Choosing a qualified plastic surgeon comes down to three verifiable things: board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), active hospital privileges, and a facility accredited to a recognized safety standard. Dr. Sepehr Egrari, a double board-certified plastic surgeon with more than 25 years of experience at Egrari Plastic Surgery Center in Bellevue, meets all three. In this blog, we'll walk through what board certification actually means, how to verify a surgeon's credentials yourself, the red flags that signal an unqualified provider, and what to ask before booking a consultation.
What Is Plastic Surgery and Who Is Qualified to Perform It?
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty that includes both reconstructive procedures, which restore form or function, and cosmetic procedures, which enhance appearance. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) notes that many plastic surgeons perform both reconstructive and cosmetic work, since the two disciplines share the same underlying surgical training.
A surgeon qualified to perform plastic surgery has completed a dedicated plastic surgery residency and passed certification examinations through the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the only plastic surgery board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). This distinction matters because many procedures marketed as "cosmetic surgery" can legally be performed by physicians without this specific training.
Reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery share far more surgical foundation than the marketing language around them suggests. A surgeon trained to reconstruct a breast after mastectomy, repair a cleft palate, or reconstruct a hand after traumatic injury draws on the same anatomical knowledge and surgical judgment used in facelifts, breast augmentation, or body contouring. This is part of why ASPS emphasizes that plastic and reconstructive surgeons are, by training, one and the same specialty.
That shared foundation is also why board certification matters more in plastic surgery than it might for procedures with a narrower scope. A plastic surgeon's residency exposes them to a breadth of tissue types, healing patterns, and complication management that a narrower fellowship alone doesn't replicate. Patients evaluating a potential surgeon benefit from understanding this distinction before comparing credentials side by side.
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon vs. Cosmetic Surgery Practitioner
A board-certified plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgery practitioner are not automatically the same thing, even though both may perform similar procedures. The differences come down to training pathway and which board oversees certification:
- Board-certified plastic surgeon: Completes an accredited plastic surgery residency, then passes written and oral examinations through the American Board of Plastic Surgery. ABPS is the ABMS-recognized certifying body for the specialty.
- Board-certified cosmetic surgeon (ABCS): Completes a one-year cosmetic surgery fellowship after residency in a different specialty and passes examinations through the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. According to the ABCS, cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery are related but distinct specialties, and a physician can be board-certified in one without training in the other.
- Uncertified "cosmetic surgeon": In some states, any licensed physician can legally perform certain cosmetic procedures regardless of their residency training, which is why the term "cosmetic surgeon" alone doesn't guarantee a specific level of surgical education.
Knowing which board certified your surgeon, and in what, is the single most useful piece of information you can gather before committing to any procedure.
This confusion isn't accidental. Because cosmetic surgery sits outside the ABMS umbrella, some practitioners lean on the phrase "board certified" without naming which board, letting patients assume it refers to the ABPS. Asking a direct follow-up question, "Board certified by which board, specifically?", resolves this ambiguity in seconds and is one of the simplest safety checks a patient can perform.
It's also worth understanding that dual certification exists and can be a meaningful positive signal. Some plastic surgeons, including Dr. Egrari, hold certification from both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. This reflects training across both general surgical principles and plastic surgery specifically, and it isn't a requirement for ABPS certification on its own, so it's worth asking about as an additional data point rather than assuming it's automatic.
How to Verify a Plastic Surgeon's Credentials in Bellevue
Verifying a plastic surgeon's credentials takes only a few minutes and doesn't require any special access. Before your consultation, confirm the following:
- ABPS certification. Use the American Board of Plastic Surgery's public verification tool to confirm the surgeon is a current diplomate in plastic surgery.
- Additional board status. Some surgeons, including Dr. Egrari, also hold certification from the American Board of Surgery, which can be verified directly through the ABS website.
- Hospital privileges. Ask which accredited hospitals have granted the surgeon operating privileges. Hospitals conduct their own credentialing review before granting privileges, which serves as a second layer of verification beyond board certification alone.
- Facility accreditation. If the procedure will be performed outside a hospital, confirm the surgical facility is accredited by a recognized body such as AAAASF, or licensed by the state health department.
- Professional society membership. Membership in ASPS requires ABPS certification, so it can serve as a quick secondary confirmation.
Dr. Egrari's certification and credentials are detailed on Egrari Plastic Surgery Center's certification and certifications and credentials pages, giving patients a documented reference to check against the verification steps above.
Red Flags That Signal an Unqualified Plastic Surgery Clinic
Certain patterns in how a clinic presents itself are worth pausing on before booking a procedure. None of these alone proves a provider is unqualified, but taken together they warrant closer scrutiny:
- The practice uses the term "cosmetic surgeon" without ever specifying board certification by name.
- Before-and-after photos are generic stock images rather than the practice's own documented patient results.
- Pricing is presented as a flat rate for major surgical procedures without an in-person evaluation.
- The provider discourages questions about training, complication rates, or revision policy.
- The surgical facility isn't named, or its accreditation status can't be confirmed on request.
Patients who have experienced a disappointing result elsewhere aren't out of options. Revision surgery performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon can often improve outcomes from a previous procedure, and a thorough consultation is the right first step to understand what's realistic for your specific situation.
Trusting your own reaction to a consultation matters here, too. A qualified provider will spend time understanding your goals, explain tradeoffs honestly even when the honest answer is less flattering than a sales pitch, and won't pressure you toward a same-day decision on a major surgical procedure. If a consultation feels more like a retail transaction than a medical evaluation, that discomfort is worth taking seriously.
Patient Safety Standards for Facial Plastic Surgery and Body Procedures
Patient safety in plastic surgery rests on three pillars: an accredited facility, a fully informed consent process, and a surgeon who discusses procedure-specific risks in detail rather than in generic terms. Every surgical procedure, whether facial or body contouring, carries some degree of risk, and a qualified surgeon will walk through those risks individually rather than treating informed consent as a formality.
For breast procedures specifically, patients should also understand the FDA's specific safety guidance around breast implants, including the recommended imaging schedule for monitoring implant integrity over time. Egrari Plastic Surgery Center outlines its approach to surgical risk, breast implant safety, and its broader safety protocols, reflecting how these standards apply across procedure types.
Facility accreditation deserves particular attention because it's one of the few safety factors patients can verify entirely on their own, without relying on a surgeon's self-reported claims. Accrediting bodies like AAAASF conduct on-site inspections covering equipment, staffing, emergency protocols, and sterilization practices before granting or renewing accreditation. A surgical facility operating without this kind of third-party review has, by definition, not been independently evaluated against those standards.
Informed consent is the other half of the safety equation, and it's where the quality of a consultation becomes most apparent. A rushed consultation that treats consent as paperwork to sign rather than a conversation to have is a meaningfully different experience from one where a surgeon walks through your specific anatomy, your specific risk factors, and what complications would actually look like for you. Patients are entitled to ask as many follow-up questions during this process as they need.
Transparency extends beyond clinical protocol. Patients can also review a practice's notice of open payments database disclosure, which links to the federal government's public record of payments made to physicians by device and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Questions to Ask Before Your Plastic Surgery Consultation
A productive first consultation is as much about the questions you bring as the information the surgeon provides. Consider asking:
- Are you board certified, and by which board specifically?
- How many times have you performed this specific procedure?
- What accredited facility will the procedure take place in?
- What are the most common complications for this procedure, and how are they managed?
- What does the recovery timeline realistically look like for someone in my situation?
- What happens if I'm not satisfied with the results?
Dr. Egrari's consultations at Egrari Plastic Surgery Center are structured to work through exactly these questions, with additional detail available on the practice's consultation page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery? Plastic surgery is a defined surgical specialty covering both reconstructive and cosmetic procedures, certified through the ABPS. Cosmetic surgery refers to elective, appearance-focused procedures that can be performed by physicians from a range of training backgrounds, not all of whom hold ABPS certification.
How do I verify that a plastic surgeon is board-certified? Use the American Board of Plastic Surgery's public verification tool, or check the American Board of Surgery's website if the surgeon holds dual certification. Both provide direct, primary-source confirmation rather than relying on a practice's own marketing claims.
Can a previous plastic surgery result be corrected by another surgeon? In many cases, yes. Revision surgery performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon can improve on a prior result, though the right approach depends heavily on the specific procedure and what caused the original outcome to fall short.
What qualifications should a plastic surgeon have? At minimum, look for ABPS board certification, active privileges at an accredited hospital, and a track record of performing your specific procedure. Additional certifications, such as the American Board of Surgery, and memberships in professional societies like ASPS, add further confirmation.
Is plastic surgery safe, and what are the most common risks? Plastic surgery carries the same general surgical risks as any procedure, including infection, bleeding, and scarring, plus risks specific to the procedure performed. An accredited facility and a board-certified surgeon who reviews these risks individually with you are the two biggest factors in minimizing them.
Considering Plastic Surgery in Bellevue? Dr. Egrari Is Here to Help
Verifying a surgeon's qualifications takes a small amount of upfront effort and can meaningfully affect your results and safety. Dr. Egrari's dual board certification, decades of surgical experience, and transparent approach to credentials give Bellevue and Seattle-area patients a documented standard to evaluate against. Read more from patients directly on the practice's reviews and testimonials page, learn more about Dr. Egrari's background, or schedule a consultation to discuss your specific goals.
Sources
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The Differences Between Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery and Why Board Certification Matters
- American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Cosmetic Surgery vs. Plastic Surgery
- American Board of Plastic Surgery. Booklet of Information
- American Board of Surgery. Check a Surgeon's Certification
