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Surgery Education · 8 min read

How to Choose a Plastic Surgeon: The Questions Nobody Tells You to Ask

By Dr. Victoria Chen, MD FACS · June 10, 2026

I tell every patient the same thing: the most important decision you make about plastic surgery is who performs it. Not where. Not when. Who. The quality of a surgeon's hands and judgment determines your result more than any other factor.

Start With Board Certification — But Don't Stop There

Look for certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) — not the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, which is a separate and less rigorous certification that sounds similar. The ABPS requires completion of an accredited plastic surgery residency. The ABCS does not. This distinction matters enormously.

You can verify any surgeon's ABPS certification at certificationmatters.org. Do this before your first consultation. It takes 30 seconds.

The Questions That Actually Reveal Who You're Dealing With

"How many of this specific procedure do you perform per year?"

Volume matters in surgery. A surgeon who performs 20 rhinoplasties per year has fundamentally different reflexes and pattern recognition than one who does 5. Ask the specific procedure, not "how many surgeries" generally.

"What percentage of patients who consult with you for this procedure do you actually operate on?"

A surgeon who operates on 95%+ of consultations for every procedure is not discriminating. The right answer is somewhere between 50–80% depending on the procedure. Any surgeon who wants to operate on everyone they consult is telling you something important.

"Will you be performing my surgery, or will residents or fellows be involved?"

Academic medical centers often involve trainees in surgery — this is legal and disclosed in the consent. Private practices should not. Know who is going to be operating on your body before you sign anything.

"What would make you decline to operate on me?"

Good surgeons have answers to this. They'll mention unrealistic expectations, medical risk factors, poor surgical candidacy. A surgeon who says "I can operate on anyone" is not being honest with you.

Red Flags in a Consultation

✗They recommend a procedure in the first 10 minutes without understanding your goals
✗They don't mention risks or show you an informed consent document
✗The price seems dramatically lower than other quotes — surgical quality is not a commodity
✗They promise a specific outcome rather than a realistic range
✗The before and after photos all look like they came from the same body type and the same operation

Come Ask the Hard Questions

Every question on this list is one Dr. Chen welcomes. If you've already consulted elsewhere and want a second opinion, we provide them free of charge.

Book a Consultation

About the Author: Dr. Victoria Chen, MD FACS is the founder of Elara Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery. She is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, trained at Columbia and NYU Langone.

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