Any surgical procedure requires trust between a patient and their surgeon. It’s especially true for patients seeking cosmetic surgery to help them achieve their cosmetic goals. Every surgery comes with risks, and you need to know that the surgeon operating on you is experienced, sensitive to your needs, and fully qualified.
But how do you know if you’ve found the best facelift surgeon? This article will help guide you through vetting and selecting the best plastic surgeon. By the end, you’ll feel confident and ready to choose the right plastic surgeon that’s right for you.
Ready for a complimentary facelift consultation? Contact us at Elite Facial Plastic Surgery today!
Ask About Their Credentials
All modern medical practitioners are held to extremely high standards in the US. However, despite these standards, there are some shocking loopholes. Surprisingly, any medical doctor in the US can legally perform plastic surgery, even if they are not a board-certified plastic surgeon.
Though some states—like Florida, California, Texas, and Louisiana—have laws preventing doctors from falsely advertising their credentials, nothing prevents someone specializing in dermatology or orthopedic surgery from performing a facelift.
That’s why it is extremely important to ask about a plastic surgeon’s credentials. Only choose a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS)
Certification is voluntary but it proves to patients that an ABFPRS surgeon has fulfilled the necessary standards to receive this accreditation. The Board has established a mechanism for the education, qualification, training, review, and certification of surgeons specializing in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The specific objectives of the Board are:
- To establish standards of qualifications for achieving and maintaining certification for facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons.
- To determine which candidates fulfill these standards of qualification.
- To conduct examinations of such candidates and issue certificates upon satisfactory completion of requirements.
- To improve and broaden the opportunities for graduate education and training of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons.
American Board Certification in Plastic Surgery (ABPS)
This certification is also voluntary, but it proves to patients that an ABPS certified plastic surgeon has completed at least six years as a resident surgeon in an accredited medical program—with three of those years devoted to plastic surgery. Additionally, plastic surgeons must pass numerous written and oral examinations to be certified.
In addition to ABPS certification, you should make sure that any plastic surgeon you choose is also a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
The ASPS is a professional network of plastic surgeons formed in 1931 to raise the standards of care and excellence in plastic surgery, advance science and research in plastic surgery, and represent the professional interests and consensus of plastic surgeons in the United States.
To join the ASPS, a plastic surgeon must first be board certified by the ABPS. Think of it this way—an ABPS certification proves that a plastic surgeon received the proper training and education. An ASPS membership proves that a plastic surgeon is professionally connected and aware of the latest techniques and standards of practice.
When choosing a facelift surgeon, you should ensure that the surgeon has certification from the ABPS and is a member of the ASPS.
Research Their Facelift Expertise
The human face is the most evident and apparent visual marker of our identities. We use our faces to tell each other apart, show others how we are feeling, and mark our social media profiles. Our faces are unique features that we can’t afford to mess up.
Because our faces are so important, they require extra attention to detail and extreme sensitivity. Facial plastic surgeons need to have more coordination and technical skills than other plastic surgeons. While board certification and membership to the ABFPRS are extremely important prerequisites, the vetting process shouldn’t stop there.
A facial plastic surgeon can have board certification from the ABFPRS, ABPS, or be an ASPS member, and still have never performed a facelift. Plastic surgery has many, many highly specialized areas of practice, and you need to make sure that the plastic surgeon you choose excels at performing facial cosmetic surgery.
Schedule a Consultation With The Facelift Surgeon
After checking their credentials and expertise, it’s time you meet face to face with a plastic surgeon to make sure they are the right fit for you. This step is crucial for a few reasons.
Having a consultation with a prospective facial plastic surgeon allows you to determine whether or not you’ll get along.
With a consultation, you can get a feel for their personality, tastes, and sensibilities. But, most importantly, you’ll get a sense of whether or not they put their patients’ needs first.
Compassion and Integrity
Ideally, the facial plastic surgeon you choose will prioritize your needs, address your concerns and promote your well-being. A cosmetic surgeon should never be pushy, cold, or come across as a cosmetic car salesperson.
An excellent plastic surgeon should foster trust and partnership—think of them as your beauty guide. Their main concern should be to help you achieve your cosmetic goals.
Cosmetic Surgeon Red Flags
Avoid plastic surgeons who:
- Are pushy or feel like a salesperson
- Promise unrealistic results
- Are vague about the procedure and the results
- Have a “too good to be true” feel about them
- Won’t discuss risks or complications
- Come across as cold, dispassionate, or indifferent
Ask Plenty of Questions
You need to come to the consultation with questions to get a sense of your cosmetic surgeon’s personality and aesthetic sensibilities. Beauty is a subjective experience, and you want to choose a warm and compassionate plastic surgeon who shares your beauty standards.
Consider asking them:
- What are the non-surgical alternatives to facelift procedures?
- What will I look like after the surgery?
- How long have you been practicing plastic surgery?
- How many facelifts have you performed?
- What different facelift techniques do you specialize in?
- What made you want to be a plastic surgeon?
- Do you have examples of your work?
Ask About Hospital Care and Accreditations
You also need to make sure that the facility where the facelift will be performed is fully accredited. If the surgical facility isn’t accredited by ASPS-approved organizations, you risk the quality of the results, the success of the procedure, and your well-being.
There are several medical organizations used to accredit surgical facilities in Florida and the US:
- Florida Office Surgery Registration and Inspection Program
- Joint Commission (JCAHO)
- Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC)
- American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAASF)
Accreditation from the above organizations is not legally required for surgical facilities to operate. However, just because it’s optional for them doesn’t mean it should be optional for you. Accreditation ensures that the facilities maintain high standards of care and safety. When choosing the right cosmetic surgeon, make sure they perform facelifts in an accredited facility.
Review Testimonials From Other Patients
It is crucial that you read genuine patient reviews and testimonials and view patient-submitted results. What would you do if a plastic surgeon checked all the right boxes—they were ABPS certified members of the ASPS, made you feel comfortable in the consultation, and operated at an accredited facility—but every review was negative?
What if the results posted by patients on forums and social media looked nothing like the results on their website or in their office? If you didn’t check, you wouldn’t have known. Everything could look good on paper, but if the results don’t look good and patient testimonials aren’t positive, you should look elsewhere.
Evaluate Customer Service
As a final measure, you should also consider how the staff, nurses, and medical technicians treat you. The plastic surgeon might not come across as a salesperson, but maybe that’s the nurse’s or the receptionist’s job.
If you arrive for your consultation and are pleased by the doctor but are treated poorly by other medical staff, you need to ask yourself if this is the place you want to trust with the results of your facelift.
Speak With a Facelift Surgeon at Elite Facial Plastic Surgery Today
Elite Facial Plastic Surgery is not only an accredited surgical facility but its owner, Dr. Dominic Castellano, is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon and a board-certified otolaryngologist (head and neck) surgeon. He has dedicated his practice to performing cosmetic and reconstructive cosmetic facial surgeries, and the results—and patient testimonials—show it.
Call Elite Facial Plastic Surgery today at 813-576-2289 or contact us using our online form to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Dominic.
