Experience Route

Absent any action to the contrary by the Board of Trustees, the eligibility for certification via the Experience Route will expire in 2013.

The ABCS recognizes additional education and experience only in the area that is consistent with the candidate’s initial approved board certification. If a candidate seeks certification in an area inconsistent with his/her initial approved board certification, he/she will not be able to pursue certification under the experience route. PLEASE NOTE, the only means by which a candidate can apply for certification in an area that is not consistent with his/her initial approved board certification is by obtaining additional training and applying by the fellowship route OR by applying for a Certification of Added Qualification (CAQ).

Certification via the Experience Route requires initial certification by an approved board:

Training/Experience Summary (Section amended per Board of Trustees meeting in June 2022: as of June 2022, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to limit ophthalmology only to Facial Cosmetic Surgery Fellowships. The AACS will no longer accept applications for General Cosmetic Surgery Fellowships from any individual whose core speciality is ophthalmology. Doctors with this specialty may apply with the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery.)

Approved Boards	Areas of Eligibility
Dermatology	Dermatologic Cosmetic Surgery
General Surgery	Body, Breast & Extremity Cosmetic Surgery
General Surgery	General Cosmetic Surgery
Obstetrics and Gynecology	Body, Breast & Extremity Cosmetic Surgery
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery with an M.D. degree	Facial Cosmetic Surgery
Otolaryngology	Facial Cosmetic Surgery
Plastic Surgery	Body, Breast & Extremity Cosmetic Surgery
Plastic Surgery	General Cosmetic Surgery

a.	Applicant must furnish proof of at least 300 CME credits in cosmetic surgery in the six years prior to application. All credits must be in Category 1.
b.	Applicant must submit typed case logs documenting at least 1,000 cosmetic procedures. Applicant may submit up to a maximum of 300 cosmetic surgical procedures against 1,000 procedure requirement which were performed during post graduate training of one of our core boards in which the applicant was co-surgeon or first assistant with formal documentation as defined by committee.
c.	Applicant must submit typed case logs documenting at least 200 cosmetic procedures performed in the year prior to application.
d.	Applicant’s case logs must illustrate a depth and breadth of cosmetic cases in the area of certification sought.
e.	Applicant must submit typed operative reports, with clearly labeled publication quality before and after photographs securely attached to each operative report. Operative reports must illustrate a depth and breath of cosmetic cases in the area of certification sought as set forth in the Examination Candidate Application Booklet which is hereby incorporated by reference. Operative reports must meet the standards set forth in the Candidate Application Booklet furnished in PDF format online or by the General Office. The number of operative reports to be submitted depends upon the area of certification sought. General requires 120 reports; Facial requires 105 reports; Body, Breast & Extremity requires 100 reports; and Dermatologic requires 100 reports as set forth in the Guidelines for Applicants in the Examination Candidate Application Booklet.