What kind of experience should I look for when choosing a breast surgeon?

When choosing a breast surgeon, look for board certification, years of experience, specialization, hospital affiliation, malpractice record, and your comfort with the doctor. Look at hundreds if not thousands of before and after photos of their work and see 2 or 3 consultations if necessary. Finally make a list and cross reference the surgeons for pros and cons. 

If you are looking for a breast surgeon, you want one who has performed the same surgery that you need many times. Not only will this surgeon be more skillful and confident in the operating room, but she will also be more capable of handling any unforeseen emergencies. There’s still a lot of truth in Benjamin Franklin’s observation, “Beware the young doctor and the old barber.” A good rule of thumb is to go with a surgeon who performs this surgery more than just once or twice a year. Ideally, your surgeon specializes in the surgery you need and has additional special training in breast cancer surgery.

 A good bedside manner can be very comforting, but don’t choose a surgeon based on her personality alone. A surgeon’s personality should be the secondary - not the primary - consideration in making your choice. As Shawna C. Willey, M.D., a breast surgeon and the director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., says, “A lot of physicians’ skills are judged on their personality. If you have to choose between a good heart and good hands, go with the good hands.”