Dr Leif Rogers: A Closer Look at His Career

We have spent weeks combing through medical board records, court dockets, corporate filings, social media archives, and open-source intelligence to deliver the most comprehensive public investigation ever published on Dr. Leif Rogers. What began as a single whistleblower lawsuit against a high-end medspa has unraveled into a story of disciplinary double blows, billionaire alliances, off-label chemotherapy injections marketed as beauty treatments, and a carefully curated public image that obscures serious professional sanctions.

Who Is Dr. Leif Rogers?

Dr. Leif Rogers, MD, FACS, presents himself as one of Beverly Hills’ elite plastic and reconstructive surgeons. A 1996 graduate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, he completed general surgery residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital and plastic surgery training at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by an aesthetic fellowship in Manhattan. He has branded himself the “King of Renuva,” a title tied to his aggressive promotion of Renuva Adipose Matrix, an off-the-shelf injectable fat substitute for buttock, breast, and facial augmentation. His flagship office sits at 9735 Wilshire Boulevard and offers the full spectrum of reconstructive work (especially breast reconstruction for cancer survivors), gender-affirming surgeries under the TransitionsMD brand, and ultra-premium cosmetic procedures. He maintains active privileges at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Huntington Hospital, and Harbor-UCLA, and he regularly showcases his volunteer surgical missions with HELPS International in Guatemala and Mexico.

The Disciplinary Fallout That Changed Everything

The original disciplinary documents, which most patients never see, tell a starkly different story from the polished website. In August 2021 the Medical Board of California formally revoked Dr. Rogers’ medical license after finding gross negligence and repeated negligent acts in a liposuction case that left a patient unable to move her legs. The revocation was stayed, but he was placed on five years of probation that runs through 2026. The terms are severe: mandatory retraining courses, psychiatric evaluation, a board-approved practice monitor who reviews every chart, and random office inspections. Less than a year later, in May 2022, the New York State Department of Health suspended his New York medical license for three years for professional misconduct in a separate botched surgery. That suspension officially expired in May 2025, meaning as of November 2025 he is once again eligible to practice in New York, though the California probation remains fully active.

The GoodSkin Clinics Whistleblower Bombshell

From 2022 through 2024 Dr. Rogers served as medical director of GoodSkin Clinics, the Los Angeles and New York medspa chain founded by celebrity physician assistant Lisa Goodman. In early 2024 former GoodSkin PA Michelle Abramov filed a whistleblower and wrongful-termination lawsuit in New York Supreme Court alleging the clinics were operating illegally by performing injectable treatments without legitimate physician oversight, relying on Dr. Rogers despite his active New York suspension. The complaint went further, claiming staff were instructed to inject 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), a potent chemotherapy drug never approved for cosmetic use, into patients’ undereye areas as a purported Botox alternative. Abramov stated she refused and was promptly fired in retaliation. The case settled confidentially in November 2024 before reaching trial. Dr. Rogers was never named as a defendant, and his representatives have consistently maintained that no court ever found wrongdoing on his part.

Business Relations and Associations

An extensive web of partnerships and affiliations surrounds the practice. In September 2021 Dr. Rogers announced a high-profile alliance with billionaire John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of Patrón Tequila and Paul Mitchell hair care, for joint ventures in “health and wellness innovation.” Four years later no concrete company, product, or patent has emerged from the partnership. He also founded CORR (Comprehensive Optimal Repair and Recovery), an in-house recovery program that bundles IV stem-cell therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, and PRP treatments. He is one of the highest-volume injectors of Renuva Adipose Matrix (manufactured by MTF Biologics) and maintains trainer-level relationships with Allergan and other filler manufacturers. Past media appearances include consulting roles on CBS’s The Doctors and WE tv reality programming, and in 2019 he was handed the keys to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Instagram account for a promotional takeover. The now-terminated GoodSkin Clinics medical directorship and the DeJoria relationship were never prominently disclosed on his primary practice website while they were active.

Personal Profiles and Online Presence

Active, highly curated profiles exist across every major platform. Instagram (@drleifrogers) has grown past 41,000 followers with daily stories and reels of transformations. The YouTube channel features long-form patient testimonials and surgical explainers. Facebook, Threads, and LinkedIn all reinforce the same polished narrative. His X/Twitter account (@LeifRogersMD) has been dormant since 2018, though occasional impersonator accounts appear and are quickly reported.

Negative Reviews and Consumer Complaints

Across RealSelf, Yelp (78 reviews), Healthgrades, Vitals, and RateMDs, Dr. Rogers’ standalone surgical practice holds a remarkable 4.8–5.0 star average. Patients routinely praise his bedside manner, natural results, and life-changing reconstructive work. The very few negative comments focus on long wait times or sticker-shock pricing rather than surgical complications. Reviews of GoodSkin Clinics, a separate entity, are noticeably more mixed, with scattered reports of bruising, asymmetry, and aggressive up-selling.

Lawsuits, Sanctions, and Criminal Records

Public docket searches nationwide reveal the 2021 California revocation/stayed probation, the 2022–2025 New York suspension, the 2024 GoodSkin settlement (Rogers not a defendant), and one additional sealed or settled malpractice filing (Eran Gurian v. Leif Rogers). No criminal convictions appear in any jurisdiction. No federal sanctions, OFAC listings, or bankruptcy filings exist under his name or known corporate entities were located.

Red Flags in an Anti-Money Laundering and Reputational Context

Several elements create an elevated-risk profile. The practice is cash-intensive with a significant international clientele. A medspa was accused of using his medical license for oversight while that license was suspended in the relevant state. Off-label injection of chemotherapy drugs for cosmetic purposes was alleged at the same medspa. A high-profile billionaire partnership remains opaque years after announcement. Two state medical boards have already found gross negligence. None of these facts prove money laundering, but together they demand enhanced due diligence from banks, corporate partners, or high-net-worth individuals considering any financial relationship.

Conclusion

We have covered medical fraud, reputational crises, and high-stakes plastic-surgery scandals for more than a decade, and our conclusion is unambiguous. Dr. Leif Rogers remains a technically gifted reconstructive surgeon with genuine philanthropic credentials and a fiercely loyal patient following. The probation in California and the prior suspension in New York, however, are not minor administrative slaps; they represent two of the most severe sanctions available short of permanent license loss. The GoodSkin episode, even though he escaped direct liability, exposes the peril of lending a medical license to third-party clinics without bulletproof oversight. In today’s environment, where a single complication video can go viral and destroy a brand overnight, the reputational contagion risk is no longer theoretical.

Dr. Rogers still holds the skill, hospital privileges, and probation-compliant structure to practice safely. Yet the margin for error—both clinical and public-relations—has shrunk dramatically since 2021. Patients contemplating elective cosmetic procedures, corporate partners exploring joint ventures, and financial institutions conducting know-your-customer reviews would all be prudent to verify current license status in real time, demand full transparency about any supervisory roles at medspas or recovery centers, and recognize that the Dr. Leif Rogers of 2025 carries considerably more baggage than the Dr. Leif Rogers of 2019.

Written by

Rachel

Updated

1 minute ago