How do you find a good doctor?

I only know one person in my area who has had a tummy tuck. How do you find a good reputable plastic surgeon?

Did you have weight loss surgery?  If you did and you still live in the area where you had it done, I would call them and ask them for a referral to a PS that is experienced with WLS patients.

If not, well, you try to ask other people if they can refer someone or you check them out on sites like this and set up consults with multiple PS's so you can get a feel for the different approaches, skills, costs, qualifications.  I say meet with at least 3 different PS, more if you can. 

If you post where you are from on this message board, I'm sure there will be people who are in your area that will respond.

Hope that helps.

I would say one of the best ways to find a good plastic surgeon is to get referrals from your other docs.  Also be sure that the surgeons with whom you consult are all board certified in plastics.  While that does not automatically make a surgeon good -- it is a step in the right direction.  In many states any surgeon can hang a shingle calling themselves a plastic surgeon.  You can check on board certification here: http://www.abms.org/

You can find some excellent pointers for selecting a surgeon at:  http://www.smartplasticsurgery.com/basics.html#FRS

Also many states now have websites where one can find information about malpractice suits and state license status.  It is always a good idea to check into this area as well.

Red