A plastic surgeon or cosmetic doctor… In your search for a specialist who can help you treat your imperfections, you will come across many different options. Who does what? And where can you go? If you can no longer see the forest for the trees, this is quite logical – it’s not easy. As a cosmetic doctor KNMG I would like to help you clarify what we do.
A recognized specialty
That you are treated properly and safely by someone experienced as a doctor is, of course, the biggest priority. But until not so long ago, any doctor could basically call himself a cosmetic doctor – you didn’t necessarily have to be officially competent for that. Only since 1 July 2019 has ‘cosmetic physician KNMG’ been a protected, recognized title. This means that the competence of recognized doctors is – finally! – guaranteed.
Certainty for the patient
This also means that since then you can look up all registered cosmetic doctors on the website of the Dutch Society of Cosmetic Medicine (NVCG). An important milestone, because this gives you as a patient much more certainty that you are in good hands. Treatment by non-competent doctors, with all the associated dangers, can thus be prevented.
What does a cosmetic doctor do?
According to the NVCG, most cosmetic doctors deal with low-impact, cosmetic procedures. You can think of botox treatments and fillers, for which you can of course go to Dr. Decates, but also laser treatments.
Cosmetic physician KNMG or plastic surgeon?
Finally, despite some confusion about this, there is an important difference between cosmetic doctors KNMG and plastic surgeons. In order to call yourself a plastic surgeon, you have to follow a six-year plastic surgery specialization. Plastic surgeons are therefore specialized in surgical procedures on the entire body and may therefore also do what a cosmetic doctor does. However, the reverse is not the case: as a cosmetic doctor, you are not allowed to perform plastic surgery. In summary, a cosmetic doctor injects botox or fillers, while a plastic surgeon cuts.
I hope this blog has helped you clarify what the difference is. If you have any further questions or are curious about a specific treatment, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d love to help you out!
