Patients often choose surgeons based upon some pretty weak indicators of anything meaningful. In areas like Southern California they have many many choices and the advertising volume is enormous. It has been said there are more plastic surgeons (and even more non-plastic surgeons who offer cosmetic surgery) in Orange County than in many other States. Patients have used such criteria as office décor, attractiveness of staff and procedure cost (both low and high) to select a surgeon. These methods are not really effective if quality is the goal anyway. So in all seriousness how should a potential patient determine a surgeon's worth in an area like the OC with so many from which to choose?

Maybe start by asking the question:

"Would a hospital allow your prospective surgeon to do the operation that you request?"

Hospitals assess qualifications by looking into the training that is appropriate for a given specialist. All surgeons should have completed medical school, but they really only learn medical basics in that training. After medical school, plastic surgeons complete at least one surgical residency. Surgical residencies are formal training programs focusing surgeons on surgery of particular body areas. It is in these programs that surgeons learn how to operate. Upon completion of such a training program, a surgeon then seeks board certification. Completion of a particular residency program and such certification signifies that the physician has been appropriately educated in surgery of that area. In the United States, the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS) oversees a group of medical boards involved in the training of new doctors. The ABMS boards that oversee physicians trained in plastic surgery are the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery. They are meant to signify training of plastic surgeons for the whole body and for the head and neck respectively.

In order to allow a prospective surgeon to operate on the premises, hospitals generally require that a surgeon have completed the appropriate residency (approved by the ABMS) and be either board certified or on the way to board certification by that board.

With that in mind here is a very basic method that can be used to check out a prospective surgeon:

[1] Go to the ABMS website and run your surgeon's name and state through the database. See if he/she is certified and in what specialty.

[2] Go you your State Medical Board's website and run your surgeon's name for disciplinary actions and large malpractice awards.

[3] Ask what hospital your doctor uses from his staff and call the hospital medical staff office. Ask if your doctor has privileges to do your procedure there at the hospital.

This simple process gives you information on your perspective surgeon's qualifications and history. Whether or not his philosophy in cosmetic surgery is similar to yours is much harder to assess. In competitive plastic surgery markets like Orange County, many surgeons look at their job much like that of a short order cook. They will do what you ask without much discussion. In my opinion, the better surgeons advise you what is best and help steer you in the better directions.  They at times do this willing to lose your business to do that which is best. Integrity can cost a surgical practice money. Sometimes the best option for a patient I not to operate.

In regions like Orange County, you need to be careful of what you ask. I remember a patient who came for a second opinion after asking her former surgeon to make her breast implants as large as possible. He did it and she was miserable. Get your information, think rationally and this will not be your experience.

This article was adapted from Dr Di Saia's web site. The original piece is here.