You wouldn’t be the first person to assume that the “plastic surgeon” you’re about to meet or talk with spends his days doing some important heavy lifting: face-lifts, neck lifts, brow lifts and breast lifts, not to mention augmentations and tummy tucks, too. However, many surgeons specialize in “the other side” of the field: reconstructive surgeries.

The choice between cosmetic and reconstructive specializations is one of many decisions you will have to make as you assess whether you have what it takes to become a plastic surgeon. You may well find an incentive in a plastic surgeon’s salary, which is among the highest of the more than 800 occupations tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Plastic Surgeon Description

Plastic surgeons probably spend at least some of their time clearing up misconceptions. For even if they specialize in cosmetic surgery – focused on improving someone's looks – they also may enhance someone's appearance while improving bodily or motor functions after tragic circumstances, such as a car accident, amputation or disease, Career Explorer says. Such surgeries include, but certainly aren't limited to, cleft lip and palate repairs, scar revisions, skin cancer removals, finger and toe reattachments, and corrective surgeries on virtually any part of the body.

In fact, there are five divisions within the domain of plastic surgery:

Cancer (skin, head and neck and breast)

Congenital deformities

Degenerative tissue conditions that require reconstruction

Normalizing and improving appearance

Trauma and burns

The nature of plastic surgeons' work often draws them into collaboration with other physicians as part of a multidisciplinary team. Next to treating their patients, working in this manner – and learning, too – can be one of the most rewarding aspects of being a plastic surgeon.

Plastic Surgeon Education Requirements

Laymen often infer that physicians “love school” because the doctors must spend so much time there. Specifically, plastic surgeons can expect to spend about 15 years (give or take) beyond high school learning their craft before they can even begin hatching plans to open a plastic surgery private practice. The BLS spells out the educational commitment:

A four-year college degree, often in biology, chemistry, physics or math

Four years of medical school (following a highly competitive admissions process)

A six- or seven-year residency (basically a doctor's “first job”)

Afterward, a plastic surgeon must become licensed in the state she wishes to practice in.

Plastic Surgeon Industry

As you might guess, plastic surgeons ply their craft primarily in hospitals or surgical centers. It's where they meet with patients that sometimes changes, right along with shifts in the economy.

A plastic surgery private practice is often viewed as the “brass ring,” meaning the most lucrative. But going solo also means that a surgeon must shoulder all the expenses alone, too. These days, plastic surgeons are gravitating to group practices, where they can share patients – and expenses – with other doctors, the BLS says.

Years of Experience

It's up to you to decide whether all those years of schooling – and probably student loan debt – eventually pay off. The median annual wage for surgeons as of May 2019 was $252,040, according to the BLS. It's worth noting that that number relates to all types of surgeons. Plastic surgeons fare better, at least according to Salary.com, which pegs the annual salary of “plastic reconstructive” surgeons at $395,153 as of July 2020.

Stick with Salary.com if you care to drill down by region of the country, also as of July 2020:

The median plastic surgery salary in Chicago was $418,862 .

. The median plastic surgery salary in New York City was $423,999 .

. The median plastic surgery salary in Los Angeles was $444, 823.

Plastic Surgeon Growth Trends

The demand for surgeons (and physicians) of all kinds is expected to grow by 7 percent between 2018 and 2028, faster than the average rate of all the occupations the BLS tracks.