Who is a cosmetic surgeon
Skin care and cosmetic enhancement/cosmetic surgery
9/18/06
Edward B. Lack MD
President, MetropolitanMD
Chicago’s Cosmetic Surgery Center
Welcome back. After 30+ years in practice I have many experiences I would like to share. Some are funny and some are not. I hope that at the least they will all be interesting.
Today, I would like to address the issue of what is cosmetic surgery and who is a cosmetic surgeon. Unfortunately we have a turf war going on between the American Academy of Plastic Surgery and whoever they feel is encroaching on their wish to control cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic Surgery is surgery performed for the purpose of enhancing appearance- no more and no less. In fact, there is no specialty of medicine or surgery that teaches this field to any significant extent in any residency training program. All cosmetic surgeons, all, have to acquire post graduate training following their residency programs. I do not want to belabor the inadequacy of cosmetic surgical training in residency except to say that a good cosmetic surgeon is a good doctor first and foremost and there is so much to learn in a residency program that it is all we can do to acquire basic knowledge at that time.
Another issue of debate in the campaign for misinformation is that only ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialists) certified boards are legitimate. In fact while ABMS served an important function 20 years ago it has frozen its accreditation process for as long as the past 20 years. Since then, some 60 boards of specialization and sub-specialization have come into existence and to deny them their deserved competency because an old fraternity wishes to protect its club is absurd.
So who or what is a cosmetic surgeon? The discipline of cosmetic surgery is made up of surgeons who have dedicated their training and their careers to the field of cosmetic surgery. Very few cosmetic surgeons practice cosmetic surgery to the exclusion of all surgery in their primary field of training. Therefore, the field of cosmetic surgery is made up of dermatologists, facial plastic surgeons (originally board certified head and neck surgeons), general plastic surgeons, general surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons (originally board certified in ophthalmology), and oral-maxillofacial surgeons. To these I am sure OB-GYN will soon be added. In addition there are many physicians board certified in internal medicine, family practice, and emergency medicine who have added to their training to perform some types of cosmetic surgery.
The only medical organization which embraces all of these specialties and which promotes interdisciplinary education is The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the only board which certifies cosmetic surgeons is The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Both of these can be researched on their websites. However, that is not to say that a well qualified cosmetic surgeon may prefer for his or her own reasons not to participate in either organization.
In coming reports I will discuss the contributions to different aspects of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic enhancement.
Edward B. Lack, MD
9/18/06
Edward B. Lack MD
President, MetropolitanMD
Chicago’s Cosmetic Surgery Center
Welcome back. After 30+ years in practice I have many experiences I would like to share. Some are funny and some are not. I hope that at the least they will all be interesting.
Today, I would like to address the issue of what is cosmetic surgery and who is a cosmetic surgeon. Unfortunately we have a turf war going on between the American Academy of Plastic Surgery and whoever they feel is encroaching on their wish to control cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic Surgery is surgery performed for the purpose of enhancing appearance- no more and no less. In fact, there is no specialty of medicine or surgery that teaches this field to any significant extent in any residency training program. All cosmetic surgeons, all, have to acquire post graduate training following their residency programs. I do not want to belabor the inadequacy of cosmetic surgical training in residency except to say that a good cosmetic surgeon is a good doctor first and foremost and there is so much to learn in a residency program that it is all we can do to acquire basic knowledge at that time.
Another issue of debate in the campaign for misinformation is that only ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialists) certified boards are legitimate. In fact while ABMS served an important function 20 years ago it has frozen its accreditation process for as long as the past 20 years. Since then, some 60 boards of specialization and sub-specialization have come into existence and to deny them their deserved competency because an old fraternity wishes to protect its club is absurd.
So who or what is a cosmetic surgeon? The discipline of cosmetic surgery is made up of surgeons who have dedicated their training and their careers to the field of cosmetic surgery. Very few cosmetic surgeons practice cosmetic surgery to the exclusion of all surgery in their primary field of training. Therefore, the field of cosmetic surgery is made up of dermatologists, facial plastic surgeons (originally board certified head and neck surgeons), general plastic surgeons, general surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons (originally board certified in ophthalmology), and oral-maxillofacial surgeons. To these I am sure OB-GYN will soon be added. In addition there are many physicians board certified in internal medicine, family practice, and emergency medicine who have added to their training to perform some types of cosmetic surgery.
The only medical organization which embraces all of these specialties and which promotes interdisciplinary education is The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the only board which certifies cosmetic surgeons is The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Both of these can be researched on their websites. However, that is not to say that a well qualified cosmetic surgeon may prefer for his or her own reasons not to participate in either organization.
In coming reports I will discuss the contributions to different aspects of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic enhancement.
Edward B. Lack, MD
posted by Edward Lack MD at 6:56 PM
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