Plastic surgery patients have hundreds of options to choose from when it comes to finding the right surgeon. The best way to simplify this process is to start with the basics. Which factor is the most basic of all? Patient safety!

Dr. Geoffrey Keyes, a Los Angeles board certified plastic surgeon and president of the American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF), discusses the importance of patients seeking out whether a surgeon is board certified in his or her specialty, in addition to whether or not their facility is accredited to uphold the safety of patients.

What’s More Important Than Safety?

While it seems like a simple question, all patients must know the answer: Nothing. Not price, not convenience and not the speed of having a procedure done. Dr. Keyes stresses this when he says, “Surgery is surgery, whether it be outpatient procedures or not. Complications do happen, so patients must be confident that they are in capable hands.” Fortunately, this is easy information to obtain. All surgeons and doctors pass tests that give them a license to practice, but not all are board certified in their specialties and practice from an accredited facility. Simply asking a surgeon upon the first consultation will offer up this information.

The Importance of Board Certification and Facility Accreditation

In short, a board certified plastic surgeon is one who has passed stringent oral and written exams focused on plastic surgery in order to be deemed an expert in everything from procedure to safety. Only doctors who are board certified can be fully trusted in their expertise to perform exemplary procedures at the highest levels of standards. While non-certified surgeons may indeed have the skill required, you can only trust those who have been board certified by the peers when it comes to your safety.

In addition, the facility in which a surgeon performs procedures must also be an accredited facility. A board certified plastic surgeon may have what it takes, but his or her facility must also match their expertise and concern for safety. “What many patients don’t realize is a lot of the time, complications in surgery arise not from surgical mistakes, but from patients having genetic predispositions that are exposed during surgery,” says Dr. Keyes. “Perhaps you are prone to blood clots. This risk has nothing to do with whether or not a surgeon perfectly executes a procedure; it may just happen. Only with a board certified surgeon can you safely trust they will have the ability to handle any possible situation. Only with a board certified plastic surgeon operating in an accredited facility will you know that all tools possible are at their disposable to keep you safe.”

Want the best plastic surgery from the safest hands? Keyes says, board certification is key.

“Patients who are serious about any procedure must seek out board certified plastic surgeons to achieve the highest guarantee of success and safety,” stresses Keyes. “The possibilities that could arise from procedures done by non-board certified surgeons could make matters, and their physical appearance, worse.” When all is said and done, those looking for plastic surgery are attempting to better their physical appearance and want to do so as safely as possible. If you’re committed to making these physical changes, a board certified plastic surgeon in an accredited facility is the best guarantee for success and safety.