Three Tips to Help You Choose the Best Cosmetic Surgeon

As cosmetic surgery technologies and methods have become safer, more natural-looking and more affordable, the societal taboos that used to surround these procedures has virtually disappeared. In fact, almost 14 million Americans underwent some kind of cosmetic procedure in 2011 alone — spending an incredible $10.1 billion while doing so!

So if you’re thinking about undergoing one of these procedures as a way to restore your self-confidence, you’re certainly not alone. But when it comes to picking out which surgeon you want to perform your procedure, things can become a little more confusing.

Are you sure you’re selecting the right cosmetic surgeon for your desired rhinoplasty or facelift surgery? To make sure your cosmetic surgery treatment helps you look and feel your absolute best, follow these three tips for choosing a cosmetic surgeon:

Only go to cosmetic surgeons with board certification

This is truly non-negotiable: if you’re going to get plastic surgery, never go to a surgeon who doesn’t have certification from the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS). Technically, the government doesn’t require surgeons to be certified in the specialized area of surgery in which they practice — but to get the best results and to ensure you’re safe throughout your surgery, a surgeon with ABCS certification is the only way to go.

Seek surgeons with experience in the procedure you want

Just as you wouldn’t want to hire a heart surgeon to perform a brain surgery, you should choose a cosmetic surgeon who is specialized in working with the feature you want to change. If you’re thinking of getting a rhinoplasty, for example, seek out a cosmetic surgeon who knows noses; operating on the nose’s cartilage and breathing channels is not something you want in the wrong hands.

Select a surgeon who shares your aesthetic sense

Not everyone agrees on beauty. What some people find beautiful, others may find ugly. Because of this, your ideal cosmetic surgeon will share your general aesthetic sensibilities to make sure he or she delivers the results you want. A good way to do this is look at the before and after photos of the surgeon’s previous patients; do their results look like the ones you would want? If not, it might be time to look elsewhere.

Have any other questions for us about finding the right cosmetic surgeon for your planned facelift procedure or cosmetic surgery? Feel free to ask by leaving a comment below.