A New Jersey plastic surgeon running for office as a progressive is facing tough questions about his practice's past marketing materials, including pages targeting teenagers, blog posts pitching surgery as a mood booster and a high-interest credit card used to finance procedures.
Dr. Adam Hamawy's website hosts a page on "adolescent rhinoplasty" that tells parents a teenager's physical appearance plays a massive role in self-confidence, claiming a nose job can mean the difference between feeling insecure or happy.
Critics of the candidate noted that the site lists age thresholds as young as 15 for girls and 16 for boys.
During a 2019 appearance on The Plastic Surgery Channel, Hamawy argued there are plenty of good reasons for teenagers to have plastic surgery, though he noted that doctors should always weigh a patient's maturity and motivations. His practice's Facebook page has also shared articles about bullied teens who turned to surgery.
Supporters are urging voters to look at the broader context, with allies noting that adolescent rhinoplasty frequently addresses breathing and structural function rather than just appearance. Sources close to Hamawy also noted that minors never undergo surgery without parental consent, and that much of Hamawy’s work is actually reconstructive, involving burns, trauma, and emergency cases.
Critics have also targeted the practice's blog content, pointing to one archived entry titled "Dr. Adam Hamawyz”, controversially, suggested that cosmetic procedures could enhance self-esteem enough to reduce a patient's need for antidepressants, while briefly conceding that temporary post-op depression remains a risk. Another archived article doubled down on the emotional value of these procedures, claiming that financial costs pale in comparison to feeling good about oneself.
The copy for breast augmentations has also raised eyebrows for some. One post cautioned women against celebrities who walk around looking like they have some kind of ball sewn into their chests, while another referred to Hollywood women as dolls.
Critics argued the language undermines the progressive campaign's stated values. Several of these pages have since been taken down, though supporters insist the removals were part of a routine archiving process rather than a campaign-season cleanup.
Critics have also flagged the practice's use of CareCredit, a healthcare credit card from Synchrony Bank that carries a 32.99% APR, the same product the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered to provide roughly $225 million in relief after finding it had engaged in illegal and discriminatory credit practices.
A campaign official called the financial criticism ironic, pointing out that Hamawy actively backs the Sanders-Warren-Markey bill to cap interest rates on medical cards.
The official added that the practice only uses CareCredit as an absolute last resort after insurance and financial aid options are completely exhausted, arguing that predatory healthcare financing is the kind of for-profit system failure that drove Hamawy to champion for Medicare for All.
The spokesman dismissed the attacks as a desperate move from trailing campaigns.
"When the US Army had a gap in our troops' wartime medical care, a lack of reconstructive plastic surgeons, Dr. Adam Hamawy answered the call to be trained. After training, he deployed in combat. He has saved countless lives: in Iraq, on humanitarian missions to war and disaster zones across the world, and right here in New Jersey in our emergency rooms. His track record of putting his own life on the line to deliver medical care to the most vulnerable speaks for itself,” a campaign spokesman said.
As for the broader attack, the spokesman added: "Dr. Hamawy has centered his campaign around winning Medicare for All and getting rid of our convoluted for-profit health care system. He is all too aware of the pitfalls of that system, having worked within it and saved lives within it for years. He is the front-runner in this race, and so it's unsurprising to see his opponents scraping the bottom of the barrel to try to tear him down, but it's not going to work."
