The American Board of Medical Specialties is recognized as the “gold standard” in physician certification.  They are the overseeing body that accredits the 24 approved medical specialty boards.  One of those specialty boards is the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  The ABMS assists the specialty boards in their development of standards and their physician evaluation and certification processes. If someone inquires as to whether or not your doctor is board certified,  they generally  are referring to  board certification  by one of the specialty boards approved by the ABMS.  Many boards exist, but not all of them are regulated.  And not all of them can provide patients with an assurance of quality  and an assurance of their physician members’ medical competence.  Physicians who are board certified by one of the specialty boards recognized by the ABMS are likely to be better trained and more rigorously scrutinized than those who are not, which,  it is hoped, will ensure  better quality of care for patients.

The only plastic surgery board accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties is the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  When you are looking for a plastic surgeon, don’t just ask if they are board certified; ask if they are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  The mission of the ABPS is to “promote safe, ethical, efficacious plastic surgery to the public by maintaining high standards for the education, examination, certification and maintenance of certification for plastic surgeons as specialists and subspecialists.”

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons