A Friendly Guide to Vetting Your Provider Before You Book.
Larry Lickstein, MD, FACS | Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Elle Aesthetic Arts and Plastic Surgery | Ashburn, VA
Dr. Lickstein has performed thousands of cosmetic procedures over a 25-year career spanning both academic and private practice. He is a member of the selective and prestigious American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, is a perennial Top Doc in local, regional, and national publications, and highly sought after for his easy communication, meticulous technique, and natural aesthetic.
Let’s be honest: a lot of people find their surgeon on Instagram or TikTok these days. And candidly? That’s completely fine. Social media is a great way to see a surgeon’s aesthetic sensibility, get a feel for their personality, and browse real results before you ever pick up the phone. There is nothing wrong with starting there.
But this is the part I really want you to read: finding someone on social media should be the beginning of your research, not the end of it.
A compelling feed and a confident on-camera presence don’t tell you where a surgeon trained, what board certified them, or whether they’ve ever had a complaint filed against their license. Those things take about twenty extra minutes to look up, and they are absolutely worth your time. This post walks you through exactly what to check and why it matters. No judgment, just the things I genuinely wish every patient knew before their first consultation.
First:
Know That the Titles Are Purposefully Confusing (Well, Sort Of)
Here’s something that surprises a lot of people: “cosmetic surgeon” is not a protected title in the United States. That means any licensed physician, regardless of what they actually trained in, can legally use it. We’re talking doctors who may have trained in emergency medicine, OB-GYN, family practice, or dermatology, who later took courses or weekend training programs in cosmetic procedures and now offer surgery to patients. That’s not a conspiracy theory or a scare tactic. It’s just the regulatory reality, and it means the title alone doesn’t tell you much.
“Board certified” sounds reassuring, and it can be, but here’s the catch: there are dozens of certifying boards out there, and they are not all equivalent. The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, for example, is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which is essentially the gold standard governing body for physician certification in the country. The ABMS recognizes the American Board of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Dermatology, and the American Board of Internal Medicine, among others. So it is important to recognize that a surgeon can be “board certified” by a non-ABMS organization and that credential may not reflect the same depth of training you’re picturing.
The credential you’re actually looking for is certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the only ABMS-recognized board that certifies specifically in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
What That Certification Actually Required
When a surgeon is ABPS-certified, they completed a serious amount of training to get there. We’re talking:
- Four years of medical school
- At least 6 years in an accredited plastic surgery residency
- Previously, many surgeons completed residencies in General Surgery, ENT, or orthopedics prior to plastic surgery training
- A written and oral board examination process
Add it up and you’re looking at years of postgraduate training before they were even eligible to sit for certification. Many surgeons add fellowship training on top of that in areas like facial surgery, microsurgery, or body contouring.
One more credential worth knowing: FACS, or Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. It’s a peer-reviewed designation that signals a commitment to surgical ethics, continuing education, and outcomes accountability. Not every excellent surgeon has it, but it’s a good sign when they do.
Your Due Diligence Checklist: What to Actually Look Up
Here’s the practical part. Before you book a consultation with anyone, here’s what I’d suggest you check. None of this takes very long.
- Verify board certification directly.
Don’t just take a surgeon’s word for it. You can confirm ABPS certification in about two minutes atwww.abplasticsurgery.org, or through the ABMS verification tool atwww.certificationmatters.org. Legitimate certifications show up there. If someone claims to be board certified but doesn’t appear in those databases, that’s worth knowing.
- Look them up with your State Medical Board.
This one doesn’t come up enough, but it’s really important. Every state has a medical board that licenses physicians and maintains public records of any disciplinary actions, license suspensions, malpractice settlements, or complaints. A quick search of “Virginia medical board physician lookup” will get you there. You’re looking for a clean record: no major disciplinary history, an active license in good standing. This is public information and you’re completely entitled to check it.
- Ask about their residency training.
When you get to a consultation, ask directly: where did you complete your residency, and in what specialty? A plastic surgeon will give you a straightforward answer, including the name of the program, the hospital or university, and the years. If the answer feels vague or pivots quickly to a cosmetic training program rather than an accredited surgical residency, pay attention to that.
- Ask about hospital privileges.
Board-certified plastic surgeons typically hold surgical privileges at accredited hospitals, which means a credentialing committee of their peers has reviewed their qualifications and outcomes. Many procedures are appropriately performed in accredited outpatient surgery centers, and that’s normal and not a red flag. But if a surgeon has no hospital affiliation at all, it’s a reasonable question to ask about.
- Ask how many times they’ve done your specific procedure.
General surgical experience doesn’t automatically translate to proficiency in a specific operation. It’s perfectly reasonable to ask how many rhinoplasties, breast augmentations, or facelifts a surgeon has performed. A confident, experienced surgeon will give you a real answer without getting defensive. In my practice, I’ve performed more than 2,000 major body contouring procedures and am happy to share before-and-after photos from my own patients.
- Ask to see their own before-and-after photos.
Every experienced surgeon has a patient portfolio. The photos should be their actual patients, not stock images or results from a training program. Ask for cases that are similar to yours in terms of anatomy and what you’re hoping to achieve.
A Word on Price
I know cost is a real concern. Cosmetic surgery isn’t covered by insurance, and the price differences between providers can be significant. I’m not going to pretend that doesn’t matter.
What I will say is this: surgeons who practice outside their specialty training often charge less, and that lower price is sometimes how they attract patients who don’t yet know the difference between the credentials. Revision surgery, meaning fixing a result that didn’t go well, is more complex, more expensive, and more emotionally draining than getting it right the first time. I’ve done a lot of revision work over the years, and the procedures I find hardest are always the ones where a patient came to me with concerns from prior operations.
I’m not saying this to scare you. I’m saying it because you deserve to know that the price difference is often real, and what it sometimes reflects.
So Where Should You Actually Start Your Search?
If you want a head start beyond social media, both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) maintain searchable directories of board-certified plastic surgeons. Those are solid places to build your shortlist.
And then, yes, go look at their Instagram. Look at their results. Watch their videos. Get a feel for them as a person and a clinician. Just do the background check first, and let the social media feed be the bonus layer, not the whole picture.
Key Clinical Points
- Finding a surgeon on Instagram or TikTok is a perfectly valid starting point. Just don’t stop there.
- “Cosmetic surgeon” is not a protected title. Any physician can use it regardless of their training.
- The credential to look for is board certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the only ABMS-recognized board for this specialty. Verify it atwww.abplasticsurgery.org.
- Always check your State Medical Board’s physician lookup tool for license status and any disciplinary history. This is free, public, and takes five minutes.
- Ask about residency training, hospital privileges, and procedure-specific volume during your consultation.
- Revision surgery to fix a poor outcome is harder and costlier than doing it right the first time.
One More Thing
Choosing a surgeon is a big decision, and you should take your time with it. Ask every question you have. If a surgeon makes you feel rushed, or gets uncomfortable when you ask about credentials, that’s information too.
Good surgeons love these conversations. We spent a long time earning those credentials, and we’re happy to talk about them.
My consultations are designed to be exactly that kind of conversation: unhurried, honest, and focused entirely on what’s right for you.