San Diego-area plastic surgeon ordered to stop practicing after testing positive for alcohol while on probation: ‘How many patients have been impacted?’

A plastic surgeon in Southern California has been ordered to stop his practice after testing positive for alcohol three times in a span of 10 days while on probation.

Dr. Abhay Gupta, who has offices in San Diego and Encinitas, previously had his medical license revoked in 2022 but was able to continue his practice under strict conditions for five years.

Gupta operates his own medical practice at Gupta Plastic Surgery and performs “100% of all surgeries, BOTOX, injections, and laser treatments,” according to his site.

“He is exceptionally skilled in breast reconstruction, revision surgery, and complex aesthetic cases,” it continues.

In 2019, Gupta was arrested and pleaded guilty to a DUI, and following formal accusations, the Medical Board of California decided to revoke his medical license while placing him on a five-year probation.

Part of the condition of the probation was to “abstain from the use of alcohol” while submitting a “biological fluid testing.”

However, Gupta failed three biological fluid tests earlier this year while also testing positive for alcohol three separate times in 2024.

“This has gone on with these disciplinary actions that have gone on for four, five, and six years. How many patients have been impacted by this? We’ll never know,” Michele Monserratt-Ramos told ABC10, a patient advocate at Consumer Watchdog and supporter of greater patient protections.