How verification works
“Board-certified” is the most-used phrase in cosmetic medicine marketing — and one of the least examined. When you see a verified badge on Your New Bloom, it means one specific thing: our team confirmed that credential against the issuing board’s own public registry, and we show you which board and when we checked.
Last updated: July 5, 2026
Three steps, no shortcuts
The practice attests
A practice or surgeon tells us which board certifications they hold — the specific board, for the specific surgeon. An attestation alone never earns a badge.
We check the board's own registry
Our team looks the credential up in the issuing board's public records — the same registries linked below, which anyone can use. We rely on the board's records, not the practice's word.
Only then does the badge appear
A confirmed credential is displayed with a verified badge that names the board and shows the date we verified it. Claims we could not confirm are never displayed.
Plastic surgery vs. cosmetic surgery
Not all boards are the same, and the difference matters. The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is the plastic-surgery board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) — the umbrella organization behind the certification most people mean when they say “board-certified.” ABPS certification requires completing an accredited plastic surgery residency.
Other boards — such as those covering facial plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and cosmetic surgery — are not ABMS members. Some are legitimate, rigorous certifying bodies in their own right; they simply sit outside the ABMS system and have different training pathways and requirements. A surgeon can also hold more than one certification.
We don’t blur this distinction, and we don’t editorialize about it either. We always name the specific board behind every badge and label whether it is an ABMS member board — so you can weigh the credential yourself, and check it yourself using the registries below.
The boards we recognize
These are the certifying boards whose credentials can appear on profiles, with a link to each board’s own public registry. We use the same registries you can — check any surgeon’s credential at the source.
American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Check the ABOto registryAmerican Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Check the ABFPRS registryWhat the badge does — and doesn’t — mean
A verified badge means the named credential was confirmed in the issuing board’s public records on the date shown. It is not a rating of surgical skill, an inspection of a facility, or a promise about your result. Credentials can also change after we check them — which is why every badge carries its verification date, and why we link the registries above so you can confirm at the source before you book.
And one commitment that sits underneath everything: search ranking and review scores are never for sale. A verified badge is earned through the board’s registry; a practice’s position in results and its review score are never influenced by payment, and any paid placement is always labeled.