Double boarded – the term double boarded is usually used by ear nose and throat doctors to claim competency in aesthetic surgery. The American Board of Medical Specialties does not recognize the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery but some states including Florida do give this organization recognition.
Every legitimate medical specialty has a board certification mechanism. For plastic surgery, it is rigorous training in medical school, internship, a surgical specialty of some kind to meet qualifications, and then a three to five-year training program specifically in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Ear nose and throat doctors are board-certified in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the ears nose and throat. Then they have a year or two of cosmetic surgery training and then qualify for designation as board-certified in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Thus the term double boarded.
It’s basically in my opinion an attempt to give legitimacy to an area where I challenge their competency and skill set. Plastic surgeons who are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery do have general surgery training and most are board certified in general surgery. They usually do not assert themselves as double boarded although they are.
Double-Boarded
General surgery training has very little if anything to do with plastic aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. The ENT training generally has no cosmetic surgery training, especially below the neck. Furthermore, style is essential. Remember elegance is an attitude and kind as his voice. The true evaluation of results especially for rhinoplasty our best performed by evaluating before-and-after galleries.
You will find that for the most part non-board-certified rhinoplasty surgeons generally have straight dorms in a rounded tip. If you evaluate our gallery, you will consistently see a much more elegant and aesthetic result. We take seriously the wish pictures that our patients present and try to evaluate suitability for achieving those goals as their wish pictures outline them. Anatomic circumstances do not permit every single patient to achieve those wish-pick goals but our profiles, our tip refinement, and are central third contours in my opinion are distinctly different and preferable to what you may see in non-plastic surgery galleries.
In summary, double-boarded means that the claiming surgeon has achieved certification in some other surgical specialty that has nothing to do with cosmetic or aesthetic surgery. The real test for knowledge, skill, and talent is the result, before and after galleries and in-person consultation and evaluation
THOMAS TREVISANI, MD
BOARD-CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON
MEMBER OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY
