It is so important to know who you are entrusting to alter your body. You must know the surgeon you choose has your best interest in mind and is an ethical person.
FIRST: Check the state medical board for any public record actions. If you see even one listed, run the other way! Once an accusation has made it to the medical board, it often means the surgeon has likely been practicing unethically for years.
Every state in the U.S. has a medical board that licenses and regulates doctors. Most of these boards provide an online lookup tool where you can search for a doctor by name and view their licensing status, disciplinary actions, and sometimes legal actions like malpractice claims. Start by checking the website of your state's medical board.
In a Google search, type in “Medical Board of [insert state]”. It will be a .gov site.
Select “Lookup a License.” All you need is the surgeon’s first and last name.
NOTE: What the medical board doesn't show on their website: complaints, investigations, misdemeanors, pending cases, or dismissed cases.
SECOND: Check the county court's website for any civil lawsuits involving the surgeon. You don’t have to pay for the reports—just knowing there have been lawsuits should be a red flag.
THIRD: Conduct an online search regarding the surgeon’s legal history. Type the following into a web browser:
"Dr. John Doe" "lawsuit"
To narrow the search, you could add:
"Dr. John Doe" "lawsuit" "malpractice" "New York"
Here are some other terms you should investigate: “sanction,” “complaint,” “suspension,” “investigation,” and “pending case.”
FOURTH: Look at patient reviews on websites like Healthgrades, Vitals.com, and Yelp. Start by reading the negative reviews. These are the real people who have been hurt by the surgeon—and they are not "crazy," as the surgeon might have you believe. The positive reviews can come from staff, family, or patients the surgeon has incentivized. So, while it’s nice to read good reviews, stick to the ones that feel truthful.
Be very cautious of sites where doctors have only glowing ratings, such as RealSelf or Real Patient Ratings. Surgeons can pay to advertise on these platforms, and often direct patients, family, friends, and staff to leave favorable reviews.
LASTLY: Ask the surgeon during your consultation if they have had any malpractice suits filed against them. A surgeon who hasn’t will usually laugh this off and confidently tell you no. While this may seem direct, you have the right as a potential patient to inquire about their history. They may choose not to disclose—or offer limited information—but it’s worth asking. Their reaction will tell you everything.
Choosing a surgeon may feel difficult and tedious, but you’re spending your financial resources—and possibly risking your well-being. You don’t want to go with the “best plastic surgeon near me” just because they paid for that search result.
While finding the right surgeon is a long process, learning to love and accept your beautiful body the way it is may seem even more out of reach.
Ultimately, you will want to fall in love with your body. Because a “quick fix” surgery will never be the answer to your happiness. And from my experience helping thousands of surgical patients, they all must eventually learn to love themselves. Unfortunately, surgery doesn’t make this process easier. It’s a detour from the deeper work at hand.