Meet Dr. Bivik Shah - Plastic Surgeon
Serving Columbus, Dayton, and surrounding communities, plastic surgeon Dr. Bivik Shah is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a member of several medical associations, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Burn Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, and the Columbus Medical Association.
Dr. Shah grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Michigan before returning to Ohio to attend medical school at The Ohio State University. Dr. Shah later joined the Ohio State University faculty, where he was responsible for performing surgery on some of the city’s most complicated burn and reconstruction cases. He has written several papers that have been published in medical journals.
Dr. Shah is actively involved in Operation Smile, which provides voluntary care to children around the world who are born with facial deformities. He has been on 20 separate Operation Smile missions, including those in Thailand, India, Honduras, and Bolivia, to provide care to children born with cleft lip and cleft palate deformities. During the Operation Smile missions, Dr. Shah and fellow volunteers operate for charity on about 100-150 children, providing them with new smiles and a renewed hope for the future.
If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Bivik Shah and his practice, contact us.
CHOOSING A PLASTIC SURGEON
There are many important decisions you will need to make before undergoing a plastic surgery procedure, and the first—and most important one—is deciding which surgeon will perform it. We would be very honored to have you select our practice for your surgery; however, the most important thing to us is that you select a plastic surgeon who is competent and with whom you feel comfortable.
Your safety and well-being are extremely important to us. We provide this information because we do not want you to become one of the many people in this country that receive plastic surgery by an untrained non-plastic surgeon or, worse yet, an untrained non-physician. Though there is no guarantee that you will have the best possible results from your surgery, there is no substitute for being well prepared and making sure you have the best plastic surgeon possible. Here are some questions you should always ask yourself before choosing the surgeon who will perform your plastic surgery:
WHERE DID THE PLASTIC SURGEON RECEIVE TRAINING?
When choosing a plastic surgeon, the first thing to check is the doctor’s training. You should always ask the plastic surgeon if he or she has been trained at an accredited plastic surgery training program. This is important because neither the state nor the federal government puts restrictions on which procedures doctors can perform. Appropriate training for plastic surgery includes three or four years in general surgery or in an ear, nose, and throat program, and two years in a plastic surgery training program.
IS THE PLASTIC SURGEON BOARD CERTIFIED?
The second question is whether or not your plastic surgeon is board certified, and if so, by whom he or she has been certified. There are many different board certifications, but the only two that are associated with plastic surgery are the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Osteopathic Association. There are other boards that “certify” physicians, but they often do not provide testing or training relevant to plastic surgery. Our own Bivik Shah is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
DO I LIKE THE PLASTIC SURGEON?
The final—and possibly the most important—element when choosing a plastic surgeon is the character of the doctor. It is imperative that you choose someone who will answer all of your questions, who you are comfortable discussing important issues with, and who you trust.
There is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting with your plastic surgeon. If you are considering a plastic surgery procedure such as a breast augmentation or liposuction, contact the Columbus Institute of Plastic Surgery today. Dr. Shah will meet with you personally to discuss your options and which procedures might be right for you.