Who Is Recognized as a "Top" Plastic Surgeon? Gender Disparities and Surgeon Concentration in National Rankings.

Abstract

Newsweek has published annual "America's Best Plastic Surgeons" rankings based on a peer-nomination survey for five years, now encompassing six aesthetic surgery categories that each identify the top 30 surgeons. To evaluate gender representation, geographic distribution, and recurrence patterns among surgeons included in these national rankings. All available ranked surgeons were reviewed (n=720). Surgeon gender and location were recorded. Duplicate entries were removed to identify unique surgeons. Recurrence across categories was evaluated. Of the 720 rankings published, 149 unique surgeons were identified. 134 (89.9%) were male and 15 (10.1%) were female. Compared with their estimated 20% representation in the national workforce, female plastic surgeons were significantly underrepresented in the rankings (10.1% vs 20%; p=0.002). Each year, female representation was significantly lower than expected (2021, p=0.004; 2022-2025, all p<0.001). Compared with their respective inaugural years, the proportion of female surgeons decreased in four categories. 35.6% of surgeons (n=53) appeared in more than one category, averaging 2.3 additional category listings. In 2025, surgeons previously ranked within the same category had appeared on average 2.8 times before. Geographically, surgeons were located in the South (n=54), Northeast (n=52), West (n=29), and Midwest (n=14). Significant gender disparities characterize the "America's Best Plastic Surgeons" lists, and redundancy patterns may indicate concentration among a limited subset of surgeons. Reevaluating survey methodology and the ranking process may improve representation and patient access to a more diverse selection of surgeons.