September 27, 2026 | Plastic Surgery Consultation, Plastic Surgery News
Updated October 16, 2026: the question-and-answer section now carries FAQ schema so the answers can be found directly, and pricing references point to the current fees page.
Texas is a very big state with a very long list of surgeons. Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and then the rest of us. Pick any one of them and the website will say board certified. Some of those websites are telling the truth.
I have practiced in El Paso for a long time, and about seven out of ten patients on my schedule did not start the day in El Paso. They drove in from elsewhere in Texas or from New Mexico. They flew in from Seattle, from California, from Canada. A few came from as far as Japan and Dubai.
So this is the post I wish every one of them had read before the first phone call. How to check a Texas surgeon in five minutes. Where my patients actually come from. What happens when you fly in. And the honest version of the Mexico conversation, in my own words.
Start With the License, Then Go Past It
How does a patient verify a plastic surgeon in five minutes?
Dr. Agullo: “Patients can look up a doctor’s Texas medical license on the Texas Medical Board website, and they can see if it’s in good standing and any history the doctor may have.”
“But I think it’s more important to make sure that your plastic surgeon is board certified. You can do this by going to the American Board of Plastic Surgery website and looking up your physician, and they will quickly confirm whether the physician is board certified in plastic surgery or not.”
The Texas Medical Board license lookup is step one. It tells you the license is real, current, and whether there is disciplinary history attached to it. Every physician in Texas has one, including dermatologists, ER doctors and family physicians who also do cosmetic surgery. That is exactly why it is not enough.
Step two is the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Type the name. It will say yes or no. There are many boards with the word “cosmetic” in the title. There is one American Board of Plastic Surgery, and that is the name to look for.
Board Certified Means Which Board
What else should a patient check once the board is confirmed?
Dr. Agullo: “On top of that, board certified plastic surgeons can be vetted even further by checking if they are members in good standing of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, The Aesthetic Society (formerly the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, ASAPS), and even the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.”
The three directories, in order:
- ASPS Find a Surgeon, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
- The Aesthetic Society (ASAPS) Find a Plastic Surgeon, which is the aesthetic-focused society and the one most patients still search by its old acronym.
- ISAPS Find a Surgeon, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
These societies are a further check on top of board certification, not a substitute for it. A name that appears in all three has been vetted more than once.
What to Check Before Booking Any Texas Surgeon
Print this. It is the whole vetting process, and it takes less time than reading the reviews.
| Check | Where | What you are looking for | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas medical license | Texas Medical Board | Active, in good standing, no disciplinary history | 1 minute |
| Board certification | American Board of Plastic Surgery | The surgeon’s name, certified in plastic surgery | 1 minute |
| ASPS membership | ASPS Find a Surgeon | Listed as a member | 1 minute |
| The Aesthetic Society (ASAPS) | Find a Plastic Surgeon | Listed as a member | 1 minute |
| ISAPS membership | ISAPS Find a Surgeon | Listed as a member | 1 minute |
| Published pricing | The practice website | Real numbers, what they include, what moves them | Under a minute |
| Out-of-town plan | Ask the coordinator | Partner hotels, nurse visits, how long you stay | One call |
If a surgeon fails the second row, stop. Nothing below it matters.
My Own Licenses and Boards
Since I am asking you to run the check, here is what you will find when you run it on me.
Where are you licensed, and by whom are you certified?
Dr. Agullo: “I am honored and proud to say that I am a licensed physician in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, California, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona. I am board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and I am a member of ASPS, ASAPS (The Aesthetic Society), and ISAPS.”
Seven state licenses. Two boards, general surgery first and plastic surgery second, which is the long road and the one I would choose again. The full training history is on my about page.
Why 70 Percent of My Patients Come From Out of Town
What share of your patients travel in, and from where?
Dr. Agullo: “About 70 percent of our patients are from out of town. At least 40 to 50 percent of those come from within Texas and New Mexico. Although we get patients that come in from Mexico, it is surprising that we get a lot more patients from Canada. Other places where we have a large draw from are Seattle and the Washington area, California, Florida, and New York. We also get a fair number of patients from the Midwest. I am proud to say that we’ve had a patient from every single state in the United States, from all of North America, and as far as Japan and Dubai.”
Read the Canada line twice. El Paso sits on the border with Mexico, and I still see more Canadians than Mexicans. That tells you something about who is comparison shopping across borders, and it is not who most people assume.
The ASPS regional numbers for Texas explain part of it. The rest is the next question.
Why El Paso, and Why This Practice
Why do patients choose you?
Dr. Agullo: “I think patients come here because they realize the quality of treatments and care we provide at Southwest Plastic Surgery. They see that I deliver consistent results with significant body and face transformations. They are also impressed by the high number of five-star reviews. And I think that they also hear it from friends and family, as word of mouth.”
“I also feel like many patients get to know me and our practice through social media, as we are constantly educating patients, showing our before and afters, getting potential patients to meet our staff, and answering and explaining a lot of the questions they may have before they ever meet me or have a virtual consultation.”
“I think they also appreciate the fact that we’re used to taking care of patients from out of town. So we’ve streamlined the process and make it as easy and automatic as possible for the patient, through our patient coordinators.”
That last paragraph is the one that matters if you are reading this from another state. A practice that sees a fly-in patient twice a year improvises. A practice where it is seven out of ten has a system.
How We Handle Fly-In Patients
What do you tell out-of-town patients about staying for follow-up?
Dr. Agullo: “The instructions are the same as for patients coming in from other states in the United States or from Canada. Depending on the procedure, I will give the recommendation of what time to stay in El Paso. For large procedures, it’s usually a minimum of seven days. For smaller procedures, they can travel as soon as two to three days.”
“We have several hotels that we’ve partnered with for accommodations for our patients. And we also have the ability to have nurse visits, and even 24-hour care can be arranged. Some patients choose to stay in an Airbnb for comfort, or many patients may have family that they can stay with, and that makes it even easier.”
Seven days minimum after a large procedure, a tummy tuck for example. Two to three days after something smaller. The coordinators set up the hotel, the nurse visits if you want them, and the 24-hour care if you need it. I wrote the procedure-specific versions already: flying to El Paso for a tummy tuck and rhinoplasty with El Paso as the destination.
Mexico vs. Texas: The Honest Cost Conversation
El Paso and Juarez are one metro area with a river through it. I get asked this every week, and I will not pretend the answer is “never go.”
Is surgery in Mexico cheaper than surgery in Texas?
Dr. Agullo: “I know many excellent surgeons in Mexico. And I can tell you that for most surgeries, top level surgeons in Mexico charge pretty similar to top US surgeons. The difference lies in that oftentimes anesthesia and operating room costs can be lower, as well as the cost of medications and supplies. So there may be a lower cost in Mexico, but not a very significant difference.”
“When you see very significant differences, where the cost is almost too good to be true, it is because there is a reason to it, and somehow the costs are getting cut in places that may be essential to your care.”
“Of course, lodging during your recovery may be less expensive in Mexico than in the United States.”
So the honest comparison is top surgeon versus top surgeon, and at that level the gap is small. The gap gets big only when something got cut. Anesthesia. The facility. The supplies. The follow-up. The surgery abroad checklist walks through exactly which line items to ask about, wherever you decide to have surgery.
What Plastic Surgery Costs in El Paso
I publish my prices, which is unusual in Texas and I think it should not be. The numbers below are starting prices as of this writing, all-inclusive of the surgical facility, anesthesia, garments and post-scar care; your prescriptions are the only thing on you. They move with case complexity and add-ons, and the fees page is always the current version.
- Breast augmentation: from $7,000 saline, $8,000 silicone.
- BBL: from $11,500 with one liposuction site included.
- Rhinoplasty: from $15,000.
- Facelift: from $15,000 for a mid facelift, more for lower, full and endoscopic tiers.
- Tummy tuck: $16,000 to $26,000.
- Mommy makeover: $25,500 to $45,000.
An exact quote can only be provided after a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I verify a plastic surgeon’s license in Texas?
Search the surgeon’s name on the Texas Medical Board’s Look Up a License page. It shows whether the license is active and in good standing and lists any disciplinary history. Then confirm board certification separately on the American Board of Plastic Surgery site, because a Texas license alone does not tell you what the doctor trained in.
What is the difference between board certified and “cosmetic surgeon”?
Any licensed physician can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon. Board certified in plastic surgery means the American Board of Plastic Surgery, nothing else. Check the name on the ABPS site, not on the practice website.
Is plastic surgery cheaper in Mexico than Texas?
In my experience, top surgeons in Mexico charge close to what top surgeons in the United States charge. Anesthesia, operating room, medications and supplies can run lower there, so the total may be somewhat less, but not dramatically. A price that is dramatically less means something essential was cut.
How long do I need to stay in El Paso after surgery?
A minimum of seven days after large procedures, a tummy tuck for example. Two to three days after smaller procedures. I give each patient the specific number for their case before they book travel.
Where do most of your out-of-town patients come from?
Texas and New Mexico first, then more from Canada than from Mexico, then Seattle and Washington, California, Florida, New York and the Midwest. We have treated a patient from every state, from all of North America, and from as far as Japan and Dubai.
Do I need to come to El Paso for the first consultation?
No. Many out-of-town patients meet me by virtual consultation first, and our patient coordinators handle the planning from there.
Why Choose Dr. Agullo
Dr. Agullo is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, completed his plastic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years, 2014 through 2026. He is licensed in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, California, Washington, Nevada and Arizona, and is a member of ASPS, The Aesthetic Society (ASAPS) and ISAPS. About 70 percent of his patients travel to El Paso for surgery.
Ready to Talk?
Run the five-minute check on me first. Then run it on everyone else you are considering. Then call.
Call (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book online at agulloplasticsurgery.com. #StayBeautiful
Find me at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
