Finding a Plastic Surgeon in Los Angeles
Finding a plastic surgeon is a serious endeavor not to be taken lightly. Two important factors need to be considered when you embark on this task: the surgeon’s credentials and their personality.
First however you will need a pool of eplastic surgeons in the Los Angeles area to choose from. You may start by getting recommendations from friends and family. Another good source of recommendations can come from personal family doctors, local hospitals or directories. Verify that each surgeon in your list of potentials is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is the most basic qualification check. A board certified surgeon must complete the certain educational requirements, must also have passed written and oral exams, and have practiced plastic surgery for at least two years.
Next you may want to find out where the surgeon went to school. A simple way is to visit their office and simply ask them. If they evade this question, that is a huge red flag. They should be happy to give you any information you think is relevant about their schooling and training. Also ask if they completed a residency in plastic surgery. During a residency, usually two or three years, they will have learned a wide array of cosmetics surgery procedures.
Some other less obvious things to investigate are whether the surgeon has hospital privileges for plastic surgery in a Los Angeles area hospital. They should be up to date and experienced in the procedure you wish to have done. You may also try to seek out nurses or other professional the doctor has performed operations with to get another perspective. Another avenue is to check what societies the plastic surgeon belongs to and what the requirements for membership the societies specify. This can give further insight into the professional acumen of the surgeon and his relevance in the medical community. Finally you can talk to patients that the surgeon has performed the cosmetic procedure on and gage their satisfaction. Are they happy with the results? Are they satisfied with the service and care? Did they get the look they desired?
Evaluating a doctor’s personality is something you should be already a natural at. In this realm you can go with your gut. It’s beneficial that you like the person but more important that you be comfortable with their level of professionalism and contentiousness. Remember, if some goes wrong with the procedure, you may be seeing a lot of this person. One percent of all surgeries result in a major complication, plastic surgery included. Hopefully that will not be the case as you do your diligent research and scrutinizing of your Los Angeles area plastic surgeons.