ABPS Certification: Why It Matters for Plastic Surgeons & Patients

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is the only one of the 24 boards approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) that certifies physicians in plastic surgery of the face and all areas of the body.

There are differences between the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Click here to learn more.

For a plastic surgeon to become board-certified, a surgeon must:

• Graduate from an accredited medical school
• Complete a combination of at least five years of general surgery and plastic surgery residency training
• Pass comprehensive oral and written exams.

ABPS board-certified surgeons are required to regularly attend CME (continuing medical education) courses, and to adhere to a strict code of ethics.

ABPS Diplomates will have met the ABPS's educational and plastic surgery training requirements. Specific clinical training is provided in the following areas:

• Congenital defects of the head and neck, including clefts of the lip and palate, and craniofacial surgery
• Neoplasms (abnormal new mass of tissue) of the head and neck, including the oropharynx and training in appropriate endoscopy
• Crania-maxillofacial trauma, including fractures of the mandible and maxilla
• Aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery of the head and neck, trunk and extremities
• Plastic surgery of the breast
• Surgery of the hand/upper extremities
• Plastic surgery of the lower extremities
• Plastic surgery of congenital and acquired defects of the trunk and genitalia
• Burn management, acute and reconstructive
• Microsurgical techniques applicable to plastic surgery
• Reconstruction by tissue transfer including flaps and grafts
• Surgery of benign and malignant lesions of the skin and soft tissues

American Board of Plastic Surgery
Seven Penn Center, Suite 400
1635 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2204
Phone: (215) 587-9322
Fax: (215) 587-9622

The Difference between Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeons