What’s the difference:
Dr vs Mr?
Plastic Surgeon vs Cosmetic Surgeon?

What’s the difference:

Doctor and Mr/Miss? 

Plastic Surgeon and Cosmetic Surgeon? 

Often there is confusion for patients about why some doctors are called Miss/Mr and others Dr. The reason for this is that Surgeons, who are called Ms or Mr, have been trained longer and more in depth in the surgical area than others. All are Doctors but the training after makes the difference. Surgical training is very competitive. In the case of Plastic Surgeons, most of us have had 1-2 years of very basic training after our training for Doctor (F1 and F2).

Dr Brian Simons says “During F1 and F2 training we have to learn skills, do research and work long – mostly unsocial – hours. Once those 2 years are done we apply for the training 6-8 years to become Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. During these years we work 60-80 hours a week and meanwhile we do extra research. We have many exams and finally when we have completed the exams we apply for a fellowship. A fellowship is another 1-3 years depending on the subspeciality, eg. breast reconstruction, head neck, lower limb, hands, burns and aesthetics.
In total we have been studying and training for more than 16 years and we can use the title of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon. Not everyone can use these titles.
A cosmetic surgeon can be any kind of doctor who has done some training in cosmetics (6 months or more). 6 months can be enough to start doing cosmetic surgery.”

In the United Kingdom the use of the title Ms/ Mr for a surgeon has a more in depth history and the history of plastic surgery is a very interesting one and very important to at least hear about it. We will talk about that in another blog.

Let’s talk about the Miss and Mr title. Back in time, around the 18th century physicians were distinguished by their medical qualifications. A doctor degree gave the title of ‘Doctor’, whilst surgeons with this degree were called ‘Mr’. There was a superiority assigned to these physicians who were authorised to supervise the work of surgeons without a medical degree.
This tradition in the UK started to shift when more and more voluntary hospitals started to arise and this increased the need for more surgeons. It was around this time that the Royal College of Surgeons of London was established and surgeons now started to have formal qualifications. With the rise in demand for more and more surgery came the natural respect and regard toward surgeons.

In fact, G J Guthrie who was the president of the RCS during that time told a parliamentary select committee in 1834:
“Surgery in Great Britain is at the highest point of elevation of surgery in any part of Europe.”
By the late 19th century surgeons in the UK were earning not just the highest medical incomes but had also become so highly regarded in society that being called a ‘Mr’ had transformed to being a badge of honour and distinction.
And the letters FRCS – or equivalent – after the name are known to be the hallmark of a surgeon. There are variations of this, depending on the college granting the qualification, for example FRCS or FRCS(Eng) indicates a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England; FRCS(Ed), FRCS(Glasg) or FRCSI indicate a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Glasgow or Ireland.

To read more about this in detail-

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1119265/

The above of course applies equally to female surgeons who will use a Miss/Ms.

There exists a grey area within the field of aesthetics, where you’ll find general surgeons and plastic surgeons performing cosmetic surgical procedures. There has been a rise in ‘Cosmetic Surgeons’ and of course there are also many ‘Aesthetic Doctors’ and practitioners. Minor procedures and non-surgical procedures can easily be performed by any of the above, and even nurses too. But when it comes to bigger surgical procedures like tummy tucks, face lifts, breast implants and Rhinoplasty these are best kept in the Plastic Surgery domain and performed by actual surgeons.
Aesthetic Doctors can have a wide range of backgrounds, many started out as GPs, some may have a background in Dentistry.

The key is to choose the right practitioner for the treatment you are looking for, and making sure they have the right qualifications, registrations and experience/training.
‘Mister / Miss’ in Modern-Day Medicine

It can be very confusing for patients (members of the public) in a hospital context for example to see a doctor being referred to as a Mr or Miss. We have become so conditioned to calling a Doctor ‘Dr’. This is even more pertinent in a modern day setting where hospitals have a large number of medical professionals, consulting in the treatment of serious cases to ensure their patients receive all round holistic care. It can be a bit daunting for patients and/or their family members to keep tabs on who they should address as Dr. and who as Mr. or Miss/Ms. In such situations where one is unsure about someone’s position in a hospital or even a private clinic, simply ask what their role is and how they are to be addressed.
Here at the Ministry of Aesthetics, we have Dr Brian Simons, a highly qualified plastic and reconstructive surgeon with significant experience in surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures across Europe.
To know more about us and what we offer – Contact Us