Is the physician board certified? If he or she "does the do" there is no reason why a physician should not have his or her boards. Physicians who have appropriate training to do cosmetic treatments and surgery should be board certified in either facial plasic, plastic or dermatological surgery. Not all boards are created equal and not all physicians are created equally within these boards. Board certification is just one piece of the puzzle in surgery decision-making.

Hospital privileges
Does the physician have privileges to operate in a major or well - respected hospital? Privileges at a hospital means that the physician has cleared certain hurdles and has been screened by his peers. This screening is often very rigorous and is helpful when considering if the physician has the appropriate credentials to perform the surgery. This by no means is a guarantee that the physician can do and is good at a type of surgery. Sometimes, physician relationships with hospitals may be clouded when financial arrangements are made. Buyer beware, this is just another puzzle that should fit when considering treatment or surgery.

A real doctor?
Is the physician a real doctor? Years ago, that would have been a stupid question to ask, but as I get older, I realize there are very few stupid questions when health is on the line. There has been a rash of non-physicians doing physician things, which have caused disastrous effects and even death, so do your homework. A prospective patient should make sure that the diplomas and certificates that a physician has on the wall are real. To do this, a person may call the universities and local medical societies to ask about the physicians in question and to determine if the doctors are really who they say they are. Where did they go to medical school? Where did they do their residency and in what specialty? All of these are questions a patient should ask before getting involved with any cosmetic surgeon.

Lawsuits
Has the physician had a lot "legal" problems? The internet provides a wealth of information for investigating a future surgeon. Having a single brush with the law or maybe a few is not unusual in this day and age. Everybody wants something for nothing, so that in and of itself should not discourage a patient. If, however, there is a consistent and significant number of lawsuits, it should be discussed with the physician and if the answer is not one that leaves a patient comfortable, there are many other fish in the sea, so it is wise to seek another!

Bedside manner
Is the physician compassionate and caring? If on the first office visit, a patient does not "click" with his or her cold, cruel, or unsympathetic physician, it's not going to get any better! Even if the doctor is known as a "great" surgeon - this is not reason enough for a person to have surgery with someone the he or she does not like or get along with. If the patient chooses the curmudgeon of a physician to do the surgery, and on the chance that the surgery turns out to be less than a success, the undesirable ogre will grow into an unrelenting monster.
There are many great, nice and compassionate physicians to choose from - patients should never settle.

Capability
Does your physician do the surgery well? Oops! There goes another stupid question...or is it? Just like there are specialists in hair coloring, specialists in nails and specialists in massage, there are physicians who are specialists in face and body parts. Seek and ye shall find! Like anything in life, the more you do something, the better you are at it. If the patient wants to have facial surgery, he or she should seek a physician who specialize in facial surgery. If the patient wants nasal surgery then he or she should seek a physician skilled in rhinoplasty, and if a woman wants breast surgery, then she should look for a physician skilled with this type of surgery, etc.

Frequency
Patients should not be shy to ask the physician how many surgical procedures he or she does, how often and with what success. Patients should even ask to see photographs of these procedures and should sit down with the physician to discuss the surgical technique, the physician's training and continued medical education since graduating (always with honors) from a residency program. Patients should even ask to see if they may talk with a former patient who underwent the same procedure they are considering. If at any time the physician seems to be intimidated, patients should reconsider their choice of surgeon. Patients need to remember that these procedures are permanent - so they should be careful.
Finally, there are many wonderful choices of procedures and surgeries to have with many great, honest physicians who will make the experience worth all it should be!