Should Gynecologists Be Performing Plastic Surgery?

Women everywhere around the globe share one single thing with each other. This single thing is that they all want to look and feel their best at all times. Because of this need to feel and look good, both for themselves and for the men in their lives, the plastic surgery and cosmetic industries have been booming in the past couple decades.

With this boom has come more and more medical practitioners who have delved into the cosmetic surgery business to help boost their earnings and widen their practices.

Where plastic surgery used to be utilized by only the wealthy, today it is less expensive, and financing has made it accessible for women from all walks of life.

Additionally, what used to be something you did but didn't talk about, plastic surgery has lost its stigma and become something women everywhere share with each other very openly. This sharing among women has spawned a high demand for cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures.

Because cosmetic surgery today is in such high demand, and there is a lot of money in the practice, more and more physicians are branching out and adding cosmetic surgery procedures to their offerings.

In the United States there is currently no regulation against anyone with a medical degree performing plastic surgery techniques. While you may find that surprising, and may hope that some day that will change, for right now that is the state of things in the industry - if you have a medical degree you can perform cosmetic surgery techniques without regulation.

One of the biggest growing medical specialties to add cosmetic surgery procedures to their offerings is gynecologists. Because gynecologists see many women each day, they are a logical extension of the cosmetic surgery industry. However, while it is important to note that gynecologists are medical doctors, and they are generally Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, they are not generally certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Lack of certification means that gynecologists do not have the extra training required to be specialists in cosmetic surgery, and it also means that they are not able to admit a patient to the hospital for a cosmetic surgery procedure which has resulted in serious complications.

Stop and think about that for a moment. If your gynecologist botches a procedure on you, they cannot admit you to a local hospital for care; they can only send you to the local emergency room or to a plastic surgeon who is Board Certified.

In light of the above, should your gynecologist be able to perform plastic surgery on you?

The prevailing consensus within the medical community is that gynecologists should leave the plastic surgery to the plastic surgeons and continue to practice their own board certified specialty.

You can always refer to your local hospital or the American Board of Plastic Surgery to find a board certified plastic surgeon in your area.