Author
Dr. David Delgado, MD
Maxillofacial and plastic surgeon trained at Universidad Industrial de Santander and Universidad de Antioquia. Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), with over fifteen years of clinical practice in Medellín, Colombia.
- ASPS — Member
- SCCP
- UdeA Postgraduate Professor
Board certified plastic surgeons in Colombia are recognized by three credentials: a specialist degree in plastic surgery from a Colombian university, its registration with the Ministry of Health in ReTHUS, and admission to the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery (SCCP), which vets every full member. Together they show what board certification shows in the United States: years of supervised surgical training beyond medical school and the approval of other plastic surgeons. You can check all three online, in English with your browser’s translation, before you book a flight.
I am Dr. David Delgado, a plastic surgeon in Medellín. I hold those three credentials, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) lists me as an International Member. This guide shows you how to confirm each of them for any surgeon you are considering, me included. If you want to go deeper into the state registry, my step-by-step guide to the ReTHUS registry walks through each field of a result.
Quick answer
What is the Colombian equivalent of board certification?
It is a specialist degree in plastic surgery registered in ReTHUS, ideally backed by full membership in the SCCP. Colombian law (Law 1164 of 2007) requires every specialist to be registered in ReTHUS to practice, so that public record is the first proof that a surgeon completed formal plastic surgery training.
What does board certification look like in Colombia?
In the United States, board certification is a voluntary credential granted by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) after residency and a series of exams. Colombia reaches the same goal through its own institutions, so the names change but the questions you ask are the same: where did this surgeon train, who confirms it and who vouches for them.
| What you know from the US | What it looks like in Colombia | Where you check it |
|---|---|---|
| State medical license | Medical degree registered in ReTHUS | ReTHUS public lookup |
| Board certification in plastic surgery | Specialist degree in plastic surgery, registered in ReTHUS | ReTHUS, on the specialist-degree line |
| Peer-vetted society membership | Full member (“Miembro de Número”) of the SCCP | SCCP directory |
| Recognition by the ASPS | ASPS International Member | ASPS Find a Surgeon |
| Hospital or surgery center you can look up | Facility licensed by the health authority (“habilitada”) | Ministry of Health provider registry (REPS) |
A Colombian plastic surgeon trains in a university residency in Colombia, so their certification comes from the Colombian system rather than from the ABPS, whose exams are reserved for surgeons trained in the US or Canada. For you, that means one practical thing: in Colombia, the records in this table are the ones to look up.
Why does choosing a specialist matter in Colombia?
Colombian law requires a professional degree and ReTHUS registration to practice medicine, but as of November 2026 no law limits cosmetic surgery to plastic surgeons. Titles such as “cosmetic surgeon” or “aesthetic doctor” don’t tell you whether the physician completed a plastic surgery residency, and the specialist degree in ReTHUS does.
This is not a Colombian problem but a medical tourism one. In a series of 16 patients treated in Wisconsin after cosmetic surgery abroad, infection was the most common complication, and their care back home cost an average of USD 26,657 per patient (Venditto et al., 2021). Checking the surgeon and the facility before you travel is how you avoid becoming part of a study like that.
Want to see these credentials on a real surgeon? In a virtual consultation, my team gives you my ID number so you can look me up before we talk about your surgery.
How do you check a plastic surgeon’s credentials in Colombia?
You can check a Colombian plastic surgeon from home, in one sitting, using public databases. Do it before you send a deposit or book a flight, and rely on the official sites rather than certificates or screenshots a clinic sends you.
Step 1: Find the plastic surgery degree in ReTHUS
Open the ReTHUS public lookup, choose the ID type (usually “Cédula de Ciudadanía,” the Colombian national ID), type the surgeon’s ID number and solve the short numeric captcha. In the results, look for two lines: one for MEDICINA and one marked ESP, short for “especialización,” that includes the words “cirugía plástica.”
The name of the specialist degree can vary by university program, so two well-trained surgeons may show different wording. Any serious practice will give you the surgeon’s ID number for this lookup; if a clinic won’t, ask why.
Step 2: Confirm the membership in the SCCP directory
Search the surgeon’s name in the SCCP directory. Membership is voluntary, and becoming a full member (“Miembro de Número”) requires a recognized plastic surgery residency, the signatures of three full members and approval by a national credentials committee, according to the SCCP’s admission rules.
Colombians use two last names, and the SCCP directory lists the full legal name. A surgeon who goes by “Dr. Delgado” on Instagram may appear there under four names, so try the second last name too. To understand what this membership tells you, read what SCCP membership means for your surgery.
Step 3: Look the surgeon up in the ASPS directory
The ASPS, the largest plastic surgery society in the US, admits surgeons from other countries as International Members. According to its membership categories, they need at least three years in practice and membership in their national society, and the ASPS directory explains that they must meet the certification requirements of their own country.
Search the surgeon’s last name in ASPS Find a Surgeon or browse by country. For a surgeon in Colombia, “International Member” is the listing you are looking for.
Step 4: Check the facility in REPS
Ask for the name of the facility where your surgery will take place, then search it in REPS, the Ministry of Health’s registry of healthcare providers. On the REPS portal, type “invitado” as both user and password to search as a guest. While you are asking about the facility, also ask who will give your anesthesia and where you will spend the first night after surgery; a well-run practice answers both questions in writing.
A facility listed as “habilitada” has been authorized by the health authority to offer the services it registered. Some clinics also hold international accreditation, such as Joint Commission International (JCI), a separate and voluntary review; you can see what it involves in this overview of a JCI-accredited clinic in Medellín.
Take note
What if you can’t find the surgeon?
Most missing results come from a spelling or ID mistake, so don’t rule anyone out on the first try. Before you draw a conclusion:
- Ask the clinic, in writing, for the surgeon’s full legal name and ID number.
- Search again with both last names and without accents.
- Hold off on any deposit until the specialist degree shows up in ReTHUS.
- If the clinic sends certificates by WhatsApp or email instead, ask why the public record doesn’t match them.
Red flags
- “Board certified,” with no board or society named.
- “Cosmetic surgeon” on the website, but no plastic surgery degree in ReTHUS.
- A coordinator who won’t share the surgeon’s full name until you pay.
- No video consultation with the surgeon before you travel.
Dr. David Delgado: a certified plastic surgeon in Colombia
You can run every one of these checks on me, and I’d rather you did than take my word for it. Here is what you will find, record by record.
- ReTHUS: my team will give you my ID number for the lookup. You will see medicine, with a start-of-practice date of March 2007, and my specialist degree, with a start-of-practice date of August 2012, under the name of the Universidad de Antioquia program: “Cirugía Plástica Maxilofacial y de la Mano” (plastic, maxillofacial and hand surgery).
- Training: medical degree from Universidad Industrial de Santander and plastic surgery training at Universidad de Antioquia, as my curriculum details.
- SCCP: my profile in the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery lists me as a full member, “Miembro de Número.”
- ASPS: the Find a Surgeon directory lists me as an International Member, the category the ASPS reserves for plastic surgeons certified in their own country.
My advice to every patient is to verify before you book and take the time you need. Checking a surgeon’s credentials is part of choosing well, and I expect my patients to check mine.
Looking for a certified plastic surgeon in Medellín?
If you are planning surgery in Colombia, apply this guide to every name on your shortlist, including mine. I see patients at Torre Médica Oviedo in El Poblado, Medellín, and I operate at IQ Quirófanos, a clinic accredited by Joint Commission International, and at Clínica El Tesoro, as I explain on the page about where I operate. You can also review real before-and-after cases.
We start with a virtual consultation, where we talk about your goals, your health history and how long you would need to stay in Medellín. If you came here looking for board certified plastic surgeons in Colombia, bring your questions about my credentials to that call; I’ll walk you through every record.
Frequently asked questions about certified plastic surgeons in Colombia
Are all plastic surgeons board certified?
No, and that is why checking matters. In Colombia, look for a specialist degree in plastic surgery registered in ReTHUS and, ideally, full membership in the SCCP; a title like “cosmetic surgeon” doesn’t prove either one.
Is an ASPS International Member board certified?
An ASPS International Member is a plastic surgeon certified in their own country and recognized by the ASPS. Surgeons trained in the US or Canada are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery; surgeons trained in Colombia are certified through the Colombian system, which ReTHUS and the SCCP let you verify.
What is the difference between a plastic surgeon and a cosmetic surgeon in Colombia?
A plastic surgeon has completed a specialist degree in plastic surgery that appears in ReTHUS. “Cosmetic surgeon” is a descriptive title that, by itself, doesn’t tell you which residency the physician completed, so the registry is the way to tell them apart.
Is plastic surgery in Colombia safe?
It can be, when a certified plastic surgeon operates in a licensed facility and you stay long enough for your follow-up visits. Plan that stay with your surgeon before you buy your ticket; the CDC advises against flying for 10 days after chest or abdominal surgery.
Can I verify a Colombian surgeon if I don’t speak Spanish?
Yes. ReTHUS and REPS are in Spanish, but each lookup only asks for a few fields, and your browser’s built-in translation is enough to read the results. If a field is unclear, ask the clinic to show you the search on a video call.
References
- Venditto, C., Gallagher, M., Hettinger, P., Havlik, R., Zarb, R., Argenta, A., Doren, E., Sanger, J., Klement, K., Dzwierzynski, W., LoGiudice, J., & Jensen, J. (2021). Complications of cosmetic surgery tourism: Case series and cost analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 41(5), 627–634.
- Stoney, R. J., & Leidel, L. (2025). Medical tourism. In CDC Yellow Book 2026: Health information for international travel. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Verification sources: American Board of Plastic Surgery · ASPS membership categories · ReTHUS public lookup · SCCP admission rules · REPS · Law 1164 of 2007.
