How do I Make Sure My Surgeon Really is a Plastic Surgeon?

It’s not always as straight forward as it should be, as believe it or not, practioners have been known to lie or mislead about their qualifications, so unfortunately you can’t always rely on what they say, or even what they publish about themselves!

If you want to be sure that your doctor really is a genuine, formally trained and accredited plastic surgeon, call the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons to verify his or her membership.

What about doctors who are members of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS)?

Members of the The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery are not usually plastic surgeons, however they may be formally trained surgeons of other kinds eg. ENT’s and general surgeons or they may not be formally trained, Australian Medical Council (AMC) accredited surgical specialists at all, they may be dermatologists or GP’s.

The AMC is the only body which is officially authorised within the Australian system to endow medical entities, be they individual doctors, or organisations, with government accreditation.

Therefore whilst the individual members of the ACCS will be AMC accredited as GP’s and so on, any cosmetic surgery training with the ACCS, will not be AMC accredited.

The ACCS itself is not an AMC accredited body.

So if a doctor tells you he is ‘ACCS accredited’ in cosmetic surgery you need to bear in mind that that so-called accreditation itself, has no standing with the AMC, it is not recognised specialist training.

It is legal albeit highly controversial for non plastic surgeons, including GP’s to perform cosmetic surgery, and to describe themselves as cosmetic surgeons.

Bone fide plastic surgeons are AMC accredited surgical specialists with at least 7 years of training further to their basic GP degree attainment.

Cosmetic Surgeons versus Plastic Surgeons

What’s the big difference? They all do boob jobs don’t they? They sure do, but there’s a little more to consider than just that!

Actually ‘cosmetic versus plastic’ is one of the most controversial issues in cosmetic surgery, and if you’re thinking about having cosmetic surgery of any kind, it’s an issue you need to get your head around before you take the big leap.

Another thing you need to get your head around is that this industry is not well regulated, in fact it’s barely regulated at all, and this may be hard for some to believe.

Many consumers assume wrongly I’m afraid, that because it’s surgery, the regulators must be right across it. That’s the way it should be of course, but unfortunately that’s not the way that it is.

Did you know that anyone with a basic medical degree is legally, albeit controversially, entitled to perform complex, invasive cosmetic surgery procedures and describe themselves as a cosmetic surgeon?

Its a matter which has most plastic surgeons fuming- they have 7 to 10, and often 12 years of formal Australian Medical Council (AMC) accredited specialist training further to their basic GP qualification.

Click on the following links to learn more about your choices in this industry.

Buyer of Beauty, Beware – The Four Corners Report
“It’s plastic surgeons versus cosmetic surgeons, scalpels drawn. The plastic surgeons deride cosmetic surgeons as lacking qualifications and breadth of”… By Jonathan Holmes

Call to Halt the Cowboy Surgeons-The Australian – 16 Feb 2008 … The lack of regulation of cosmetic surgery is a national disgrace that allows ” shonky” and underqualified practitioners to peddle treatments … By Adam Cresswell

Patients at Risk in Ugly Cosmetic Surgery Wars – “A turf war between plastic surgeons and self-styled “cosmetic surgeons” has left the industry dangerously unregulated, despite a damning report calling for change seven years ago.” By Louise Hall

Cosmetic Surgery Regulations Lag in NSW -Nearly10 years after the State Government commissioned a report on cosmetic surgery, most of its main recommendations have not been implemented. By Valerie Lawson