Beauty, Buyer, Beware VIII: Dr. Ben Brown

Exactly two years ago I broke this story and remember standing beside the front door of Dr. Ben Brown’s office, Restore Plastic Surgery, where someone had left holiday poinsettias as a kind gesture after Brown’s wife, Hillary, had gone into cardiac arrest just on the other side of the door just before Thanksgiving 2023, after he had performed several procedures on her and later died. 

Since then, Brown has been charged with manslaughter in the untimely death of his 33-year-old wife, and dozens of former patients have come forward with complaints of botched surgeries, unwanted procedures, gaping wounds, and serious infection. All allegations Brown denies.

The Florida Department of Health restricted his license to only practicing under the supervision of another doctor in 2024, and this past fall an administrative judge recommended to the Florida Board of Medicine that Brown’s medical license be suspended for a year for not immediately calling 9-1-1, starting CPR, or having life saving equipment on hand when Hillary coded from what investigators say appears to be lidocaine toxicity. 

Brown was also sued for medical malpractice in 2022 after a former patient claimed he used mesh in her DIEP flap reconstruction in 2019 that caused infection, necrosis, and corrective surgeries, and also during surgery left her arm in the same position for too long and it led to permanent injury. 

That case went to trial just last week, and the jury returned a verdict of not liable on both counts against Brown. 

Brown’s criminal trial on manslaughter has tentatively been scheduled for May 4.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge. He has two other hearings coming up in Santa Rosa County before that, though including a hearing on Feb. 10 on if he will be allowed to appear at specific defendants depositions and a case status check hearing on March 24. 

In this latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, we talk about the state administrative hearings that were held in September on the department of health’s allegations against Brown that led to Florida restricting his medical license. 

We recorded this before the judge made her recommendation for discipline and before the outcome of the medical malpractice trial. 

Join us for “Beauty Buyer Beware VIII: Dr. Ben Brown,” and remember you can catch up on all the episodes we've recorded on the embattled plastic surgeon on the Beauty Buyer Beware playlist.