A big problem for many people is that a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon can be confused. However, while cosmetic surgery is a type of plastic surgery, cosmetic surgeons can only perform cosmetic procedures, explains Dr. Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty that deals both with improving a person's appearance and with reconstructing facial and body tissue defects caused by diseases, injuries or congenital disorders.
Rebuilding a breast after a mastectomy is a reconstructive procedure that should only be performed by a plastic surgeon. The training, experience and knowledge needed to become a certified cosmetic surgeon reflect a specialization that goes beyond what is needed to become certified in a related discipline, such as plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is defined as a surgical specialty dedicated to the reconstruction of facial and body defects caused by congenital disorders, injuries, burns and diseases. A significant number of plastic surgeons choose to focus their practice on cosmetic surgery, and as such, the terms are often used interchangeably.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the other major society that certifies plastic surgeons. If you've always thought that cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery were the same thing, you're not alone. Jordan Jacobs, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Mount Sinai Center in New York, told Healthline. While both cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery aim to improve the patient's body, the general philosophies that guide training, research, and goals for patients are different.
Plastic and cosmetic surgery can include surgical, minimally invasive, or even non-surgical procedures. It is important to select a doctor who is certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Because cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery have different practice objectives based on a set of specific procedures, it only follows that the training and certification process of a certified cosmetic surgeon will be very different from that of a board-certified plastic surgeon. Plastic surgery residency programs may include cosmetic surgery as part of surgeon training, but usually do not include training in all cosmetic procedures. Elective cosmetic procedures are performed by doctors from a variety of medical fields, including plastic surgeons.
According to the ABPS, board-certified plastic surgeons can only operate in properly certified centers and can only perform in-office procedures for those who also have hospital privileges.
