FOUR LOCATIONS ONE EXPERIENCED TEAM
Working out the difference between plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons can be hard. Did you know that plastic surgeons can position themselves as cosmetic surgeons but the reverse isn’t always true?
Before we dive into the difference between plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons, let’s take a quick look at the two categories of plastic surgery: reconstructive and cosmetic.
Cosmetic surgery aims to address aesthetic concerns with the body by enhancing or reshaping certain body parts. Unless there is an underlying medical issue, cosmetic surgery is not covered by Medicare.
Reconstructive surgery addresses aesthetic and functional issues with the body. These issues may be caused by congenital or developmental abnormalities, trauma, disease and even other unsuccessful plastic surgeries. In most instances, reconstructive surgeries are covered by Medicare.
Any doctor can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon – whether they’ve trained as an oral surgeon, a dermatologist – even a General Practitioner. Cosmetic surgery training focuses exclusively on aesthetic procedures. But these same doctors cannot call themselves plastic surgeons.
A plastic surgeon is trained in reconstructive surgery as well as cosmetic surgery. They are medical doctors who have completed a minimum of 9 years of intensive surgical training through an accredited plastic surgery residency program certified by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS). This RACS Fellowship is the only qualification in plastic and cosmetic surgery recognized by the Australian Medical Council (AMC).
At Plastic Surgery Queensland, all of our surgeons are board-certified FRACS Plastic & Reconstructive surgeons. You can find their qualifications here.
Read more about plastic surgeons vs cosmetic surgeons in the next blog below.