Eli5 What is the difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon? Is one more qualified than the other?
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I’m not sure about “more qualified” because that can vary based on the procedure you consider, but generally cosmetic surgeons are paid more. A plastic surgeon focuses on restoring the body’s normal appearance and function. A cosmetic surgeon focuses exclusively on aesthetic procedures.
So if for example you dipped your hand in hot oil then a plastic surgeon would probably become involved to make sure you don’t end up with a kind of melted flipper when you recover. In that sense a plastic surgeon would be more qualified for such a procedure than a cosmetic surgeon. On the other hand if you want a nose job so it looks like a cute little button and you can join the sorority you always wanted and find some banker to marry and inherit a bunch of money… then you want a cosmetic surgeon. In that sense the cosmetic surgeon would be more qualified for such a procedure than a plastic surgeon.
Imagine you have two kinds of doctors who are like superheroes for making people feel better about how they look.
First, there’s a plastic surgeon. They’re like amazing builders who can fix things that are broken, like if someone gets hurt or has a problem with their face or body. Plastic surgeons are really good at making sure everything works the right way and helping people heal.
Then there’s a cosmetic surgeon. They’re like artists who can help make people look even more beautiful if they want to change something about how they look. It’s like when you draw a picture and want to make it even prettier by adding some colors or shapes.
Both kinds of doctors are really smart and have lots of training, but they focus on different things. It’s not that one is better than the other, they’re just like different kinds of superheroes who help people in different ways. So, if someone needs their body fixed or wants to change how they look, there’s a special doctor for each job!
If you are in Australia, the difference is that a plastic surgeon has been through specialist training, another 5 years training on top of the standard 6 year medical degree plus internship and residency, including additional exams, so at least 13 years of medical training.
Any doctor with a standard medical degree can immediately call themselves a cosmetic surgeon.
A cosmetic surgeon isn’t a real surgeon. You prop it up in your living room to make it look like you have your own surgeon.
It can also be a plastic surgeon depending on the material it’s made of.
To clarify.
All doctors go to medical school to become an MD or DO. This is 4 years on top of your 4 year bachelor’s degree. After that you’re technically a doctor. Generally speaking though, you aren’t going to be able to practice, Most hospitals require board certification in what you specialize in, which requires a 2 or 3 year residency program that specializes you as that type of doc.
So back to school you go. Plastic surgery is a residency program, so more than likely, both plastic surgeons and most good cosmetic surgeons are this specialty(although a cosmetic surgeon could be a general surgeon). After residency programs, you can do sub specialties, like cosmetic surgery is a sub specialty of plastic surgery. So you can do a other fellowship year in that. There are also board certifications for sub specialties, you can be boarded in cosmetic surgery, which has the general path of training I just laid out.
So if you’re going to be official, get a job through a health care organization, the medical staffs there self police you have done the residency and/or fellowships required, as things like board certifications are often required.
Where things get loosey goosey is that when you’re in private practice, you don’t really need more than medical school, and if people want to come to you to get cosmetic surgery in the chair in your office, they can. This means you may not be as qualified for surgery, or cosmetic surgery. So cosmetic surgery can be on the scammy side at the wrong spa type setup.
a plastic surgeon medical title is a microvascular surgeon . deals with the face after injuries mainly. dont know enough about cosmetic surgery but thought it was elective not necessary for health
In the US, plastic surgeons need to undergo a plastic surgery residency, while comestic surgeons only need to have had a general surgery residency (or some others that have surgery involved). So plastic surgeons are generally going to be more qualified, and more likely to be able to perform plastic surgery in a hospital setting.
Cosmetic surgeons are phoney. The cosmetic part is not a protected term, only the surgeon part, so anyone who has completed medical school can call themself a cosmetic surgeon regalrdess of training in the reconstruction field. Conversely, a plastic surgeon is heavily protected and for a doctor to have the title, they must complete medical school, followed by 5+ years of specialty training to become a plastic surgeon attending
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