How to Choose a Plastic Surgeon in San Francisco

I am located in the East San Francisco Bay Area community of Walnut Creek (about 20 minutes for San Francisco). The majority of my patients live within a few hours of my office; however, thanks to the Internet, I get inquiries from around the world. Since it is difficult to be exact about any procedure without performing a focused history and physical examination, I usually recommend a consultation appointment for anything other than general information. At a consultation appointment you are provided specific answers to your questions. Initial consultations gives you time to get your questions answered and me time to formulate a plan tailored to your needs. In my practice there is a charge for the consultation, and this is applied toward the cost of surgery should we decide to proceed.

I am happy to be found, and my office can help make arrangements for out of town guests. However, if I am too far away, you might wonder how to find a Plastic Surgeon in your local area.

One way is to try asking your friends, family or family physician for a recommendation. Word-of-mouth referrals tend to quality recommendations, but this isn’t always an option. If you are starting from scratch, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) at www.surgery.org and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) at www.plasticsurgery.org have doctor locators on their sites. The doctors on these sites must be Board Certified Plastic Surgeons and have had further credentialing.

When you are investigating a doctor you should check their Board Certification with the American Board of Medical Subspecialties (ABMS) at www.abms.org. If it does not say “Plastic Surgery” then they are not a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. There are many “Boards” out there, but the ABMS is the recognized authority for subspecialties in medicine. Some boards may sound like plastic surgery (some even sound better) but they are not ABMS recognized boards.

You should also check the doctor’s license on you local states medical board web site. For example when you Google “California Medical Board” you will find: http://www.medbd.ca.gov/ listed in the number one slot. Click on the “Check Your Doctor Online” box to check the status for the doctors license. Any actions against the doctor’s California Medical License will be listed here. If none are found it’s a good thing.

I hope you find this information useful. There is no substitute for a face-to-face visit for both doctor and patient, but the above is a good starting point. For those of you in the greater San Francisco Bay Area or Northern San Joaquin Valley, if you would like to take the next step with me, the easiest way to schedule a consultation appointment is to call (925) 943-6353. We are open weekdays, 9 AM to noon and 2 PM to 5 PM.

Joseph A. Mele, III, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
(925) 943-6353
www.DrMele.com