Bad celebrity plastic surgery consistently gets blizzards of media coverage. However, these mishaps are not confined to celebrities. Cosmetic surgical procedures can produce wonderful, sometimes astonishing transformations in appearance, feelings of self worth and self confidence. What the media barrage points up is that plastic surgery gone wrong has no respect for who you are.

If you are contemplating elective plastic surgery, what can you do to elude the polar opposite of a marvelous outcome? Here you'll see a roadmap to assist you in fulfilling your end of the equation to avoid what sometimes is popularly called "awful plastic surgery".

1. Ask if your doctor is Board Certified: Be sure that the cosmetic surgeon you select is board certified. The doctor you select choose be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This assures that the physician specializes in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, has received years of cosmetic surgery training, undergone stiff examinations and established the necessary competence in the specialty.

2. Verify that your Doctor specializes in the procedure you're seeking: A plastic surgeon whose specialty is breast implants may not be the best choice to rearrange your nose.

3. Your expectations should be realistic: While cosmetic surgical procedures can deliver astounding improvements in appearance, the precise aesthetics you desire, in reality, may not be attainable. Scrutinize your motives and be realistic and levelheaded.

4. Determine that your physical and emotional health is good: A complete examination of your past and present physical health, emotional health and motives for wanting plastic surgery should be conducted by your doctor.

5. STOP SMOKING! - if you're a smoker: Smoking can lead to complications and hinder achieving the desired result.

6. Consult at least one more physician: Too many unqualified fraudsters seek to entice patients in this field. They can sound very convincing. Be wary, and check, at a minimum, that they are a Board Certified plastic surgeon.

7. Get pictures and testimonials: Any doctor who has a good track record will show you pictures of former patients and provide testimonials. It's a good idea to see if you can speak with prior patients.

8. Be certain you understand the costs of cosmetic surgery: A doctor offering a cut rate may be unqualified. If you are considering leaving the United States for cheaper surgery, bear in mind that many other countries do not adhere to U.S. standards. Do the math, including air fare, hotel, meals, etc.

9. Be aware of the risks of plastic surgery: All surgeries carry risks. Among the risks are infection, anesthesia, reaction to medications, blood clots, respiratory difficulties and death. Plastic surgery is no different.

10. Think twice about having multiple surgical procedures done simultaneously: This poses increased risks, all of which should be discussed with you by your surgeon.

A couple of additional points need to be considered:

Cosmetic plastic surgery is elective and is not covered by most forms of medical insurance. For those on a limited budget, it's well to think about whether paying for surgery for cosmetic reasons will leave you so financially strapped that the anticipated outcome will fail to outweigh the distress of financial hardship.

This raises the question of having plastic surgery performed in another country. While costs can be substantially reduced in countries like Thailand, Brazil and India, you need to take into account the costs of air fare, hotels, meals, etc. Many seemingly attractive packages are promoted, but, in the final analysis, many people report that the only justifiable rationale for exiting the U.S. is for the sake of anonymity (many celebrities do this) or simply to mix the surgery with a vacation.

Your own common sense, armed with the information you assemble following the steps suggested here, will strengthen your chances of having a wonderful new you and preclude a bad plastic surgery outcome.