Every lipo 360 decision rests on one fact you can check yourself: is the person holding the cannula a trained, licensed plastic surgeon, operating in a facility that is allowed to do surgery? Price, reviews, and before-and-after photos all come second. The good news is that every major lipo destination has a public way to check. The bad news is that the checks differ by country, and a society logo on a website is not the same thing as a license. This guide gives you the exact registry for each market and what a real result looks like.
The Three Things You Are Verifying
- A license to practice medicine in the country where you will have surgery. This is the legal floor.
- Specialty training in plastic surgery. Any licensed doctor can legally call themselves a cosmetic surgeon in some places. You want proof of completed plastic surgery training, shown by a specialist registration, board certification, or a national society that requires it.
- An authorized facility. The clinic or hospital must be permitted to perform surgery at the level your plan needs, with anesthesia support and a transfer plan.
Ask the clinic for the surgeon's full legal name and national ID or license number before you pay anything. Legitimate practices provide it without hesitation.
The Country Checker
| Country | License check | Specialty check | Facility check |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | State medical board, via the Federation of State Medical Boards directory | American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) online certification search | AAAASF, AAAHC, or Joint Commission accreditation |
| Colombia | ReTHUS, the Ministry of Health's national health workforce registry, via SISPRO | ReTHUS lists specialty titles; SCCP member directory at cirugiaplastica.org.co | Habilitation in the national provider registry (REPS) |
| Mexico | SEP cédula profesional search | Specialty cédula plus CMCPER certification, listed in its directory and via CONACEM | COFEPRIS licensing; report problems to COFEPRIS |
| Turkey | Turkish board certificate, shown on request | TPRECD (also called TSPRAS) member search; EBOPRAS is a plus | Licensed hospital; ask about international accreditation |
| Dominican Republic | Exequátur, the executive authorization to practice medicine | SODOCIPRE member directory | Habilitation by the Ministerio de Salud Pública |
United States
The American Board of Plastic Surgery offers a free search on its website to confirm whether a surgeon is certified. ABPS certification requires completing accredited plastic surgery training and passing written and oral exams; the board also notes that certification is voluntary, which is exactly why you should check it. Certificates issued since 1995 run on a 10-year cycle with continuous certification requirements. The board also flags when it has been notified of a state medical board action, and for license status and complaints it points patients to the Federation of State Medical Boards directory. Be alert to "board certified" claims from boards that are not part of the American Board of Medical Specialties; the ABMS lookup at certificationmatters.org covers its 24 member boards.
Colombia
ReTHUS, the Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud, is the Ministry of Health's official register of health professionals authorized to practice under Law 1164 of 2007. It is searchable online through the SISPRO portal by ID number or name, and it also carries information on ethical-disciplinary sanctions. A plastic surgeon should appear with a current status and a plastic surgery specialization in the academic record.
The Sociedad Colombiana de Cirugía Plástica, Estética y Reconstructiva (SCCP), with more than 850 active members nationwide, publishes a member directory at cirugiaplastica.org.co and itself tells patients to use it, along with checking that the operating facility is habilitated by the local health authority. For that facility check, use REPS, the national provider registry. Our Medellín network site, medellinplasticsurgery.co, covers local vetting in more depth.
Mexico
Mexico's health regulator, COFEPRIS, has published a risk notice telling patients to confirm two things before cosmetic surgery: that the surgeon holds a professional license number (cédula profesional) that can be checked in the Secretaría de Educación Pública search, and that they hold current certification from the relevant specialty council, which can be checked through CONACEM and the CMCPER directory. The same notice says the surgeon's degree and specialty diploma should be displayed publicly, and that non-compliant establishments can be reported to COFEPRIS. A general medical cédula alone is not enough; look for the plastic surgery specialty. CMCPER certification must be renewed every five years, and the council has said it had roughly 1,900 specialists with current certification in 2023, a small number against the volume of cosmetic surgery advertised.
Turkey
In a joint statement, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and the Turkish Society of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (TPRECD, also known as TSPRAS) advise that any Turkish surgeon you see should be a society member, checkable through the online search at plastikcerrahi.org.tr, and that uncertain cases can be emailed to the society. Their guidance also says the surgeon should hold Turkish board certification and show the certificate on request, that EBOPRAS membership is desirable, that the surgeon should have at least five years in plastic surgery practice, and that you should know your surgeon's name and how to reach them. Package sellers in Turkey are often agencies, so confirm who actually operates, not just which hospital hosts the surgery.
Dominican Republic
The Sociedad Dominicana de Cirugía Plástica, Reconstructiva y Estética (SODOCIPRE) keeps a public directory searchable by name. Admission requires a medical degree, a current exequátur, training in general surgery and plastic surgery, and membership in the Colegio Médico Dominicano. Separately, you can confirm that the doctor holds an exequátur through the Consultoría Jurídica del Poder Ejecutivo, and you should confirm the facility is habilitated by the Ministry of Public Health. This matters: in July 2026, a 27-year-old woman died during a cosmetic procedure at a Santo Domingo clinic that, according to the Ministry, operated without habilitation, and where the person performing the surgery did not hold a medical degree.
Not in the society directory?
Society membership and a license are different things. A surgeon missing from a society list is not automatically unlicensed, and a society logo on a website is not proof of anything until you find the name in the directory yourself. Treat a missing listing as a reason to ask more questions, then check the government registry, which is the one that decides who may legally practice.
Checks That Work in Every Country
- Match the name exactly. Search the full legal name and ID from the consent form, not the Instagram handle.
- Confirm who operates. Ask in writing whether the surgeon you consulted will perform the entire operation, and who else will be in the room.
- Name the anesthesia provider. Our anesthesia guide explains why a dedicated provider matters.
- Get the facility name, not just the city. Then look it up in that country's facility registry.
- Keep screenshots. Save each registry result with the date, so you have a record if anything changes.
Once your shortlist passes these checks, compare full quotes using our 2026 cost-by-country guide, and read our candidacy guide so you know what a careful surgeon should be asking you in return.