I am thinking of having some plastic surgery done (specifically "face
lift" and "body liposuction") and cannot find a website for the Board
of Plastic Surgeons (not sure what the name of the Board is).  I
checked "American Board of Plastic Surgery" and what I got did not
seem to me an unbias Board website, more like an ad for a group of
surgeons.  I need to find a website that will list the surgeons who
have good credentials and have been CERTIFIED by medical Boards.

Hello frances,

I believe the organization you are seeking is the 'American Society
for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery'. You can see their website at the
following link:

http://www.surgery.org/

I must note that the American Board of Plastic Surgery is the
'defacto' standard in this industry as far as my research could
return. They have been in association since 1921, according to the
history section of their website:

http://www.plasticsurgery.org/overview/pshistry.htm

Here is a quote taken off of the site, that confirms the strict
guidelines the ABPS sets forth :

Excerpt taken from PlasticSurgery.org:
"To be certified by the ABPS, a doctor must also practice plastic
surgery for two years and pass comprehensive written and oral exams."
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/surgery/chooseps.htm

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has an extensive
'about us' section that tells us a little history, and I am sure you
will be pleased that they have been around since 1965. Here is the
link to the information page, should you just want to jump right into
it:

http://www.surgery.org/about_asaps.html


You needed a tool to locate surgeons that are accredited, board
certified and tested. The Surgery.org site (Society for Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery) has such a feature as well :

http://www.surgery.org/find_a_surgeon.asp


I found a few interesting tools at the ASAP site, that I thought you
may find invaluable. You can actually ask a surgeon any questions you
may have about the process. ( or any other field related question ).
You can even ask questions about the certification process if you are
inclined. Here is a direct link to that page:

http://www.surgery.org/ask_a_surgeon.html


You can also view some of the work that these accredited doctors have
done, at the online image gallery:

http://www.surgery.org/asaps_search.asp?id=asaps


If you decide you really like one of the photos/work - there is also a
list of accredited doctors that have performed the surgery that we get
to view:

http://www.surgery.org/doctors_list.html


I also found a list of some more associations that may be of interest
to you in your research. You may or may not have seen the list that
was already compiled on the PlasticSurgery.org website:

http://www.plasticsurgery.org/yellow/yellow.htm#soc


I hope this information helps you in your research. If you feel like
you need more sources or clarification, please feel free to ask before
you rate this answer, and I will be sure to help out in any way I can.

Thanks for the great question -

SgtCory

---

Clarification of Answer by sgtcory-ga on 21 Oct 2002 12:53 PDT

Hello frances,

I forgot to tell you how I found the answer. I used Google with the
following search strategy :

"certified Plastic Surgeons" :
://www.google.com/search?q=certified+Plastic+Surgeons

SgtCory