"Board Certified" simply means a physician has been given a Board Certification by an organization called a "Board". This includes formally recognized entities such as the American Board of Plastic Surgery but may include unrecognized or other entities calling themselves "Boards". This can create significant confusion with the terms.

"Board Certified" in this demanding field means that a surgeon has been awarded Board Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Board Certification in this field is awarded only after finishing a formal residency in this practice and also passing a rigorous written examination (usually taken 6 or 18 months after completion of all training) and a difficult oral examination which includes cases from a surgeon's own practice (usually taken at least 18 months following completion of all training).

To be allowed to sit for these exams for the Board, a surgeon must have completed:

1. College (usually 4 years)

2. Medical School (usually 4 years)

3. Internship in General Surgery (1 year)

4. Residency in either General Surgery, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Urology or Neurosurgery (usually 4 to 7 more years)*

5. Additional residency in Plastic Surgery (2 to 3 more years)*

6. Additional fellowships (specializations) may be performed in addition to the above training

*a combined residency of 3 or more years of general surgery plus 3 years of plastic surgery now is also accepted

Board Certification can only be awarded by the The American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Board Certification can not be awarded by any other organization, including the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (approved training in this field in the area of the head and neck only, formal training encouraged but not required), the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (not a recognized Board by the ABMS, no formal plastic surgery fellowship required), or the State Medical Board (grants medical licenses, not board certifications). These organizations do not require formal residency training in this field.

Derived from the Greek word "plasticos" meaning to mold or give form, the specialty of plastic surgery encompasses two general categories: cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. Cosmetic is performed to reshape normal structures of the body in order to improve your appearance and self-esteem. Reconstructive is performed on abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors or disease. It is generally performed to improve function, but may also be done to approximate a normal appearance.

To reverse the aging process while helping people feeling rejuvenated is the overall goal of modern medicine. New research has led to incredibly exciting results in the field of anti-aging.