What we found
15.0%
Confirmed share
8
States with a register we could read
The 22 states and territories where no register confirmed anyone
1
a register we read that records no certification
2
a register we could not reach
19
a register we have not checked
A certification counts as confirmed here only when it was confirmed against a primary source or a state list that records the surgeon's own attestation. Everything else is unconfirmed, and unconfirmed means this site had nowhere to look. The American Board of Plastic Surgery gates its register behind a check whose own text says it exists to stop automated programs, so this site does not query it, and most states publish nothing about board certification that a member of the public can search. Their boards do publish a licence lookup, which answers a different question. An unconfirmed listing here is a statement about our reach.
Eight states hold listings a state register was able to confirm: California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. Between them those states publish nine registers, and two of the nine list every certification a licensed physician holds, which is the strongest public record in this data: the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine and the New York State Physician Profile. The other seven record what the surgeon reported about themselves, which is a weaker record than a board check.
In twelve states the only confirmations came from a national specialty board answering about its own diplomates. A specialty board covers one sub-specialty, so it reaches a small share of any state's listings, and a state register would reach the rest. Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
In no states and the District of Columbia no listing carries a confirmation because we read the state register and it records no board certification at all. That closes the question in the District of Columbia: the register is open, and the certification field is empty or absent.
In two states no listing carries a confirmation because the state register exists and we did not read it, because the state blocks automated access or withholds permission. That is Connecticut and Nevada. A person can still use those registers by hand, and this site does not read them in bulk.
In the remaining 19 states no listing carries a confirmation because we have not run a check there, so a patient may well be able to search that state board themselves. This is a statement about our coverage: Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
All three are findings about registers. Nothing on this page says a surgeon in any of these states lacks a certification, because no source we can reach is able to establish that.
By state
Every state holding at least 10 surgeon listings, ordered by the share confirmed. A share computed from a handful of listings is arithmetic rather than a finding, so five states sit below the cut, along with the listings whose practice record holds no state at all.
| State | Share | Register the confirmations came from |
|---|---|---|
| California | 35.4% | the Medical Board of California (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board); the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (specialty board) |
| Florida | 32.3% | the Florida practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| New York | 31.1% | the New York State Physician Profile (registry-grade); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Massachusetts | 28.4% | the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine (registry-grade); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| New Jersey | 19.5% | the New Jersey doctor list (attestation list); the New York State Physician Profile (registry-grade); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Maryland | 17.4% | the Maryland Board of Physicians (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Virginia | 16.0% | the Virginia practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Ohio | 9.5% | the Ohio licence record (attestation list); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Hawaii | 6.3% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Alabama | 5.4% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Indiana | 5.2% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| New Hampshire | 4.2% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Arizona | 4.0% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Rhode Island | 4.0% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| South Carolina | 3.7% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Pennsylvania | 2.8% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Texas | 2.7% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Louisiana | 2.6% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Illinois | 2.5% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Colorado | 2.4% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Iowa | 2.4% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Arkansas | 2.3% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Georgia | 2.1% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Kansas | 2.1% | the American Board of Plastic Surgery (specialty board) |
| North Carolina | 1.9% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Plastic Surgery (specialty board) |
| Washington | 1.8% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Tennessee | 1.7% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Utah | 1.2% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Minnesota | 1.2% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Missouri | 1.0% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Michigan | 0.6% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Connecticut | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
| Wisconsin | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Oregon | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Kentucky | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Nevada | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
| Oklahoma | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Puerto Rico | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| District of Columbia | 0.0% | a register we read that records no certification |
| Mississippi | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Nebraska | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Idaho | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| New Mexico | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| West Virginia | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Delaware | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Montana | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| North Dakota | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| South Dakota | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
A register is called registry-grade when it lists every certification a licensed physician holds, and an attestation list when it records what the surgeon reported about themselves. A specialty board answers only about the people it certified. All three are named on the profile of every confirmed surgeon, with the date and a link.
By metro area
The same share for each metro area this site covers, ordered by the share confirmed. Two metros of the same size can differ by fifty points, and the reason is which register their state publishes.
A metro area can cross a state line, so its confirmations can come from a neighbouring state's register. Washington, DC draws on the Maryland and Virginia registers, and Philadelphia draws on the New Jersey one. The Home state column names the state the metro is filed under, and the last column names the registers that answered.
| Metro area | Home state | Share | Register the confirmations came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | CA | 55.8% | the Medical Board of California (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| New York | NY | 52.8% | the New York State Physician Profile (registry-grade); the New Jersey doctor list (attestation list); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| San Diego | CA | 50.5% | the Medical Board of California (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Miami | FL | 46.4% | the Florida practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Boston | MA | 44.2% | the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine (registry-grade); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Orlando | FL | 39.6% | the Florida practitioner profile (attestation list) |
| San Francisco Bay Area | CA | 39.6% | the Medical Board of California (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Tampa | FL | 38.8% | the Florida practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Virginia Beach | VA | 20.7% | the Virginia practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Richmond | VA | 18.5% | the Virginia practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Cincinnati | OH | 18.2% | the Ohio licence record (attestation list) |
| Washington, DC | DC | 17.3% | the Maryland Board of Physicians (attestation list); the Virginia practitioner profile (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Jacksonville | FL | 16.7% | the Florida practitioner profile (attestation list); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Columbus | OH | 15.4% | the Ohio licence record (attestation list) |
| Fayetteville | AR | 14.3% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Philadelphia | PA | 13.9% | the New Jersey doctor list (attestation list); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Raleigh-Durham | NC | 10.0% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the American Board of Plastic Surgery (specialty board) |
| Birmingham | AL | 9.5% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Sacramento | CA | 9.1% | the Medical Board of California (attestation list) |
| Cleveland | OH | 8.8% | the Ohio licence record (attestation list) |
| Fort Myers-Naples | FL | 8.7% | the Florida practitioner profile (attestation list) |
| Austin | TX | 5.8% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Honolulu | HI | 5.6% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Grand Rapids | MI | 5.3% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Indianapolis | IN | 4.9% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Denver | CO | 4.6% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Nashville | TN | 4.4% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Tucson | AZ | 4.3% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| Charleston | SC | 4.3% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Chicago | IL | 4.2% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Atlanta | GA | 3.8% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Houston | TX | 3.6% | the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Phoenix | AZ | 3.4% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | TX | 3.1% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board); the practice website (the practice's own website); the American Board of Surgery (specialty board) |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | MN | 2.9% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| New Orleans | LA | 2.9% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Seattle | WA | 2.7% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Pittsburgh | PA | 2.7% | the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (specialty board) |
| St. Louis | MO | 2.6% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| San Antonio | TX | 2.1% | the practice website (the practice's own website) |
| Las Vegas | NV | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
| Salt Lake City | UT | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Charlotte | NC | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
| Portland | OR | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Lexington | KY | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Louisville | KY | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Kansas City | MO | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Omaha | NE | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Little Rock | AR | 0.0% | a register we have not checked |
| Knoxville | TN | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
| Reno | NV | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
| Albany | NY | 0.0% | a register we read, with no confirmation for these listings |
| Savannah | GA | 0.0% | a register we could not reach |
Who is on a surgeon list
A directory that publishes one headline count of surgeons is usually counting every row it holds. This one separates them. A listing is a surgeon when a state medical board confirmed them, or the federal NPI registry holds a physician credential for them, or the practice gives them a physician's title. Others are people the practice itself lists in an office role, such as a practice manager or a surgical coordinator. The rest are listings where the practice stated no role and no other source answered the question.
On September 3, 2026 the office-staff listings stopped having a profile page on this site. Their names still appear on their practice's roster, which is a true record of who works there. They no longer have a page of their own, because a plastic surgery certification is the wrong question to put on it.
What practices list on their own websites
Read from practice websites on September 1, 2026, September 2, 2026 and September 14, 2026. A procedure appears below when the practice's own site listed it on the day it was read. It is a self-report by the practice, and the whole table should be read as what practices say about themselves. The order runs from the procedure most practices name to the one fewest name.
| Procedure |
|---|
| Liposuction |
| Eyelid Surgery |
| Facelift |
| Breast Augmentation |
| Tummy Tuck |
| Breast Lift |
| Breast Reduction |
| Mommy Makeover |
| Rhinoplasty |
| Neck Lift |
| Arm Lift |
| Gynecomastia Surgery |
| Brazilian Butt Lift |
Method and reuse
A listing is marked confirmed only when a public source was read, exactly one record for that surgeon was found on surname, given name and state, and the profile publishes the source, the date and a link to the record. Anyone can repeat the check. The full method, and the list of things this site will never do, is on our methodology page, and you can look up any listed surgeon on the free board certification checker.
Every number on this page is computed from the site's own data files
when the page is built, so it cannot drift from what the rest of the
site says. The same tables, in markdown, are in the repository at
docs/research/DATA-STORY-2026-09.md.
Corrections. If a figure on this page looks wrong, or a record about you is wrong, write to hello@beautyvetted.com. A named person at BeautyVetted owns corrections. We re-check the record against its source within five business days of hearing from you, and we publish the correction with its date. Every request is recorded in a log that carries the date it arrived and the date it was published.
Reuse this data. It is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, so you may copy, republish and build on it, including commercially, as long as you credit BeautyVetted and link to this page.