Plastic Surgery in Colombia: How to Choose a Procedure, a Surgeon and a Clinic

Quick answer: choosing plastic surgery in Colombia comes down to three decisions, in this order. First the procedure, so you know which specialty to look for. Then the surgeon, whose registration and specialty you can check for free in the Ministry of Health's ReTHUS register. Then the clinic, which must be licensed (habilitada) in the REPS registry. Price comes last, from a written quote you can compare line by line.

This guide walks through each decision and links to the page that helps with it: our directory of verified surgeons by procedure, a free checklist and a budget planner. It is general information, not medical advice. Whether a procedure is right for you is a decision for you and a qualified surgeon who has examined you.

Why Colombia, and why you still have to check

Colombia is one of the world's main destinations for aesthetic surgery. In a press release dated 30 September 2026, the Sociedad Colombiana de Cirugía Plástica, Estética y Reconstructiva (SCCP) reported that the 2025 survey of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimated 459,360 aesthetic procedures in Colombia in 2025, of which 331,392 were surgical. The surgeons surveyed reported a median of 27.5% of patients coming from abroad, most often from the United States, Spain and Canada.

That much demand attracts well-trained specialists. It also attracts people who are not plastic surgeons and places that are not licensed for surgery. The good news is that the checks are public, free and quick, and a legitimate surgeon expects you to run them.

Decision 1: the procedure

Start by naming what you are considering, because the name tells you which specialty should appear next to the surgeon's name. We keep one page per procedure, each with a plain definition, the surgeons on Colombia Move who say they perform it, and the checks that apply. The most searched ones:

• Face: rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery and facelift.
• Breast: breast augmentation, breast reduction and breast lift.
• Body: liposuction, tummy tuck and buttock augmentation.
• Hair and non-surgical: hair transplant, botox and dermal fillers.

You do not need to arrive at a consultation knowing the exact technique. You do need to know the procedure well enough to ask the surgeon whether it is what they are trained and registered to do.

Decision 2: the surgeon

In Colombia, being registered in ReTHUS (Registro Único Nacional del Talento Humano en Salud) is what authorizes a person to practice a health profession, under Ley 1164 de 2007. The register is public, and according to the Ministerio de Salud it also records ethical and disciplinary sanctions.

Two things matter in the result. The person must appear as registered, and a specialty that matches your procedure must appear next to the medical degree. Being registered as a physician does not by itself confirm a specialty. The SCCP's patient guidance says the surgeon should be a graduated physician with an officially approved plastic surgery specialization, and notes that other medical societies with competencies in aesthetic surgery publish their own member lists.

Our step-by-step guide to checking a plastic surgeon shows how to run the lookup, and the surgeon checklist keeps track of what you have confirmed and links to each official site.

If you would rather start from surgeons who already passed that check, use the verified surgeon directory. You can filter it by procedure, type of surgeon, city, language and whether the surgeon takes consultation bookings online. A surgeon appears there only after our team has looked up their ReTHUS registration.

Decision 3: the clinic

ReTHUS covers people. Places are covered by REPS (Registro Especial de Prestadores de Servicios de Salud), where the departmental and district health authorities verify that each site meets the conditions for the services it offers. The SCCP's guidance says the place where the surgery is done must hold that licence from the territorial health authority.

Search the public REPS register by the clinic's name or tax ID and municipality, and confirm that the address listed is where you will actually be operated on. A consulting office is fine for a consultation. It is not an operating room.

Then the quote, and the real budget

We found no current, independent public source of surgery prices in Colombia that we would trust, so we do not publish price ranges. What you can do is ask each surgeon for a written quote that says what it includes: the surgeon's fee, the anesthesiologist, the clinic and operating room, pre-surgery tests, implants or materials, medication, follow-up visits, and who pays if there is a complication.

The surgery trip budget planner takes your own quote, lets you mark each line as included, paid separately or not sure, and adds flights and the recovery stay. Anything you mark as not sure becomes a list of questions to send before you pay a deposit.

Two laws worth knowing

• Minors. Ley 1799 de 2016 prohibits aesthetic medical and surgical procedures on patients under 18, with exceptions that include nose and ear surgery and reconstructive surgery.
• Biopolymers. 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. INVIMA publishes the list of permitted substances.

If you are travelling for surgery

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 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 surgeon decides when you are fit to fly, so ask before you book the return flight, and take copies of your medical records home.

For general care during your stay, see how to find English-speaking doctors and specialists in Colombia.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find a qualified plastic surgeon in Colombia?

Check the surgeon in ReTHUS, the Ministry of Health's public register, and confirm that a specialty matching your procedure appears next to their medical degree (checked November 2026). Then confirm the clinic in REPS. You can also start from our directory, where each surgeon's registration was looked up before the listing went live.

How much does plastic surgery cost in Colombia?

There is no reliable public price list, so we do not publish ranges (checked November 2026). The price depends on the procedure, the surgeon, the clinic and what the quote includes. Ask for a written, itemized quote from each surgeon and compare them line by line.

Is a "cosmetic surgeon" the same as a plastic surgeon?

Not necessarily: what counts is the specialty recorded in ReTHUS, not the title used in advertising. A result that shows only a medical degree means a licensed general physician. The SCCP's guidance says the surgeon should hold an officially approved plastic surgery specialization.

Can I choose a surgeon by procedure on Colombia Move?

Yes, each procedure has its own page that lists the verified surgeons who say they perform it (available since November 2026). When no surgeon has yet said so for a procedure, the page shows the other verified surgeons with a note to ask them first.

What does the "Verified surgeon" badge mean?

It means our team looked up the provider's ReTHUS registration and declared specialty before the listing went live. It does not rate surgical skill, guarantee a result or cover the clinic, so check the clinic in REPS yourself.

Are biopolymer injections legal in Colombia?

No, injecting non-permitted modeling substances is a crime under Ley 2316 de 2023. Only substances on the list published through INVIMA may be used. If someone offers a cheap injection to add volume, do not accept it.