Plastic surgery website design: procedures, credentials, galleries

What patients look for before booking a consult

Patients compare several surgeons before they request a consult. On each site they look for the same things, roughly in this order:

1. A price signal. A range, or at least an explanation of what drives the fee.
2. The procedure itself. Who it suits, how it's done, the scar, recovery time.
3. Who operates, and where. Board certification, training, hospital privileges, the accredited facility.
4. Results like theirs. Cases with a similar starting point, photographed honestly.
5. A low-friction next step. A short consult form, a phone number, the consult fee policy.

Map those questions to pages using demand data. These are the largest cost searches in the specialty:

Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026.

For the broader strategy around the site, see the plastic surgery marketing hub; for principles that apply to any specialty, see medical website design. To see how your current site scores before changing anything, score your practice website with the free audit, then ask for a free preview of the rebuilt version.

Procedure pages for breast, body and face

Give each procedure its own page. A single "Body" page with five procedures can't rank for five cost searches, and it can't answer five sets of recovery questions.

Group them the way patients do:

• Breast: augmentation, lift, reduction, implant revision or removal.
• Body: tummy tuck, liposuction, mommy makeover, BBL, body lift.
• Face: eyelid surgery, facelift, rhinoplasty, brow lift.

Each procedure page should answer, in this order:

1. Who it's for, and who it isn't for (candidacy in plain words).
2. How it's done: anesthesia, typical operating time, incision and scar.
3. Recovery: time off work, garments, activity limits.
4. Risks, with a link to an official source.
5. Cost: a range or a link to the cost page.
6. The surgeon's credentials and where the procedure happens.
7. Gallery cases for this procedure only.
8. The consult form.

Write the page in the surgeon's voice where you can. Patients are choosing a person, and generic text bought from a content mill reads the same on every competitor's site.

Cost, financing and consult-fee pages

Cost pages are core content in this specialty. Build one hub cost page and a cost section on each procedure page.

What a cost page should cover:

• The fee components: surgeon, anesthesia, facility, implants or garments, follow-up visits.
• Your range, if you publish one, and what moves a quote up or down (combined procedures, revision cases, overnight stays).
• The consult fee, and whether it's credited toward surgery.
• Financing options you accept.

Financing wording is regulated. Under Regulation Z, an ad that states a monthly payment, the number of payments or a down payment triggers further disclosures (opens in a new tab), including the APR. A website page that promotes financing counts. Use the lender's approved language and keep it current.

Don't publish "national average" figures you can't source, and don't copy another practice's prices.

Surgeon credentials and facility accreditation

Credentials are your edge against med spas and self-described cosmetic surgeons, so put them above the fold on every procedure page, not only on "About."

• Board certification. Name the board in full: certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Link the ABPS certification lookup (opens in a new tab) so patients can check for themselves.
• Society membership. If the surgeon is an ASPS member, link the society's member qualifications (opens in a new tab), which include at least six years of surgical training after medical school and surgery in accredited, state-licensed or Medicare-certified facilities.
• Facility. Say who accredits the operating suite. ASPS's accredited facilities page (opens in a new tab) names AAAASF, AAAHC and The Joint Commission, plus Medicare certification and state licensure. Use the accreditor's exact name, and only if it's current.
• Hospital privileges for the procedures you perform, if you hold them.

Rules on the phrase "board certified" vary by state; check yours before publishing.

Galleries: consent, de-identification and consistency

A gallery is a set of patient records published to the world. Treat it that way.

Consent first. Each photo, video or testimonial needs a written HIPAA authorization that names the marketing use, under 45 CFR 164.508 (opens in a new tab). Full-face photographs are one of the identifiers listed in 45 CFR 164.514 (opens in a new tab), and cropping a face out doesn't make a tattoo, birthmark or file name anonymous. Use photo consent forms that list each channel separately: website, social media, ads.

De-identify the files. Rename files with case numbers, strip metadata, and blur or crop tattoos and jewelry unless the patient agreed to show them.

Shoot the same way every time. Same lighting, background, distance, angle and pose before and after. The ASPS Code of Ethics (opens in a new tab) treats before-and-after images that use different light, poses or photographic techniques to misrepresent results as misleading, and requires disclosure when results aren't typical.

Don't retouch results. The FTC's health products compliance guidance (opens in a new tab) judges an ad by its net impression, images included, and gives an example of before-and-after pictures conveying a treatment claim. An edited "after" makes a claim your surgery didn't earn.

Organize by procedure, with a short caption: procedure, time since surgery, and any relevant context.

Safety and recovery content, sourced

Patients search recovery and risk questions alongside cost. Answer them on your own site, in plain language, and link the official source.

• Breast implants: link the FDA's breast implant information (opens in a new tab), which covers BIA-ALCL, systemic symptoms reported by some patients and rupture screening recommendations.
• Tummy tuck: MedlinePlus's abdominal wall surgery (opens in a new tab) entry lists risks such as seroma and poor healing, and recovery guidance such as avoiding strenuous activity for 4 to 6 weeks.
• Everything else: ASPS patient pages, MedlinePlus or the FDA. Have the surgeon review each page.

Sourced safety content builds trust, and it is the kind of material AI assistants and search engines quote. Never present outcomes as certain.

Rebuild or redesign: cost and where Medfy fits

Good looks like: a page per procedure, a cost page, credentials on every page, a consented and consistent gallery, sourced safety content, fast loading on phones, and a consult form that stores submissions securely.

Evaluation checklist for any web vendor:

• Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) if forms collect health details?
• Where are form submissions stored, and who can see them?
• Are ad pixels kept off consult forms and thank-you pages?
• Do I own the domain, the content and the photos?
• Can staff edit pages without a developer?
• Does each page carry structured data for the practice, surgeon and procedures?
• How do you handle gallery consent and photo metadata?

What drives cost: the number of procedure pages, custom photography and video, who writes the content, gallery tooling, integrations, ongoing hosting and edits, and compliance review.

Red flags: a vendor who wants to own your domain, forms that email patient details in plain text, gallery images reused from stock or other practices, retouched "afters," and "board certified" copy nobody checked against your state's rules.

Where Medfy fits. Medfy rebuilds your site and hosts it on your own domain as part of the $349/month base plan. It is fast, with a page per service, structured data and HIPAA-compliant forms, and you see a free preview of the rebuilt site before you subscribe. Form submissions are stored in separate, encrypted HIPAA databases, Medfy signs a BAA with your practice, and you get 500 AI credits a month for edits asked for in plain English. Medfy's forms capture the inquiry; turn inquiries into consults covers what happens next, and HIPAA-compliant consult forms explains the form rules. See Medfy pricing for add-ons.

Frequently asked questions

What should a plastic surgery website include?

A page for each procedure you want to grow, a cost page that explains what the fee covers, the surgeon's board certification with a verification link, the facility's accreditation, a consented before-and-after gallery shot under consistent conditions, sourced safety and recovery content, and a HIPAA-compliant consult form. Add financing details, the consult fee policy and clear contact options on every page.

Should plastic surgeons list prices on their website?

Usually yes, as ranges with a list of what is included, such as surgeon fee, anesthesia, facility, garments and follow-up. Cost questions are the biggest search demand in plastic surgery, and patients who see a range before the consult are better prepared. Explain that the final quote follows an exam, and use your financing provider's approved wording for any monthly payment figures.

How many before-and-after photos should a plastic surgery site show?

There is no required number. Show enough cases per procedure for a visitor to find someone with a similar starting point, and favor procedures you want to grow. Every case needs a signed HIPAA authorization covering website use, matching lighting, angles and distance, and a note when a result is not typical. A smaller, consistent gallery beats a large, uneven one.