Dr. Malcolm Lesavoy, Los Angeles Plastic Surgery: Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Did you know that a high percentage of the physicians who claim to be plastic surgeons are not Board Certified? When you choose a plastic surgeon, be certain of his/her credentials, and above all, make sure that your doctor is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Inc.

The essential purposes of the Board are:

1. To establish requirements for the qualifications of applicants who request a certificate of their ability in the field of plastic surgery in its broadest sense.
2. To conduct examinations of approved candidates who seek certification by the Board.
3. To issue certificates to those who meet the Board's requirements and pass the respective examinations.
4. To do and engage in any and all lawful activities that may be incidental or reasonably related to any of the foregoing purposes.

The Board is not an educational institution, and certificates issued by the Board are not to be considered degrees. The certificate does not confer on any person legal qualifications, privileges, or license to practice medicine or the specialty of plastic surgery.

Standards of certification are clearly distinct from those of licensure; possession of a Board certificate does not indicate total qualification for practice privileges, nor does it imply exclusion of others not so certified. The Board does not purport in any way to interfere with or limit the professional activities of any licensed physician nor does it desire to interfere with practitioners of medicine or any of their regular or legitimate activities.

It is not the intent nor has it been the function of the Board to define requirements for membership on the staff of hospitals, or to define who shall or shall not perform plastic surgical operations. The Board is not a primary source of censure or primary review of ethical problems.

General Requirements 

The following requirements for admissibility are in agreement with those promulgated by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

1. The Board will accept only those persons whose major professional activity is limited to the field of plastic surgery.

2. Must maintain an ethical standing in the profession and moral status in the community acceptable to The American Board of Plastic Surgery, Inc. in conformity with the Code of Ethics of The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Inc. (ASPS). Moral and ethical practices that do not conform with the ASPS Code of Ethics may result in rejection of an application or in deferral of examination until such matters have been resolved satisfactorily.

The Board may deny a candidate the privilege of sitting for an examination, or may refuse issuance of a certificate, if additional disclosures or a recent change in status finds that the candidate no longer meets the general or professional requirements.

Professional Requirements The Board considers the requirements detailed in Prerequisite Training and Requisite Training to be minimal. Candidates are encouraged to take advantage of broadening experiences in other fields.

The Board reserves the right:
1. To request lists of operations performed solely by the candidate for a designated period of time.
2. To request special and extra examinations: written, oral or practical.
3. To request any specific data concerning the candidate that may be deemed necessary before making a final decision for certification.
4. To consider evidence that a candidate's practice after completion of training is not in accord with generally accepted medical or ethical standards, which may result in rejection of the application or deferral of the examination until such time as the matter has been satisfactorily resolved.