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Notwithstanding titles, diplomas, or specialty society membership, surgical competence is an individual matter; no certifying board can issue it; no marketing plan can sanctify it. Even so, board certification has become a sine qua non for the contemporary surgeon competing in the medical marketplace.
The American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ABFPRS) was established to help surgeons reach a level of professional achievement beyond what currently exists.
Historical Perspective
When the American Board of Ophthalmology established the first certifying board in 1916, the era of specialization was born. In 1924, the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABO) was founded. Over the next few years, organ system by organ system, the medical profession laid claim to regions of the human body. Fourteen years after the ABO was founded, the American Board of Plastic Surgery was formed by a coalition of experienced surgeons from several specialties.As the years passed, technology,