First of all for your safety and to maximise your chances of being totally satisfied with your surgery, it is important that you find a bona fide surgeon, trained by and meeting the stringent criteria and high standards of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Plastic Surgeons are fully qualified surgeons and Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) who have completed a rigorous training program much as Heart Surgeons or Brain Surgeons. Many “cosmetic surgeons” are in fact just General Practitioners who learned procedures by watching others. You would not want an untrained doctor performing your heart operation, would you? Always look for the FRACS qualification to signify proper surgical training.

Plastic surgeons are also members of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Look for the ASPS logo to confirm this. Be aware of imitation societies.

Once you have identified genuine plastic surgeons, you will need to choose between them. Plastic surgery and particularly cosmetic plastic surgery is an art form as much as science. Different surgeons have varying levels of training, experience and expertise.