Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
The board behind the certificate
A board issues the certificate, so the board is the source, and the surgeon's answer is a pointer to it. The question in the title names a single board, and that is the one to check. The answer should be one you can check yourself, so do not rely on a brochure, a website or a front desk alone.
Which board, and since when
Ask for the name of the board, not only the word "certified". A plastic surgery society's patient page on board certification when choosing a plastic surgeon is one place to read what the credential means. Ask which board the surgeon holds, and ask since when.
Then check the claim at the source, on the website of the board the surgeon names. If the name you find does not match the name on the door, ask about the difference.
Certification is one question among several. Ask what the surgeon performs most often and whether your procedure is part of that routine. A national plastic surgery society's article on the differences between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery, and why board certification matters shows why the specialty behind a title is worth asking about. A university department's facial plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship page shows what one fellowship looks like, which helps when a surgeon describes their training.
Complications are a fair thing to ask about for any procedure. A review of complications of blepharoplasty, prevention and management is technical, but it gives you a reason to ask your surgeon how a problem would be handled.
Three things to write down before booking
Before you book anything around Redmond, write down three things: the board name, the surgeon's full name as listed, and the answer to "who handles a problem after hours". Look up the first two yourself. If an answer is vague, treat that as information.
One fact about the surgeon, not a forecast of your result
Certification does not guarantee a result, and its absence is not proof of a problem. It is one fact to weigh with everything else you learn at the consult.