Cosmetic surgery is a term used interchangeably with plastic surgery. This is one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the cosmetic surgery industry. We need a Public Service Announcement to clear up this confusion.
There is a distinct difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery and the two specialties should not be interchanged. The American Medical Association recognizes cosmetic surgery as a separate and equal specialty to plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery is a subspecialty of medicine and surgery that uniquely restricts itself to the enhancement of appearance through surgical and medical techniques. It is specifically concerned with maintaining normal appearance, restoring it, or enhancing it beyond the average level toward some aesthetic ideal. Cosmetic surgery is a multi-disciplinary and comprehensive approach directed to all areas of the head, neck and body. The educational profile of this specialty is unique in that it begins with a fully trained and certified surgeon. Through continued post-residency education training, and experience, cosmetic surgery is taught and learned across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Contributing disciplines include dermatologic surgery, facial plastic surgery, general surgery, plastic surgery, gynecology, otolaryngology, oculoplastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery and others.
There is absolutely no evidence to show that cosmetic surgery performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon is safer than by a cosmetic surgeon, whose original disciplines were not in plastic surgery, but who achieved their cosmetic surgery expertise through post-graduate training.
