What Makes a Surgeon a “Rhinoplasty Specialist”?

First and foremost, it is important for the surgeon you select to have board certification in plastic surgery or facial plastic surgery. Board certification can be misleading, as many physicians can say that they are “cosmetic surgeons” while having board certification in Ob/Gyn, family practice, internal medicine, general surgery, radiology and so on.

To look up your plastic surgeon, you can visit The American Board of Plastic Surgery to see if he/she has completed an accredited training program in plastic surgery and is truly board certified in plastic surgery.

Board certification is only the first step. It is like a car with wheels and an engine. Much more is involved to ensure that you have the best chance of reaching your goals and reducing your risk of complications and complex revision surgery. When selecting a rhinoplasty surgeon, here are a few simple steps to help make your experience a success.

• Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery or the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Large percentage of practice devoted to rhinoplasty and revision rhinoplasty
• A variety of ethnicities and nose types displayed in photo gallery to show versatility and spectrum of skill
• High volume rhinoplasty practice (minimum of 100 rhinoplasties or more per year)
• Published rhinoplasty articles and chapters in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Invited to teach rhinoplasty techniques at national and international plastic surgery conferences
• Membership in select rhinoplasty societies such as “The Rhinoplasty Society”  https://www.rhinoplastysociety.org/
• Natural looking results shown in gallery with front face views as well as profile views. (NOTE: If a surgeon is not showing front views on all or at least the majority of patients in his/her gallery, then be wary!)
  • REMEMBER: The front facing view is the most challenging view to perfect and is very important since this is how we interact with people on a daily basis.
• Lastly, your surgeon must have hospital privileges to perform rhinoplasty and all types of nose surgery at an accredited hospital (not just at an outpatient surgery center)

While the above is not a guarantee that everything will go as you desire, it comprises the basics of what is necessary to select a surgeon who has devoted his/her practice to the art of and science of rhinoplasty. After meeting your prospective surgeon, never lose sight of your gut feeling or intuition. If you don’t feel as though your rhinoplasty surgeon has your best interests in mind, is ethical, and will be there for you in the event that you may require a “touch-up” or revision, walk away. If a surgeon is not adept at or does not like to perform revision rhinoplasty on other surgeons’ patients, then he/she may not be skillful in revisions or have the desire to revise his/her own work either. Be careful of rhinoplasty surgeons who “refer out” their own revisions.