Certification you can verify.

The American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery examines and certifies surgeons in cosmetic surgery of the face, head, and neck. Every certification we issue is a public record — check it here, at the source.

Primary-source verification, free, no account required. Or browse the directory.

Considering a procedure

Plain guides to what each procedure does, who it suits, recovery, and risks — written to inform, not to sell.

Procedure guides

Choosing a surgeon

What certification means, which questions reveal training and judgment, and the safety standards a facility must meet.

How to choose

Verifying a credential

Hospitals, insurers, and patients can confirm any ABFCS certification against the Board’s own records, instantly.

Verify now

Why a board for the face alone

United States residency programs are organized around medically necessary care. Cosmetic expertise of the face is built afterward — through fellowship training and examined experience. No government body checks whether a surgeon advertising facial cosmetic surgery actually has it.

This Board exists to close that gap. It certifies only surgeons whose training and case experience in facial cosmetic surgery meet its published standards and who pass its examination — and it maintains the public record that lets anyone confirm it.

Read the standards
  • Examined, not enrolled

    Certification is earned by examination against a published blueprint of the specialty — never by membership or attendance.

  • Verified at the source

    Certification status on this site is read from the Board’s own records, including expirations, suspensions, and revocations.

  • Accountable

    Diplomates practice under a code of ethics; certification can be suspended or revoked, and that history is public.

From the Board

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