In order to set things straight, a Cosmetic Surgeon is a surgeon who performs Cosmetic Surgery and a Plastic Surgeon (of course) performs Plastic Surgery. It sounds obvious, but what does this really mean?
Plastic Surgery is a body of knowledge encompassing amongst other things Cosmetic Surgery. In order to become a Plastic Surgeon, one completes a Plastic Surgery Residency. In order to qualify to enter a Plastic Surgery Residency, one must complete at least three years of a General Surgery Residency. Currently, most Plastic Surgery Residents have completed a full General Surgery Residency (Five to Seven Years, depending upon the institution) or a full Orthopedic, Urologic, Otolaryngologic, or Neurosurgical Residency.
Plastic Surgeons are trained for an additional two to three years after this primary Residency. This translates into total education of at least:
4 Years College
4 Years Medical School
3 Years Surgical Residency (more often 5-7 as noted above)
2 Years Plastic Surgery Residency
It seems like a long time, doesn't it? When something is difficult or lengthy, the natural tendency is for some people to try to figure a short cut. As Cosmetic Surgery is a lucrative field, other specialties started to practice it. Now Otolaryngologists, Ophthalmologists, and Plastic Surgeons (and even a few Dermatologists) perform blepharoplasty. How good are these people the actual procedure? There's the rub. The Plastic Surgeon has most definitely been trained as to how to do the operation. Some of the other specialists (except the Dermatologists) have had formal surgical training, so they might know how to do it. Some have done extra training to gain expertise in certain cosmetic procedures and others have done them for a long period of time. Dermatologists train as to the care of the skin and therefore get some experience removing skin cancers. The problem is that you the consumer have no real way of knowing the surgical quality of the physician that you might see. The same logic more or less applies to other Cosmetic Surgical Procedures such as Breast Augmentation, Liposuction, Face Lift, Rhinoplasty, etc...
The bottom line is that Plastic Surgeons (those that have completed a Plastic Surgery Residency) have been trained how to do Cosmetic surgery. Those in other specialties may perform the procedure, but the extent to which they have been trained may be questionable.
The ABMS is the board that oversees the training in 24 different specialties, including Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery. Board Certification (and/or Eligibility) by one of these specialties is considered by those in American medicine the mark of of a quality physician.
The training imparted by training in any residency program has a great deal to do with the field in which the training occurred. In Plastic Surgery, this means a great deal, as there are many differently trained physicians performing surgery in many areas of the body.
Why Do I Mention This? Well in my surfing today I found the site of a doctor specializing in phalloplasty (Plastic Surgery Of The Penis). I do not perform this type of surgery, so I proceeded to look into the featured physician's qualifications. He is board certificed by the American Board Of Otolaryngology, an ABMS board, meaning he is trained in surgery of the Head and Neck. Since when was surgery of the Head and Neck inclusive of surgery of the genitalia? One of the doctor's other board qualifications (stated on his web site) is the American Board Of Facial Cosmetic Surgery. This is not at present an ABMS board and really means little in surgery of the genitalia.
At the present time, there is not one board in the ABMS listing with the word "Cosmetic" in it. Therefore, I would suggest to you that you should be suspicious when a surgeon presents a board qualification to you including the word "Cosmetic." Look for eligibility and/or certification in ABMS boards when you choose your surgeon. Then look to see what that residency teaches.
You as the consumer (or potential consumer) are thereby left with the choice of whom to trust with your appearance. With this in mind, here are a few suggestions for you....
(1) Inquire with regards to your potential surgeons training....Is he/she Board Eligible or Board Certified? By what Board? By the American Board of Plastic Surgery? (This means he/she has completed a Plastic Surgery Residency.)
"My doctor is a member of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Isn't this just as good?"