Getting Started - Choosing a Plastic Surgeon for Breast Augmentation - Checking Credentials

Putting Together a List of Potential Plastic Surgeons

The following is a list of places to start when you are gathering a list of potential plastic surgeons. Remember - this list is designed to give you a start, not make the final decision. There's still a lot of qualification-checking to do once you have a doctor or several doctors in mind. (There's more on qualification-checking later in this section.)

1. Family members and friends - If anyone you know has had a breast augmentation, talk to them. Ask them who they chose, why they chose them and if they were happy with the results.
2. Your family doctor - Your doctor may be able to recommend a plastic surgeon to you.
3. Hospitals in the area - Find out which board certified plastic surgeons have operating privileges in their hospital. Hospital operating privileges signify official approval from the hospital.
4. Directories, commercials, web sites and advertising - Since plastic surgery is a highly competitive field, you will find that many more plastic surgeons advertise than do practitioners of other medical specialties. Exercise caution when you use advertising to pick a doctor, because the newspapers, magazines, TV stations and Yellow Pages don't check qualifications when they accept advertising dollars. However, certain groups or professional societies only accept board certified plastic surgeons and the directories they publish contain only names of doctors who are certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

You've still got some work ahead of you before you select the doctor to perform your breast augmentation, but this should get you started!

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Coming up:

1. Choosing a Plastic Surgeon and Checking Credentials

2. Getting Started - Choosing a Plastic Surgeon (You are here)

3. Top Ten Ways to Find a Plastic Surgeon

4. The Importance of Board Certification

5. Verifying Board Certification

6. Society Membership

7. State Licensure - Is Your Doctor Licensed to Practice?

Next Stop: Top Ten Ways to Find a Qualified Plastic Surgeon