By plastic surgeon Dr Dirk Kremer. 

If you’ve been considering plastic surgery you’ve probably been reading up on plastic surgeons who can carry out the specific cosmetic procedures that you’re interested in. As part of that research, you may have seen the term ‘board-certified’ pop up and wondered what it actually means for a plastic surgeon to be board-certified.

Well, choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon to perform your cosmetic procedure is incredibly important, so I feel it’s vital that I help you to better understand what it actually means to be board-certified and why it’s key for a patient to choose a plastic surgeon who has obtained the correct credentials.

Cosmetic surgery is an elective type of surgery so unlike many other medical specialists who are legally required to hold board certification in order to practice their profession, such as cardiologists, plastic surgeons do not need to be board-certified.

However, this doesn’t mean the gates are safely open for patients to go ahead and choose the first plastic surgeon they come across. Far from it. In fact, it makes choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon even more imperative as it’s otherwise difficult to assess just how skilled, experienced and educated a particular plastic surgeon is.

Read: Your guide to choosing a plastic surgeon in London

What does it mean when a plastic surgeon is board-certified?

Cosmetic surgeons complete post-secondary education over several years to gain knowledge and skills that allow them to work in the plastic surgery industry, but not all go on to complete the extra several years of further intensive education that is required to become board-certified.

This extra rigorous training and series of exams is what separates a board-certified plastic surgeon from the rest and ensures they are surgeons who are safe, ethical, highly skilled and have extensive knowledge in plastic surgery.

Why is it better to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon?

With board-certification not currently being a legal requirement, you may wonder why so many in the industry continually highlight the importance of still making sure you choose a reputable board-certified plastic surgeon.

Cosmetic surgery isn’t performed within the traditional medical system and within London alone there is a huge number of practicing plastic surgeons of varying experience, skills, specialities and certification.

It’s better to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon because this will mean you can rest assured that particular plastic surgeon has opted to take additional education so that they can perform cosmetic procedures to the very highest standards in the safest environment. Board-certified plastic surgeons are also required to attend ongoing training to maintain their certification, so you can also be sure that they are performing their procedures with the latest and most innovative techniques.

Read: Why it’s important to choose a board-certified cosmetic surgeon

Here at Harley Street Aesthetics in London I offer a wide range of cosmetic procedures as well as non-invasive aesthetic treatments. To discuss a procedure and your situation in more detail, don’t hesitate to get in touch so that we can book you in for an initial consultation. You can call 0845 519 7232, e-mail info@harleystreetaesthetics.com or complete the simple online contact form.