How to Check a Plastic Surgeon in Colombia Before You Book

Quick answer: before you pay a deposit for plastic surgery in Colombia, do three free checks. Look the surgeon up in ReTHUS, the Ministry of Health's national register of health professionals, and confirm that a plastic surgery specialty appears next to their name. See whether they belong to the Sociedad Colombiana de Cirugía Plástica, Estética y Reconstructiva (SCCP). Then confirm that the clinic where you will be operated on is habilitada (licensed) in the REPS registry. Each check takes a few minutes, and together they rule out most of the risky offers.

This guide explains how to run each check, which red flags should end the conversation, what Colombian law says about minors and advertising, and how to plan the recovery stay. It is general information, not medical advice: the decision about a procedure belongs to you and a qualified surgeon who has examined you.

Why checking matters in Colombia

Colombia is one of the world's main destinations for aesthetic surgery. In a press release dated 30 September 2026, the SCCP reported that the 2025 survey of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) estimated 331,392 surgical aesthetic procedures in Colombia in 2025. The surgeons surveyed reported a median of 27.5% of patients coming from abroad, most often from the United States, Spain and Canada.

That demand draws excellent specialists, and it also draws people who are not plastic surgeons. Some offer surgery in places that are not licensed for it, and some sell injections that are illegal. The checks below are public and free, and a legitimate surgeon will not mind that you run them.

Step 1: Look the surgeon up in ReTHUS

ReTHUS stands for Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud. Under Ley 1164 de 2007, being registered there is what authorizes a person to practice a health profession in Colombia. According to the Ministerio de Salud, the register also records ethical and disciplinary sanctions reported by the professional tribunals.

How to search:

1. Open the Ministry's public lookup on SISPRO: Consulta pública ReTHUS. The Ministry's ReTHUS page links to it as "Consulta al ciudadano".
2. Choose the document type (usually cédula de ciudadanía for Colombian doctors) and type the number without dots. Add the names if the form asks for them, then fill in the verification code.
3. Read the result. It should show the person as registered, list their academic programs (the medical degree and any specialties), name the entity that reported the registration, and show any sanctions on record.

What to look for: a plastic surgeon should show a medical degree and a specialty in plastic surgery. The exact program name depends on the university, but it usually reads something like "Cirugía plástica, estética y reconstructiva". A result that only shows "Medicina" means a licensed general physician, not a plastic surgeon. Titles such as "cirujano estético" on Instagram do not replace the specialty in ReTHUS.

Ask the surgeon or the clinic for the cédula number you need for the search. A real specialist will give it to you, or will send their ReTHUS certificate so that you can check it yourself on the official site. If the page is slow or does not load from your network, try again later rather than accepting a screenshot as proof.

Step 2: Check SCCP membership

The SCCP is Colombia's national society of plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgeons. Its "Buscar cirujano" directory lets you filter members by city, from Bogotá, Medellín and Cali to smaller cities. According to the SCCP's membership rules, applicants must be plastic surgeons trained in a recognized postgraduate program, and their documents go through a credentials committee.

Membership is a useful extra signal, not a legal requirement. The SCCP's own patient guidance notes that other medical societies with competencies in aesthetic surgery publish their own member lists. So if a surgeon is not in the SCCP directory, ReTHUS is the check that decides. If a surgeon claims SCCP membership, the directory lets you confirm it.

Step 3: Confirm the clinic is habilitada in REPS

The surgeon is only half of the picture. The operating room matters just as much. In Colombia, health service providers register in the REPS (Registro Especial de Prestadores de Servicios de Salud), and the departmental and district health authorities (Secretarías de Salud) verify that each site meets the conditions for the services it offers. The SCCP's patient guidance says the place where the surgery is done must hold that habilitación from the territorial health authority.

You can search the public register at prestadores.minsalud.gov.co/habilitacion by the provider's name or tax ID (NIT) and municipality. Check three things:

• The clinic, or the independent professional, appears as an active provider.
• The sede (site address) matches the place where you will actually be operated on, not just the consulting office.
• The surgical services you need are listed for that site.

A consulting office (consultorio) is fine for a consultation. It is not an operating room. If the surgery will happen somewhere other than where you had the consultation, ask for the name and address of that clinic and check it as well.

Red flags that should end the conversation

• No specialty in ReTHUS. The person is not registered, appears only as a general physician, or will not give you the details you need to check.
• Surgery or "procedures" in a house, spa, hotel room or beauty salon. If the site is not habilitada for surgery in REPS, do not go ahead, whatever the price.
• A package far below other quotes, especially with pressure to pay a deposit to a personal account or to decide today. Ask what is included: surgeon, anesthesiologist, operating room, overnight stay if needed, garments and follow-up visits.
• Biopolymers or "modeling substances" injected into the buttocks, breasts or face. Ley 2316 de 2023 made injecting non-permitted modeling substances a crime, with prison of 32 to 120 months, and 96 to 180 months when the person who injects them is a health professional. Only substances on the official list may be used; INVIMA publishes that list and the related rules.
• No in-person evaluation before the surgery date, or a promise of guaranteed results. Every surgery has risks, and an honest surgeon will explain them to you and put them in a written informed consent.

What the law says about minors and advertising

Ley 1799 de 2016 prohibits aesthetic medical and surgical procedures on patients under 18, and states that parental consent is not a valid exception. The law excludes nose and ear surgery, reconstructive surgery, superficial peels and laser hair removal, as well as surgery justified by a duly documented physical or psychological condition. In ruling C-246 of 2017, the Constitutional Court held that the ban does not apply to adolescents over 14 who have the maturity to take part in the decision together with their parents, with qualified informed consent.

The same law bans advertising aesthetic procedures to minors and using underage models to promote aesthetic surgery, clinics or procedures. Fines start at 500 monthly minimum wages, and a professional who breaks the law can lose their license. Any clinic that advertises aesthetic procedures to teenagers is breaking this rule.

Planning the recovery stay in Medellín, Bogotá or Cali

Give yourself time. The U.S. CDC's medical tourism guidance recommends a pre-travel consultation at least 4 to 6 weeks before the trip and travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. It also says that flying after surgery can increase the risk of blood clots, and that delaying air travel for 10 to 14 days after major surgery, particularly chest surgery, minimizes the risks from changes in air pressure. Your own surgeon decides when you are fit to fly, so ask before you book the return flight.

Practical points for the stay:

• Stay close to the clinic. Choose lodging a short ride from the clinic where you will have your check-ups, with an elevator or ground-floor access.
• Bring a companion for at least the first days, or confirm what support the surgeon or clinic provides. Recovery houses are lodging, not hospitals, so ask who you call if something goes wrong at night.
• Get your records before you leave. CDC advises taking copies of all medical records home, with English translations if you need them, plus your medication list.
• Know where to go in an emergency. Read our guide to ER triage and private clinics in Colombia before you travel.

If you need a furnished place for a few weeks, you can compare housing listings on Colombia Move and contact owners directly.

About prices: we found no current, independent public source of surgery prices in Colombia that we would trust, so this guide does not quote ranges. Ask for a written, itemized quote and compare like with like.

For general care during your stay, see how to find English-speaking doctors and specialists in Colombia. If you are combining treatments, our dental tourism guide and the guide to emergency dental care cover the dental side.

Frequently asked questions

Can I check a Colombian surgeon's license from outside Colombia?

Yes, the ReTHUS lookup on SISPRO is a public website and does not require a Colombian account (checked November 2026). You need the surgeon's document number. If the site is slow or unavailable, ask the clinic for the ReTHUS certificate and search again later, rather than relying on a screenshot.

Does every plastic surgeon in Colombia have to be an SCCP member?

No, SCCP membership is voluntary, so a surgeon can be properly registered without belonging to the society. Registration in ReTHUS with a plastic surgery specialty is the legal check. The SCCP directory, as published in 2026, is an extra signal and lets you confirm a surgeon who claims to be a member.

What is the difference between ReTHUS and REPS?

ReTHUS registers people and REPS registers places and providers. A surgeon can be registered in ReTHUS and still operate in a site that is not habilitada, so check both. The REPS lookup at prestadores.minsalud.gov.co shows whether a site is registered and which services it lists (checked November 2026).

Is it legal for a 16-year-old to have aesthetic surgery in Colombia?

Generally no: Ley 1799 de 2016 bans aesthetic procedures for patients under 18, with exceptions such as nose and ear surgery and reconstructive surgery. Ruling C-246 of 2017 added a narrow exception for some adolescents over 14 deciding with their parents and with qualified informed consent. Ask a Colombian lawyer or the surgeon about any specific case.

Are biopolymer injections legal in Colombia?

No, injecting non-permitted modeling substances, often sold as "biopolímeros", is a crime under Ley 2316 de 2023. Only substances on the official list published through INVIMA may be used. If someone offers a cheap injection to enlarge the buttocks or breasts, walk away and report it to the local Secretaría de Salud.

What does the "Verified surgeon" badge on Colombia Move mean?

It means that, before the listing went live, our team looked up the provider's ReTHUS registration and the specialty they declared (category launched November 2026). It does not rate surgical skill, guarantee results or replace your own checks of the clinic in REPS. Treat it as a first filter, not a final answer.