Checklist for plastic surgery specialists

What should you look out for when choosing a specialist doctor?

Official medical specialist designations

Specialist in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery
Specialist in gynaecology
Specialist in dermatology (skin and sexually transmitted diseases)
Specialist in ophthalmology
Specialist for surgery
Specialist in ear, nose and throat medicine with additional training in plastic surgery
Specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery with additional training in plastic surgery

These designations are unprotected / have been self-awarded

Plastic surgeon
Expert I Doctor* for dermatology
Expert I Doctor* for plastic and aesthetic surgery
Expert I Doctor* for Aesthetic Medicine
Expert I Doctor* for aesthetic operations
Expert I Doctor* for aesthetic procedures
Expert I Doctor* for cosmetic surgery
Beauty Doc
Use of the title "Specialist without indication of speciality"

* If only the title "Arzt/Ärztin für" is used, this does not mean that you are a medical specialist certified and trained by the medical associations. They have merely completed a medical degree. These designations say nothing about the qualification.

Be careful when...

No official specialist title is used
you are urged to have an operation and are not given any time to think about it
the healing phase is trivialised
you are offered a price that seems extremely low
you are guaranteed success
you receive a treatment commitment without an examination
you are quoted a fixed price without an anamnesis
persuades you that the operation will solve all your problems!
no official specialist designations are used
Memberships of the providers do not match the membership lists of the professional societies

What else should you look out for?

Specialist title and/or specialisation
Further training and certificates
Memberships in professional associations
Also check the information on the websites of the professional associations
Transparent handling of the career/resume
on your own website
Quality of the counselling interview
Duration, indication and explanation of risks, answering my questions, transparency
Reviews on the net
Not all ratings/reviews are from patients
Publications in social media & before & after pictures
Please note that images can be manipulated relatively easily nowadays. The publication of before/after images of aesthetic procedures is not permitted under the Therapeutic Products Advertising Act.
Financing may not be offered by doctors or medical practices
Make sure that the aftercare & care after your operation is also clarified (especially in the event of any problems)
Is there an emergency number?