Women Underrepresented in National Plastic Surgeon Rankings
Key Takeaways
- Women accounted for 10.1% of unique surgeons included in Newsweek’s “America’s Best Plastic Surgeons” rankings, compared with an estimated 20% of the national plastic surgery workforce, according to new research.
- More than one-third of ranked surgeons appeared in multiple procedure categories, indicating substantial recurrence within the lists.
- The authors said changes to survey and ranking methodology may improve representation and broaden the selection of surgeons presented to patients.
Women plastic surgeons were significantly underrepresented in Newsweek’s annual “America’s Best Plastic Surgeons” rankings, according to an analysis published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Researchers evaluated gender representation, geographic distribution, and recurrence among surgeons included in the rankings, which are based on a peer-nomination survey and currently encompass 6 aesthetic surgery categories identifying 30 surgeons each.
Women Account for 10% of Ranked Plastic Surgeons
Across 720 ranking entries, the investigators identified 149 unique surgeons. Of these, 134 (89.9%) were men and 15 (10.1%) were women. Female plastic surgeons were significantly underrepresented compared with their estimated 20% representation in the national workforce (10.1% vs 20%; P = 0.002).
The disparity persisted annually. Female representation was significantly below the expected proportion in 2021 (P = 0.004) and each year from 2022 through 2025 (all P < 0.001). Compared with the inaugural year of each procedure-specific list, the proportion of women also decreased in 4 categories.
The analysis additionally identified substantial recurrence among ranked surgeons. Overall, 53 of the 149 surgeons (35.6%) appeared in more than 1 category, averaging 2.3 additional category listings. Among surgeons included in 2025, those previously ranked in the same category had appeared an average of 2.8 times before.
The abstract does not describe limitations beyond concerns about the ranking methodology itself, including its reliance on peer nominations.
“Significant gender disparities characterize the ‘America’s Best Plastic Surgeons’ lists, and redundancy patterns may indicate concentration among a limited subset of surgeons,” the authors wrote. “Reevaluating survey methodology and the ranking process may improve representation and patient access to a more diverse selection of surgeons.”
Source
Knauer G, et al. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 2026;, sjag158, Doi:10.1093/asj/sjag158