surgeon?

If you look up "plastic surgery" on the internet, you'll come across a number of horror stories where patients recount how they went in to see a doctor for a simple, routine procedure, yet things didn't go as planned. We can learn a lot about things we should avoid when selecting our own plastic surgeon by simply reading those stories.

Once you identify a plastic surgeon that you like, you should go to the American Board of Medical Specialties' website and check and see if they're American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) certified. If they're not, then you may want to continue your search.

If you do verify that they're ABPS certified, then you'll want to verify that the facility is properly accredited as well. If they are, it's highly likely that their staff will be thoroughly licensed and trained, have necessary emergency supplies, medications and updated equipment on hand.

Once you've confirmed that both the doctor and facility are properly accredited, you'll next want to inquire about your surgeon's expertise including whether they regularly perform your desired procedure and how long that they've been doing it.

You'll want to ask them to see pictures of their work to get a feel for how patients looked before and after. When looking at them, you'll want to make that they're capable of producing unique looks instead of a single trademark one.

When it's time for your consultation with your doctor, you'll want to pay close attention to what they say about balance and proportion. You should be leery of any doctor who tries to pressure you into a surgery that they claim will leave you with "wow" results. You should also feel the same way about any doctor who is evasive in answering questions or tries to belittle your anxiety about your impending surgery.

Any surgery, whether essential or elective, carries risks. Some of these may include unexpected diseases, disfigurement and permanent physical impairments. When a doctor graduates from medical school, they take an oath to "first do no harm." If your doctor's negligence left you worse off than when you initially saw them, then a Tucson surgical errors attorney may advise you of your right to sue them for damages.