Meet America's Best Plastic Surgeons for Breast Augmentation

With the growing popularity of plastic surgery over the decades, seeking out the best surgeon for the job—for reconstructive or cosmetic surgery—has become a daunting task as a result of an increasingly crowded field.

Enticing websites and snazzy social media feeds can often prove to be little more than a distraction when potential patients are seeking out a surgeon for anything from aesthetic procedures to the restoring, reconstructing and enhancing of areas of their bodies.

Statista and Newsweek's America's Best Plastic Surgeons 2023 ranking has sought to add clarity in this area. The surgeons included in the ranking have undergone extensive training, including medical school and specialized residency programs in plastic surgery.

During the survey period from March to April 2023, more than 2,000 medical experts with knowledge of plastic surgery (doctors/surgeons, plastic surgery clinic managers and medical professionals) were invited to take part in an online survey in cooperation with Newsweek. More than 8,400 votes were collected and analyzed for each procedure.

Top 5 Types of Cosmetic Surgery

Plastic surgeons were awarded in five major cosmetic surgery procedure categories, although some surgeons were awarded for more than one procedure:

1. Breast Augmentation
2. Liposuction
3. Facelift
4. Rhinoplasty
5. Eyelid Surgery

The top 30 plastic surgeons in each cosmetic surgery procedure are ranked from No. 1 to No. 30. The top 31 to 125 plastic surgeons for eyelid surgery, the top 31 to 165 plastic surgeons for liposuction and rhinoplasty, and the top 31 to 175 plastic surgeons for breast augmentation and facelifts are sorted alphabetically.

Where Are Best Surgeons for Cosmetic Surgery?

Plastic surgeons who exclusively offer reconstruction or non-elective reconstruction/correction were excluded from the survey.

Plastic surgeons from the 20 states with the most plastic surgeons were included in the survey: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

How were scores determined?

A score was calculated for each surgeon based on the number of recommendations, a quality assessment and relevant certification. Self-recommendations were not allowed and led to disqualification. In-state recommendations constitute 45 percent of the overall score.

Participants were asked to name leading plastic surgeons for each procedure outside their own state (in one of the 20 states included in the survey). Out-of-state recommendations constitute 35 percent of the overall score.

Quality Care Assessment

For in-state recommendations, participants were asked to assess the quality of care (e.g., consultation with doctor, complications, follow-up, outcome). For each recommended plastic surgeon, participants rated quality of care on a scale from 1 ("poor") to 10 ("excellent"). A quality score was assigned to each plastic surgeon. This score accounts for 15 percent of the total score.

Who Are Top 5 Surgeons for Breast Augmentation?

Following the publishing of the third annual ranking, Newsweek spoke with the top five surgeons in each category to introduce readers to the professionals behind the accolades.

This week, meet America's top plastic surgeons for breast augmentation.

William P. Adams Jr., MD | University Park, Texas

Dr. William P. Adams Jr. told Newsweek he was "thrilled" after learning that he had topped this category for the third consecutive year.

"It's a great honor," he said. "We've done a lot of work in terms of science, research and publications, and a lot of educating. I also travel [overseas] a number of times a year to speak at meetings.

"I think at the end of the day, it's about your track record. It's about what you've done. We've really focused on trying to make breast surgery and breast implant-based surgery better for surgeons, and particularly the patients. A lot of the research that we've done has looked at ways to make the procedure safer."

As for his approach to breast surgery, Adams explained that "it's both art and science—neither one exists by itself. And the reason for that is that art is abstract in itself....Science kind of creates some boundaries for which you and the patient kind of live in and operate in. And then, there's still room for you to do things artistically.

"We published papers on what we call the process of breast augmentation. That involves four things: patient education; tissue based planning, which means measuring people's breasts and picking implants that fit the breast; refined surgical technique, [which] allows very fast-track recovery; and then defined post-operative care."

Another aspect of his job often involves educating incoming patients, particularly in an age when many people gather their information and conduct research via the internet.

"Some people may be super well informed, and they're right on target," he said. "But other people may have been influenced by something that's noncredible. So everybody needs a little bit of patient education. It's very important in the whole process."

Adams said that a "gross misunderstanding" of breast surgery among the general public is that its primary goal is to give patients "huge breasts," explaining that reconstructions and bringing patients up—or down—to an average cup size are all regular parts of his work.

"It's about giving the patient a result that they really want—everybody's a little bit different," he said. "You have to be able to discuss things with the patient and kind of educate them about what's reasonable, what's not reasonable, and then be able to do the surgery that...changes people's lives."

Outside of the operating room, Adams serves as an associate professor of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is also the program director of the University of Texas Southwestern Aesthetic Fellowship, as well as former president of The Aesthetic Society and The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation.

"I teach residents and fellows every day about this," Adams said. "The educational aspect has been a huge part of my career. I think there's a finite number of really good educators in plastic surgery, and probably less so in the field of breast surgery. But there's a group of us that have traveled the world now and over the past 10 to 15 years, trying to pass along some of this knowledge base."

Adams told Newsweek that he ultimately hopes his drive for educating the next generation of surgeons and improving the lives of his patients will leave behind a legacy that he can be proud of.

"I think in the long run, when you look back on what you've done in your career, you want to feel good that you actually accomplished something," he said, "that you did some things that help patients and did things that help surgeons, and raised the bar in terms of the way the surgery is done."

David Hidalgo, MD, FACS | New York, New York

"I'm thrilled to be included [in the ranking], because it is a peer-reviewed system," Dr. David Hidalgo told Newsweek. "I'm aware of the others on the list colleagues, many of whom I know....I'm delighted."

"I've been doing it for a long time—more than most," he said, when asked for his thoughts on why he placed high in the ranking. "I'm very meticulous, I have an artistic bend—I was actually going to be an artist at one point....So my approach to work is that I can visually see a little bit better than some of my colleagues because of my art training.

"And then my principles are, I don't leave the operating room until things are perfect. I don't care how long it takes. I don't care if people are waiting for me in the waiting room. I have very, very high standards in terms of the quality of the work that I turn out. I think word gets around after a while and the work speaks for itself."

Formerly chief of the Plastic and Reconstructive Service at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Hidalgo sees patients and operates on them in his Park Avenue facility, which is affiliated with Weill-Cornell Medical College (New York-Presbyterian Hospital). He also serves as a clinical professor of surgery at the institution.

"Over the years, I've published a lot on the topic, and I present regularly, both internationally and nationally, on the subject, at some of the most prestigious meetings in the country, for example, the Baker Gordon Symposium," he said. "I present there almost every year, and breast augmentation is something that I get invited to speak on."

Hidalgo explained that a large part of his success has been his ability to tailor things to the needs of his patients.

"I don't look at breast augmentation in a cookie cutter fashion," he said. "[Some surgeons] do the same operation on every patient. I have a variety of different approaches, depending on patient's anatomy and patient's age, for example.

"I'm probably unique in being able to put breast implants in through the armpit, for example, so there's really no scar on the breast. There are only a few surgeons in the country who can do that, partly because it's a technique that was taught in the '80s. I was lucky to learn it back then. And it's not really taught anymore."

Throughout his years in the industry, Hidalgo has noticed a difference in the types of breast augmentation requested when it comes to regions of the U.S.

"Certainly, California, Texas and Florida patients want a much larger size than in the Northeast, for example, which is more conservative," he said.

"We see trends coming and going in breast augmentation....Some patients, if they want the best shape, then maybe they can't be as big as they'd like to be. And we have others who are the opposite, they just want the size and they don't really care so much about if there's some artificial look to it. I personally don't do that. Because it's just not my aesthetic to do that. So there's quite a bit of diversity, in terms of the aesthetics today."

Hidalgo warns that those considering a procedure should shy away from using celebrities as inspiration.

"We assume, somehow, that celebrities are going to find the right [surgeon]," he explained. "And that [because] they have the means and they can afford to go anywhere, whatever they do, the ordinary person should do. That's absolutely not true. We see so many celebrity plastic surgery horror shows. And they're just as lost as anyone else....They're not necessarily going to the right person all the time."

Due to a variety of circumstances, many breast surgeries can go wrong. A large part of Hidalgo's business is correcting those issues via revision surgeries.

"As with any field, the more expert you come become, the more you deal with serious problems. And because the biggest problems come to you, and I see a lot of that," he said. "It's very, very challenging. And fortunately, the vast majority of the time, we can make it better."

Rod J. Rohrich, MD | Dallas, Texas

Surgeon, author and editor Dr. Rod J. Rohrich told Newsweek he was "very humbled and honored" to have placed so highly across the broad in all five categories, adding that the votes in his favor were likely the result of "several decades of working hard and focusing, teaching, giving back, learning my art and perfecting it.

"I think it's because I share all my knowledge and my skill with everybody," he said. "I've written over 1,000 articles, I've published textbooks and traveled all around the world [to give lectures]. I think to be recognized by your peers is a very humbling and a great honor. When you're in plastic surgery, your peers are very tough."

A founding member of the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute and the Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery, Rohrich is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and serves as the editor-in-chief of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

"Throughout my career, I've led most of the organizations in plastic surgery in the United States," he said. "I was a chairman of surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, which is one of the best programs in the country."

When it comes to his approach to breast augmentation, Rohrich said that it takes "precise preoperative planning. And following serial steps....I think breast augmentation has truly become an art. Before, you just made an incision and put in the implant and you're done—as big as possible.

"Today, you do a lot of measuring and analysis, like you do with the nose and face. And you precisely place it in a very, very methodical way so that you can get a result that matches your chest. Implants have improved dramatically, too. Because before we just had a one size fits all, and now we have multiple different variations."

Rohrich, who counts first-placed Dr. William P. Adams Jr. among the esteemed surgeons he has trained, said that he makes an effort to regularly "counsel" the patients that come to see him, particularly if they want outlandish results.

"I don't do an operation that I don't think will look artistically good on them," he said. "I tell then, 'If you want that, I can't help you.' Because if you as a surgical artist will violate your own artistic skill, where do you end? What is the end point? So I don't do that. If they want 800 cc implants, I'm not going to do that."

Although he is based in Texas, Rohrich said that his list of clients is "kind of a mix of L.A., New York and Miami, of famous people and normal people." He finds it "most gratifying" when he gets to physically change the life of an everyday person enduring insecurities.

"I probably don't see that kind of patient as often as I'd like," he said, "because as you become more skilled, you see a lot more complicated and challenging issues and problems."

Along with his renowned technical abilities, Rohrich said that his passion for what he does plays a large part in his success.

"I am recharged every day by what I do," he said. "The moment I'm no longer passionate about what I do, I'm done. I love what I do and I do what I love, and I operate on people that I really think I can help. If you want to be a true expert, you have to be passionate and be able to reinvent, and reinvest in yourself every day. If you do that, you will be great."

Dennis Hammond, MD | Grand Rapids, Michigan

"Being in the academic environment myself, I am fully aware of who's good, who's not good, who's a good educator and is a good surgeon. And you pretty much nailed it right on the button with the people that you have on your various lists," Dr. Dennis Hammond told Newsweek when contacted about his ranking.

Hammond has made a name for himself internationally when it comes to his work in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of the breast. As well as co-editing influential textbooks on plastic surgery, he has authored numerous chapters on a host of breast-related topics in plastic surgery textbooks. He also wrote the bestselling guide Atlas of Aesthetic Breast Surgery. Serving as associate editor at the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hammond is on the editorial board for the Annals of Plastic Surgery.

Perhaps most notably, Hammond developed the SPAIR (short scar periareolar inferior pedicle reduction) mammaplasty, a groundbreaking procedure that removes breast tissue with half the scarring normally associated with breast reduction and breast lifts.

Discussing what sets him apart in the field, Hammond cited "the basic technique of the operation; enhancing patient safety, from just having the procedure to provide a good result; and management of complications. We've published and presented a lot on that. And then I've actually been very fortunate to be involved in implant design. So I'm in the lab, working in the various companies trying to make safer implants."

While several plastic surgeons have compared their work to artistry, Hammond has a more no-nonsense way of viewing his procedures.

"I think that what I've tried to focus on is basic science," he said. "You can tell when somebody looks good after breast augmentation. But there's a lot of basic science into evaluating how implants perform. If they do fail, why do they fail? How do you evaluate when they fail?

"I like to think that I'm particularly adept at evaluating what's in front of me, and probably because I've been in practice for 32 years, I've seen a lot come and go. But if somebody's developed scar tissue around their implant, I can usually figure out why, what happened as a result of that, and therefore, what we need to do to fix this....I tend to be more of a nuts and bolts kind of guy."

Although Grand Rapids, Michigan, might not be the first locale to roll off the tongue when discussing breast augmentation, Hammond said that the market is "highly competitive. We have too many plastic surgeons in town. So there's a lot of competition.

"That said, having been at it for 32 years, once your name gets out, there's really not a whole lot extra [promotion] you have to do. I'm booking out into January at this point."

As well as practicing as a surgeon, Hammond said that he's particularly passionate about educating younger surgeons, both home and abroad.

"Most decidedly, I can tell you without reservation, that's my major motivation," he said. "We have a plastic surgery residency here in town, and I run my own specially focused breast surgery fellowship. Or I train one person for a whole year to try to do what I do."

When it comes to the patient, Hammond insisted there's "no question" that his work has changed countless lives for the better.

"The most obvious example of that would be the breast reconstruction that we do, to get a woman through the process of dealing with breast cancer," he said. "In many instances, I can actually make a woman look better after a bilateral mastectomy than she did when she started.

"That's an amazing statement to make in 2023, which was not possible when I went into practice in 1993. So it's been an amazing 30 years. This has been the golden era of plastic surgery."

Garth Fisher, MD | Beverly Hills, California

"I'm honored to be on [the list], as I was last year," Dr. Garth Fisher told Newsweek. "I'm just very honored that I was selected in this way. I've certainly got a huge breadth of experience, doing 23,000 breast surgeries. So I'm very appreciative."

Fisher is perhaps as recognizable as the many celebrities he has operated on over the years, having served as the original doctor on ABC's Extreme Makeover when it debuted in 2002. He is known as the Kardashian family plastic surgeon, and he has appeared on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, among a host of other popular TV shows.

"I've been in Hollywood for a long time doing breast surgery," he said. "Even Tom Ford called me 'The Enhancer' in Vanity Fair. I have operated on so many people all around the world. And I do a lot of reconstructive surgery now."

Fisher performed Kris Jenner's facelift and Khloé Kardashian's recent surgery—during which a tumor was removed from her face—as well as numerous other high-profile surgeries for A-list celebrities, supermodels, Fortune 500 executives, dignitaries and royalty.

He also had a revolving roster of patients, thanks to his work with a now-defunct magazine.

"I was mainly the Playboy plastic surgeon from 1996 to 2015," Fisher said. "I got a call and they said [Playboy founder] Hugh Hefner was on the phone. I didn't believe it. But he asked me if I did this girl's breasts. I said I did. He said, 'Those were fantastic. We're going to refer you patients, all the Playboy girls.' They started sending so many patients. It was like an avalanche."

That work expanded into working with models for several other well-known brands, with his popularity booming once he landed on Extreme Makeover. His appearance on the show saw his waiting list go from one year to two.

"It was the first plastic surgery show on TV," he recalled. "I think that really raised awareness and improved the plastic surgery IQ of the world and brought the mystery out of the closet."

While he closely guards the names of numerous celebrities who have walked through his doors, Fisher said that he "can't pick up a magazine without seeing five or 10 people I've operated on in there. I see my patients everywhere."

With patients flying in from as far as Australia and Saudi Arabia, Fisher told Newsweek that he has had a large international practice for decades. This spans from White House administrations to the King of Saudi Arabia's family to Russian President Vladimir Putin's girlfriends.

That said, his practice is for all walks of life.

"Everybody's important, whether it's a celebrity or a housewife, or a student going to school," Fisher said. "And I don't think it's important to look for the money, it's important to make the patient happy. Trust is the most important currency in any relationship we have."

Like the other high-ranking surgeons, Fisher said he has an enduring passion for the work he does, a perk of which allows him to meet "interesting people."

"If I quit today, I'd be so blessed and beyond whatever I thought I could have done," he said. "I didn't have a father after age 8. I escaped Mississippi. I'm just very blessed and lucky. And fortunately, things have turned out how they have turned out for me and I have a job that I absolutely love."

Update 7/13/2023 12:41 p.m. EDT: This article was updated to add further information about Garth Fisher.