Board Certification in Plastic Surgery or Facial Plastic Surgery is the most critical factor in choosing your surgeon Certification by the board means members are held to the highest standards of knowledge, skills, judgement, safety and ethics. Board Certification provides assurance that the surgeon has spent dedicated years training in the specialty of plastic surgery and has been rigorously examined both in written examinations and in-person oral examinations to confirm their competence and expertise in plastic surgery. There is a big difference between a “Cosmetic Surgeon” and a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. A doctor of any specialty (including Ob-Gyn, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or any other medical specialty) can call themselves a “Cosmetic Surgeon” and perform cosmetic surgery procedures just by obtaining a medical license. They may have taken a brief course to learn a particular procedure but are not trained to assess and handle the nuances of individual anatomy or to handle complications that may arise.