Board Certification in Aesthetic Medicine Lacking

In recent years, aesthetic medicine has become a popular and often sought after field that delves into the intricate and exciting world of cosmetics.

We all love to look and stay younger, and the current trend of celebrity beauty and ‘younger looking skin’ has instilled in people the need to go out and undergo procedures or purchase products that will do just that.

But offering aesthetic medical procedures requires a degree of skill and expertise.

It’s not just as simple as a one day course, but requires specific training in various aspects of the human anatomy and pharmacology (just to name a few), and should be taught by physicians who are board-certified in associated modalities such as dermatology.

To date, anti-ageing treatments are not recognized as a medical specialty. However, these days, stricter regulations and potential legal action mean that expert training and certification has become essential.

Obtaining certification requires undergoing a course that is often divided into different groups.

Lectures are detailed and cover different topics such as dermal fillers, botulinum toxin A and laser treatments. In addition, demonstrations will be conducted and candidates will obtain hands-on experience.

While this will offer the trainees an idea of what the treatments involve, the side effects and the potential applications, it does not replace long term experience obtained with continued practice.

Be that as it may, this course will give every trainee a solid ground to stand on when they add the procedures to their practice.

There are additional courses that are available in aesthetic medicine, and these tend to be a lot more advanced.

It depends on what exactly the trainee is looking for. Advanced training towards certification often involves numerous lectures, advanced techniques such as sclerotherapy and other cosmetic techniques.

These programs result in trainees being awarded a certification or diploma in aesthetic medicine.

It is fairly obvious – being trained by experts is the cornerstone to valid certification in aesthetic medicine, and such training programs not only arm the physician with the required skills, but it also instills in the patient confidence that their aesthetic practitioner ‘knows what they are doing’.

The process is stringent and can be stressful, but it is well worth having it as one of your many qualifications.

Ultimately, the IAPAM has developed the responsible guiding principle that it cannot offer “board certification” in aesthetic medicine until such certification is recognized along with the other 24 medical specialties currently acknowledged by the ABMS.

Therefore, until that time when aesthetic medicine is considered a medical specialty by the ABMS, the bottom line for practitioners and patients alike is: whether engaging a “board-certified” surgeon, or a peer-trained physician, patients must complete their due diligence by researching both the practitioner and the treatment, asking the doctor and others for referrals, and ensuring that they feel completely comfortable before undergoing any procedure.