Is Plastic Surgery in Colombia Safe? A 2026 Guide for U.S. Patients

Is plastic surgery in Colombia safe?

It can be, if you choose a qualified surgeon who operates in a licensed clinic, and if you plan the trip carefully. The risks are real. The U.S. State Department says Colombia has many cosmetic surgery facilities like those in the United States, that the quality of care varies widely, that U.S. citizens have suffered serious complications and even died after cosmetic or elective surgery, and that legal options after malpractice are limited (State Department). Most of the deaths reported in the Colombian press happened at unlicensed sites, which is why checking the surgeon and the clinic matters more than the price.

What the travel advisory says

The State Department rates Colombia Level 3, "Reconsider Travel", because of crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping and natural disasters, in an advisory updated in March 2026. It lists Level 4, "Do Not Travel", for four departments: Arauca, Cauca (except Popayán), Valle del Cauca (except Cali) and Norte de Santander, plus the area within about 10 km (6 miles) of the Venezuelan border (advisory).

The cities where most cosmetic surgery happens, Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla, are not in the Level 4 areas. Cali is in Valle del Cauca but is expressly excluded from its Level 4 rating. The advisory warns about drugging, robbery and armed break-ins, including at hotels, and bars U.S. government staff from hailing street taxis or using public transportation. A recovering patient should follow the same rule: book every transfer in advance.

What has gone wrong: the reported deaths

Colombian authorities and newspapers have documented a steady stream of deaths after cosmetic procedures, most of them at clandestine sites:

• In Medellín, the city health secretary said in November 2024 that 12 people had died that year after irregular cosmetic procedures, double the 2023 figure, and that fat-transfer procedures (lipotransfers, the core of a BBL) were the main cause (El Tiempo).
• El Colombiano reported 125 complaints of complications in Medellín in 2024, and said several of those who died were foreign women who had traveled for surgery (El Colombiano).
• Infobae reported in May 2026 that Antioquia had counted 17 deaths from unsafe cosmetic procedures in two years, with 11 in Medellín in 2024, five or six in 2025 (the article gives both figures), and one in early 2026 after a tummy tuck with liposuction (Infobae).
• Bogotá's health department received 282 complaints about cosmetic services between January 2025 and May 2026; 194 concerned unlicensed or clandestine sites. Complaints included fake or expired medicines, poor hygiene and patients abandoned after surgery (Alcaldía de Bogotá).

These are local figures from different sources and cutoff dates, not a national count; we found no national statistic on deaths after cosmetic surgery. The pattern is consistent, though: the danger is concentrated in unlicensed sites and in fat transfer.

How Colombia regulates cosmetic surgery

• Doctors must be registered. Every health professional must be in ReTHUS, the Ministry of Health register, and specialists are asked to register their specialty (Ministry of Health).
• Clinics must be registered. Every provider must be in REPS with each service enabled, and must display a badge for each enabled service (Resolución 3100 de 2019). Registration rests largely on self-assessment, so it is a minimum, not a quality seal.
• Implants need INVIMA registration. INVIMA, the regulator, has a public lookup of sanitary registrations, which you can use for breast implants (INVIMA).
• No cosmetic surgery under 18. Ley 1799 de 2016 bans cosmetic medical and surgical procedures on minors, says parental consent is no exception, and sets fines and loss of license for violations. Nose and ear surgery, reconstructive surgery and some minor treatments are exempt (Ley 1799 de 2016).

How to check a surgeon and a clinic

1. ReTHUS. Get the surgeon's full name and ID number and confirm a plastic surgery specialty (ReTHUS).
2. SCCP. Search the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery's member list (SCCP search). Membership is not a legal requirement, but it is a useful check that the surgeon trained in plastic surgery.
3. REPS. Ask where you will be operated on, then ask to see the registration badge for surgery at that site. A house, apartment or "spa" is not a surgical facility.
4. Anesthesia. Ask who gives the anesthesia. Several of the Medellín deaths involved sites without proper anesthesia or emergency care.
5. The implant. For breast surgery, ask for the brand and its INVIMA registration, and keep the implant card.

Which procedures carry the most risk

Fat transfer to the buttocks (the Brazilian butt lift) is the procedure most often linked to deaths in the Medellín reports. Long sessions that combine several procedures, such as a tummy tuck with liposuction and fat transfer, add time under anesthesia and raise the risk of blood clots. CDC says flying soon after surgery raises the clot risk and advises waiting 10 to 14 days after major surgery (CDC). If a surgeon offers to do everything in one long operation, ask why, and ask what blood clot prevention you will get.

Before you go and after you come back

• See your own doctor first, ideally 4 to 6 weeks before the trip, as CDC recommends (CDC).
• Medicare does not cover care abroad (Medicare.gov), and the State Department recommends insurance that covers medical evacuation.
• Line up a U.S. surgeon who agrees to see you after you return, and bring home your operative report, medicines list and implant card.
• Do not buy medicines at random pharmacies: the State Department warns that counterfeit medicines are common in Colombia.

For prices and practices, see our guides to Colombia, and compare with plastic surgery safety in Mexico.