What is the difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon?

In this episode of the best plastic surgery podcast "Big Butts No Lies", plastic surgery consultant Mavi Rodriguez takes us back to the basics by discussing the differences between plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons. 

With insights from her extensive experience in the plastic surgery industry, Mavi answers the following questions:
- What are the main differences between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon?

- What is the significance of being board certified in plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery?

- What does "double board certified" or "triple board certified" mean in plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery?

- Who should you consider consulting with for plastic surgery, and what factors should you keep in mind when making your decision?

- How many negative comments about a surgeon should trigger concern when considering plastic surgery, and what actions can you take to stay informed about the reputation of potential plastic surgeons?

 
Join Mavi on a brief, but informative, journey through the world of plastic surgery, as she equips you with the knowledge to make the best decisions for your aesthetic goals.

This is the website to check the surgeons board certifications: ABMS | American Board of Medical Specialties

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Transcript

Mavi Rodriguez [00:00:00]:
Hey, guys. My name is Mavi, and I've spent the last 14 years in the plastic surgery and beauty industry, working alongside some of the best plastic surgeons in the country. Now I don't work for anybody, so I have unbiased opinions about hundreds of surgeons from across the world, and I can help you achieve the body of your dreams. Hey, guys. Do I have the episode for you today? Today, I'm taking you guys back to the basics. So for today's episode, we're gonna be talking about what does it mean to be board certified. And we're gonna talk about the differences between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon. And I'm gonna give you a list of questions to ask at your consultation so that you can get to know your doctor a little bit more.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:00:52]:
What is the main difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon? So the answer to that question is that it's the education that they have. So, for example, a plastic surgeon will go through a residency program that teaches them things about plastic surgery. There's different ways that they can go through this residency, get to it through general surgery, and then crossover to plastic surgery. You can do it from other specialties and crossover to plastic surgery, and then you can also just go straight into plastic surgery. I think they call it the integrated plastics program where you just go straight into plastic surgery. So the difference between that and a cosmetic surgeon is that a cosmetic surgeon does it a little bit different. So they go through residency in a different specialty. So for example, that can be general surgery.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:01:54]:
That can be gynecology. That can be dermatology. It can be any different specialty. And they graduate, and they become that specialty, for example, a general surgeon. And then after they decide they want to pursue cosmetic surgery. This is where it's a little fishy because they have different programs to be deemed or considered a cosmetic surgeon. And, you guys, even if you're not in the US, if in your own designated countries. I'm sure y'all are having the same problem because I talked to surgeons in Mexico, and they're experiencing the same thing.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:02:34]:
I talked to surgeons in Colombia, and they are experiencing the same thing. So it's probably going on in your country if you're not here in the US. What happens then, they take a course that can be either a 6 month course or a 1 whole year course to learn how to do liposuction, tummy tucks, breast augmentations, cosmetic procedures. And these cosmetic procedures are taught to them by depending on where they go, it could be the company who's who's sponsoring them for them to buy them by their machine so they can open a practice, which is what happens a lot. You guys know I talk about this all the time. So the some somebody is encouraging them to pursue this avenue. And they have those companies have their own certification programs that now you're certified that you can do liposuction. You're certified that you can do tummy tucks or breast augmentations or all types of cosmetic procedures, when in reality, those procedures are some serious procedures that you probably need a little bit more than 6 months to know how to master.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:03:47]:
Plastic surgeons go through 6 years of training and residency. That 6 years of hands on experience, learning, and knowing how to handle complications. So it's all fun and great when somebody who didn't go to school does a surgery and it current comes out fine. Great. Thank god. But on the other side, a lot of times, it doesn't come out great, and everything's not fine. And those patients are the ones that I tell you guys struggle. I see them.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:04:22]:
I meet them. I talk to them. I hear them. I hear their pain. And I'm not saying all cosmetic surgeons because I think we should take it more as a really great cosmetic surgeon is an exception, not the rule. I know you guys have we've talked about doctor Calvin Jeung here on the show. Doctor Azizi has brought him up. Doctor Marshall has brought him up.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:04:48]:
And it's because he's really great at what he does, which is BBLs. He's a cosmetic surgeon. He did not, go to school to be a plastic surgeon. He's a cosmetic surgeon, so he got that certification after he graduated from his residency of whatever specialty he is, actually is. So that does not take away from how great he is at BBLs. But for a patient who's searching for a surgeon. And if that's not the look that they're going for, that very specific look, then they can go somewhere else and find a board certified plastic surgeon who can do the surgery and be able to handle any complication that comes their way if it does happen, which we always wanna wish for the best. The complications happen during surgery, during recovery.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:05:42]:
And you wanna be prepared. And that's that's kind of what I wanna I want you to listen and takeaway from this is we want everybody to have a great successful surgery. Unfortunately, it's a numbers game. There's no way that every single person that has a cosmetic surgery or surgery in general is gonna be, with no complications, and everything's gonna be fine. It's not it's not logical to believe that there will not be any complications. So thinking in your mind. Okay. A complication could arise from my surgery.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:06:20]:
Who do I want to do my surgery? Do I want somebody who went to school and went through a residency program specializing in cosmetic surgery or plastic surgery? Do I want that, or do I want a cosmetic surgeon? It's your own choice. It's your choice. And I know I get I've seen messages. I've I've talked to girls who are sending me messages, and they're like, you always say about board certified plastic surgeons. But, you know, I found this surgeon, and he's really great, and he's a cosmetic surgeon. And now I feel like you don't know what talking about I do know what I'm talking about. I love you. I want you to have a really great surgical experience and to come out on the other side living your best, most amazing life.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:07:12]:
I don't want you to not have that. I just want you to be safe. I just want you to do things that will help you become the best version of yourself. So then that leads me over to this next topic. So now that was what's the difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon. So now you've decided you wanna go look for your plastic surgeon. And if you're here in America, in the US, you can go to www abs.org. And right there, what you're gonna find is the American Board of Specialties.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:07:46]:
So you will search your surgeon's name and see what they are certified in. So if they're board certified plastic surgeons, it will be there. If they're board certified gynecologist, it will be there. If they're board certified dental surgeon, it will be there. So this is the easiest way to find out what they're specialized in, what their board certification is actually in. So then that leads us to this next little play on words, which is double board certified, triple 5 triple board certified. And what does all that mean? Are board eligible? What does that all mean? So board eligible is somebody who finished the plastic surgery residency program and is in the process of doing their board certification. So for the board certification, there's 2 parts to it.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:08:41]:
There's the oral, and then they have a in the oral, they present their cases. There's a board of of experienced plastic surgeons who are criticizing and analyzing every single little decision that they make in their surgery plans. So it's a really intense process to get board certified. And it can, say, take sometimes up to 6 years depending on how you are in your practice. So double board certified means certified in something else and certified in plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery. So cosmetic surgery and cosmetic certification is a completely different organization. It is not that it is not together with everything for the cosmetic or plastic surgery. They're completely separate.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:09:36]:
So cosmetic board certified surgeon is different. Okay? So these are the guys that finished their residency in a different specialty, but they're coming back and doing and doing cosmetic surgery after the fact, so after they finish school. And not that being a double board certified surgeon or a triple board certified surgeon is bad. It's great. You can have like, for example, there's a surgeon here in Houston. His name is doctor Henry Mintz, and he is an amazing, amazing face lift surgeon, and he's triple board certified. He's board certified in plastic surgery. He's board certified in otolaryngology, and he's board certified in ENT.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:10:26]:
So and he does amazing face lifts. He does really great facial work. So in that situation, it's really great that he's triple board certified because he knows all about all of the things that are going on right here in the head. Right? So his work shows that. To recap, board certified plastic surgeon and board certified cosmetic surgeon are not the same. My personal preference is a board certified plastic surgeon, okay, for the surgeries that I talk about. I would prefer a board certified plastic surgeon. If I'm going under general anesthesia, it's gonna be with a board certified plastic surgeon.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:11:10]:
And the recap I wanna give you guys is it can be very exciting to start to plan your surgery. It can be very exciting, and you can get carried away with, oh, my friend over here, she went there, and she had a great experience, and I'm gonna go there too. No. No. No. No. You're not. You're gonna you are your own person.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:11:32]:
You're on your own journey. You're looking for different surgeries. It can be a completely different ballpark. Your friend could have gone in there for a facelift. You might be looking for a tummy tuck. Okay, we're talking about different people, different scenarios, different desires, different looks that you're going for. So I want you to I'm reading my notes I wrote here. Use your full brain.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:12:01]:
Don't let excitement get you carried away and make a quick choice. Okay? These are my notes. I'm I wrote this here for you. Use your full brain. Don't let your excitement carry you away to make a quick choice. If you feel pressured, run. If they're pressuring you to book, run. If you're feeling like if they're telling oh, if you don't put your deposit down by the end of the day, you're not gonna get this special promotion, and you're not gonna, sorry.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:12:30]:
I'm not on your timeline. I'm gonna take my time and make sure I'm ready, and then I will let you know when I'm ready to give give my deposit. If you feel pressured, run. If you have lots of running around just to even get an appointment, cons reconsider. If they're telling you, you can have surgery and they're not telling you that they're gonna check your labs or they're not asking you to get your labs checked or to get a physical or to make sure you're healthy enough, run. Please. Run. Run.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:12:59]:
Run very, very, very far away. That is not your place. And lastly, if you see a surgeon who has super low prices, for example, their tummy tucks are $3,000, but everybody else across the country is between 15 to 30. How how does that make sense that this place can offer it for $3 and everybody else is over $10,000. That doesn't make sense. Why? Let's think about it, you guys. Think about why. Why is it so much cheaper? What corners are being cut? At whose expense is it cheaper? Yours.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:13:39]:
It's at your expense. You're the one that's gonna get the corners cut on. And lastly, I wanna tell you this. Be prepared for those surgeons who have who are Instagram famous or TikTok famous or Facebook famous. Those guys are gonna be charging you at least 5 to $15 more expensive than what you would pay at a regular plastic surgery office with a regular surgeon who spends regular marketing dollars and has a regular marketing team and Dozen Dance on TikTok. Those guys, their prices are a lot more reasonable because they don't have long wait from all these people that are finding them online. They're local, so they have a local clientele. They have local people who send them patients, and that's usually how a a lot of plastic surgeons have their office.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:14:28]:
They have a lot of word-of-mouth practice, a lot of word-of-mouth my friend sent me, you know, that type of stuff. So don't go to somebody just because they have a ton of followers on Instagram. That does not mean that they're gonna do a good job on you. It means that they have a lot of followers on Instagram. Period. That's it. You have to use your own full capacity of a brain and research this surgeon and research the person that's gonna cut on you. Do not allow for them to change your surgeon up on you.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:14:59]:
Do not allow for them to tell you that they're gonna move you to somebody else that you didn't agree to. Don't allow that. They will switch your doctor up on you last minute, and I'll tell you, and you will lose your deposit. And I don't wanna talk too much crap about Mia Mia Aesthetics, But you guys know that I want you to have a really great experience, and I've heard too many negative experiences to talk well about that place, which actually leads me to my next question, which is how many negative comments before I start blasting them on social media. Like, I got I get to talk to a lot of women every day, and they tell me everything. So I get to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly about how these plastic surgeons are treating their patients, which I love. I love getting the juice because then I get to really know, stay away from there, go over here. Like, I get to steer you clear.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:16:05]:
Right? So you guys are such a big part of this show and everything that I do, and I want to keep you involved. So I had a poll on my Instagram last week, and it was how many complaints before I start telling you guys of what I'm hearing about certain doctors. And the consensus came out to, like, 3. If I hear 3 complaints about the same surgeon, I'm probably gonna let you know. However, because of defamation lawsuits and I really don't wanna get myself in any type of legal trouble. I'm only gonna be sharing it in my private group. So if you have not joined my private group, you need to join it so that you can hear all the juice whenever I start spilling after I hear negative comments about surgeons from my phone calls from their patients who are actually experiencing it firsthand. So with that, that is today's episode.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:17:05]:
I hope you guys are enjoying the shorter episodes. I think I can get right to the point and get you in and out of here ASAP. So if you are thinking about having plastic surgery and you don't really know where to start, I'm your girl. You know? You can book a call with me. It's complimentary I'll get you started, kinda point you in the right direction. I understand that not everybody can afford my services, and I try to still help you as much as I can. Them, like steer clear from here. Don't do this.

Mavi Rodriguez [00:17:38]:
Don't do that. I'm here for you. And with that, I'll see you next