I once bought the DVD “Spider-man” from a street vendor in New York. The movie was still in the theaters and although I felt unlikely that this was legit, it was only $5. To my surprise, the movie was actually on the DVD. It was a low quality home video obviously taken by a patron of the movie. The gentleman’s head in the row ahead cut out the bottom third of the screen. Clearly, “knock-offs” are rarely the same quality as the original.
I should have known better. The gentleman who sold me the movie kept his movies in a “pack and run” blanket and kept looking nervously over his shoulder.
Unfortunately “knock-off” cosmetic surgeons do not tip their hand as easily. Years ago, a patient simply had to make sure that their plastic surgeon was board certified to be safe. I can assure you that this is no longer the case. There are thousands of physicians doing plastic surgeons who are “board certified” but have no training in plastic surgery.
I received a fax last week from one of these cosmetic surgery boards offering me “certification” by their board. Their requirements for certification were 1) be a physician, 2) send an application and 3) Pay the $300 application fee. I would receive a beautiful framed certificate to hang proudly in my office.
Be very careful if your surgeon uses the term “cosmetic surgeon” at all. Most plastic surgeons will use the term “plastic surgeon”, even if the majority of their practice is cosmetic surgery.
There are dozens of cosmetic surgery boards. There is only ONE board that certifies plastic surgeons. The American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is the only board that is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The training requirements are strict. The ethical standards are strict. The cosmetic surgery training is balanced and complete.
It is downright sneaky how close to the “American Board of Plastic Surgery” some of these boards have come with their names. An innocent patient when asking about the board status of a cosmetic surgeon could hear “yes, I am certified by the American Board of <fill in the blank> Plastic Surgery” and think nothing of it. In fact, the name would imply that they are a sub-specialized plastic surgeon in the field of cosmetic surgery. Purposely misleading.
Taxi drivers are excellent drivers. Their license fortunately doesn’t allow them to fly planes.