The Doctor Is In

BEST COSMETIC SURGEON

Plastic surgery inherently carries a weight of various misconceptions and assumptions. Dr. George Washington prides himself on his principal mission of helping others discover their outer beauty to match the beauty they already hold within. Washington’s commitment to uplifting Houstonians, including his support of the LGBTQ community, has landed him the honor of  Best Cosmetic Surgeon for this year’s Gayest & Greatest Readers’ Choice Awards.

“I am a plastic and reconstructive surgeon,” the New Orleans native explains. “I operate under the umbrella of Linville Plastic Surgery. Dr. Cain Linville hired me to his practice, but I practice under my own entity and my own name.”

Washington’s path to becoming a cosmetic surgeon was informed at a young age by his family. “The death of my grandmother, who meant the world to me, sparked my interest in medicine. She was my caretaker and raised me from the day I was born, while my parents worked tirelessly to provide for the family,” he recalls. “I was eight years old and I was trying to figure out what was happening. The curiosity of how my grandmother passed away and what caused it is why I pursued medicine.

“Within that same year, my father had a heart attack and he required open heart surgery to save his life. Thinking back, if I didn’t have him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Thus, it was very important to me that I pursue a career where I can give back to the community.”

“I wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon,” he says of his early days in medical school, “but my physician mentor observed and got to know me as a person and felt that plastic surgery would be a good niche for me. He was right. I shadowed a few plastic surgeons and I never looked back.”

Washington understands the emotional and psychological healing powers of his work. “I love helping people feel good and allowing them to express their inner beauty, despite potentially dealing with self-confidence or childhood trauma,” he says. “Being able to help them overcome those aspects by helping with the outer beauty is very rewarding.”

George Washington, M.D. Plastic Surgery specializes in Brazilian butt lifts, liposuction, breast augmentation, and more. One service that he offers, uniquely and deeply important to him, is gender affirmation surgery. His hands-on education and devotion to helping others makes this type of surgery a cornerstone of his practice.

“A lot of training programs throughout the country don’t have surgeons who focus on gender affirmation procedures,” he explains. “I was fortunate to train at UT Health Houston under a doctor who focused on gender affirmation surgery, both top and bottom, so I have extensive training with gender affirming procedures. I included this type of surgery in my practice because I wanted to be able to uplift the LGBTQ community.”

Despite ongoing aggressive political opposition and legislation lodged against the transgender community, Washington states that he has received no backlash for offering gender affirming surgeries and that his team supports the queer community wholeheartedly and without reservation. “I haven’t encountered any resistance or issues personally,” he says. “I do know some surgeons that have, but my entire office is very supportive.”

Local and world-famous drag artists are among the queer clientele that Washington serves. The medical professional explains that they often visit for fillers, Botox, and gender affirming surgery in some cases. “A local bartender referred a drag artist to me and that started my relationship with the local drag community,” Washington explains.

Word got around, and when Jorgeous, a RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, sought his help, his national reputation was launched. “She reached out for facial rejuvenation enhancement,” Washington comments, “and I was able to help her. After posting her on my social media, I was able to bring on even more drag performers.”

For those considering plastic surgery, Washington suggests, “Choose a surgeon who you connect well with, can communicate with, and who you feel very comfortable with. There are many plastic surgeons out there who are so skilled that it can be hard to choose. I personally think it comes down to who you connect well with and trust to do your procedure. It’s a lifelong relationship that you build between surgeon and patient.”

Dedicating his life to others is Washington’s mission in life. Being voted as the top cosmetic surgeon for the queer community is an honor he doesn’t take lightly. “I’m so grateful to the LGBTQ community for supporting me from the beginning. They’re the ones who have supported and allowed me to thrive and become successful within such a short time frame. I’m honored to have been able to create a safe space for the community to come to without any question about whether or not they’re accepted. I feel really good about that.”

Follow Dr. George Washington at @dr_georgewashington.