---
title: "Choosing Your Surgeon: Why Credentials Matter for Plastic Surgery"
url: https://drturner.com.au/resources/choosing-your-surgeon/
date: 2025-05-17
modified: 2026-06-27
author: "Dr Scott J Turner"
description: "Choosing a plastic surgeon is one of the most important decisions you make before cosmetic surgery. This guide explains how to verify specialist training, check AHPRA registration, understand what FRACS..."
word_count: 138
---

# Choosing Your Surgeon: Why Credentials Matter for Plastic Surgery

Choosing a plastic surgeon is one of the most important decisions you make before cosmetic surgery. This guide explains how to verify specialist training, check [AHPRA](https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registers-of-Practitioners.aspx) registration, understand what FRACS qualification means, ask the right questions at consultation, and recognise the warning signs to avoid before booking surgery.

[Dr Scott J Turner, Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS)](https://drturner.com.au/dr-scott-turner-sydney-plastic-surgeon/) consults in Bondi Junction and Manly and operates at accredited Sydney private hospitals. Cosmetic surgery in Australia follows a regulated pathway: a GP referral, a minimum of two consultations, a psychological assessment where clinically indicated, and a seven-day cooling-off period before consent.

**What this guide covers**

- Specialist Plastic Surgeon versus cosmetic practitioner
- What FRACS qualification means
- How to check AHPRA registration
- Choosing a facelift surgeon in Sydney
- Questions to ask at consultation
- Red flags to watch for
- The AHPRA pathway before surgery