How to Find a Qualified Plastic Surgeon

Oxygenetix is proud to be associated with some of the leading plastic surgeons, cosmetic doctors, and makeup artists in the industry. They will be sharing tips and insights on our blog that will educate you about the fascinating field of plastic surgery and skin care.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Oxygenetix Global Advisory Board Member, Jon M. Grazer, MD, MPH, FACS, who enlightened us about the importance of finding a qualified plastic surgeon.

Newport Beach is a picture perfect beach city that lies on Southern California’s coastline. The abundant wealth and beauty in this town are unmistakable as we drove to the medical offices adjacent to Fashion Island. There we had the pleasure of meeting with one of the top doctors in Plastic Surgery, Jon M. Grazer, MD, MPH, FACS. We are grateful to have Dr. Grazer on the Oxygenetix Global Advisory Board as part of our team of doctors. His extensive list of experience and expertise is impressive. Dr. Grazer is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Assistant Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at U.C.I. He is world-renowned for his expertise in reconstructive surgery and has been featured on the Discovery Channel, MTV, Fox, and NBC News. Plastic surgery runs thick through his DNA, as Grazer is a second generation Newport Beach plastic surgeon. In fact, his father, Frederick M. Grazer, MD, FACS, is known for popularizing the tummy tuck and introducing liposuction to America in 1982.

As you can see in this adorable picture with his sister, Dr. Grazer was born to be a surgeon.

When deciding which plastic surgeon to trust in performing your procedure, be sure to choose someone as certified and experienced as Dr. Grazer. We asked him what guidelines to follow when choosing a surgeon. The very first thing he said was to be sure to check if they are a Board Certified plastic surgeon. Grazer warned, “All boards aren’t equivalent, and all doctors aren’t board certified.” There are 60 or 70 Boards that are not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. To be a member of many of these boards you merely perform a limited number of procedures, with minimal examining and no residency is required. Plastic surgery training requires six to seven years of hands-on surgery after medical school. Many of the doctors who have boards not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties have no surgical training.

“Look for a surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Every specialty has a different requirement to be certified by the American Board of Specialties.” Dr. Grazer told us about his experience of getting board certified. “Plastic Surgery Board Certification is much more rigorous than many boards. You have to take a comprehensive written examination on the science of plastic surgery. After working in the field for a year, you can apply to the oral boards. Once you pass the written exam, you collect cases for a year which have to be from each plastic surgery sub-specialty. The board then picks the cases they want to examine you on, and you create case books with treatment plans. For the examination, you sit in three different rooms for two days and are examined by senior plastic surgeons. They ask about treatment for your cases and other unknown cases. Board certification takes two years after you start to practice.”

To check if someone is certified by the American Board of Specialties visit this website: http://www.certificationmatters.org/ where you can fill out your doctor's information to find out if they are currently meeting the requirements for AMBS. There you can also find a list of doctors from their 24 AMBS member boards. 

Secondly, Dr. Grazer stressed how important it is to “find out if the surgeon has the privileges to perform the procedures you’re getting in the hospital, especially if it is surgery. The problem is with the add-in of Botox and fillers in the ’90s, anyone with a syringe is now a cosmetic physician.” He explained that there are dentists and dermatologists doing cosmetic surgery who aren’t on staff in hospitals or have specific training in the craft. This has been fatal for some when doctors don’t have surgical training or surgical privileges to admit you to a hospital should something go awry.

Luckily by doing your research, you will be able to find a good plastic surgeon you can trust for your cosmetic procedure. There are many amazing doctors out there, just don’t get distracted by a good deal without doing your homework.

To learn more about Dr. Grazer and his amazing work visit his website www.drgrazer.com.

Thank you for taking the time for yourself to read this blog!