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Cosmetic Doctors

The term “Cosmetic Doctor” refers to any licensed physician (MD or DO degree) or oral maxillofacial surgeon (DDS or DMD degree) who claims to have specialized training and/or experience in cosmetic medicine, and a proficiency in performing cosmetic procedures.

Several different types of doctors perform cosmetic procedures, each with different training, experience, and credentials. “Core” cosmetic physician specialties, which include Plastic Surgeons, ENT/Otolaryngologists, Dermatologists, and Ophthalmologists, are those specialties which are widely recognized as having the requisite training, certification, and experience associated with performing cosmetic procedures. Although the core specialties account for the majority of cosmetic procedures performed, cosmetic medicine is no longer limited to just core physicians. Other specialties, including, family practice, internal medicine, anesthesia, obstetrics/gynecology, and others, now perform cosmetic procedures as well.

Board Certification

The term “Board-Certified” refers to doctors who are certified by one of the 24 Member Boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (www.abms.org), an organization formed in 1933 and is widely recognized as the gold standard in establishing standards for recognizing medical specialists. The 24 Member Boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties are:

1. The American Board of Allergy and Immunology
2. The American Board of Anesthesiology
3. The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
4. The American Board of Dermatology
5. The American Board of Emergency Medicine
6. The American Board of Family Medicine
7. The American Board of Internal Medicine
8. The American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics
9. The American Board of Neurological Surgery
10. The American Board of Nuclear Medicine
11. The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
12. The American Board of Ophthalmology
13. The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
14. The American Board of Otolaryngology
15. The American Board of Pathology
16. The American Board of Pediatrics
17. The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
18. The American Board of Plastic Surgery
19. The American Board of Preventive Medicine
20. The American Board of Psychiatryand Neurology
21. The American Board of Radiology
22. The American Board of Surgery
23. The American Board of Thoracic Surgery
24. The American Board of Urology

Other Certifications

Doctors who perform cosmetic procedures may be credentialed and/or certified by various cosmetic medicine organizations that are not Members of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Zwivel provides the following categories of cosmetic doctors to search from when deciding who will receive a Request:

• Any Board-Certified Cosmetic Doctor:
  Includes any cosmetic doctor certified by one of the 24 American Board of Medical Specialty recognized Boards.
• Only Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons:
  Includes only doctors certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
• Only Board-Certified ENT/Otolaryngologists:
  Includes only doctors certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology.
• Only Board-Certified Dermatologists:
  Includes only doctors certified by the American Board of Dermatology.
• Only Board-Certified Ophthalmologists:
  Includes only doctors certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.
• Any Certified Cosmetic Doctor:
  Includes all cosmetic doctors, including those certified and not-certified by one of the 24 American Board of Medical Specialty recognized Boards.

Disclaimer: Cosmetic doctors listed in the Zwivel database are categorized according to information provided to Zwivel by the doctors, themselves, as well as from information gathered through Internet searches when no other information was provided. Although Zwivel attempts to verify that the cosmetic doctors listed in our database are categorized correctly, Zwivel makes no assurances that this is always the case. Furthermore, credentials and certifications listed for Zwivel member doctors are based upon information provided by the doctors. Zwivel makes no claims or guarantees about the veracity of such certifications, nor about the expertise or proficiency that such certifications may signify in performing osmetic procedures. It is the responsibility of the patient to verify the credentials, qualifications, and expertise of each cosmetic doctor to whom a Request is sent and with whom a cosmetic procedure is contemplated.