Dr. Adair Blackledge Surrendered His Mississippi License After a Botched-Surgery Investigation: What Blackledge Face Center Patients Should Know

The core fact is on the record. According to an order accepting the surrender published by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure and reported by Mississippi Today, Dr. Adair Blackledge surrendered his Mississippi medical license on December 31, 2025. The board had been investigating allegations that the order describes as professional incompetency, unprofessional conduct, and dishonorable or unethical behavior likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public. Surrendering the license ended that investigation before the board issued any findings.

The document Blackledge filed says he denies any wrongdoing and has decided to retire from the practice of medicine. It also notes that he understands charges could be brought against him at a later date. WLBT in Jackson, whose 3 On Your Side investigators obtained the documents, reported that Blackledge has not been criminally charged. There is no admission of fault in the record, and the board made no ruling on any individual patient's care.

Everything in this article is drawn from that board order, the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure's own public statement, and named news reporting by Mississippi Today and WLBT. The patient accounts are allegations gathered by reporters, not proven facts, and Blackledge disputes them.

Mississippi Today published the results of a five-month investigation on September 24, 2025, under the headline describing quick surgeries, scars, and facelifts that fade. The reporting centered on complaints from several of Blackledge's former patients and on how his surgeries were performed.

Two findings stood out. First, the reporting found that Blackledge performed facelifts far faster than many in his field, sometimes completing the operation in about a third of the time other plastic surgeons told the news organization the procedure typically takes. Second, it reported that he performed major surgeries, including facelifts, without general anesthesia. According to the investigation, he used a sleeping pill together with a sedative and anti-anxiety medication to sedate most patients, a combination other doctors told Mississippi Today could make it difficult for a patient to breathe during surgery.

The patients quoted in the investigation described a range of outcomes they attributed to his care: nasal indentations and infections, prominent scarring, a cheek implant that pushed through the skin, and wounds that reopened and required further medical attention. Some said they did not remember changing out of their street clothes and into a surgical gown before their procedures. Several said they had complained to the state board and either had their complaints dismissed or heard nothing back.

Blackledge pushed back on the reporting. He characterized the complaints as the result of a social media barrage in which he, his family, and his staff were attacked and threatened. He said the patients raising concerns represented only a small portion of the people he had treated, that he had never been sued in 22 years of practice, and that he believed his complication rate was well below the national average. At the time of the September 2025 report, Mississippi Today searched state and federal court records and could not locate any lawsuits filed against him over patient care.

If you or someone in your family had surgery with Dr. Blackledge, the most important thing to understand is that the clock is already running, and it does not wait for a board investigation or news coverage to finish. In Mississippi, a medical malpractice claim generally must be filed within two years of the date the injury was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered, with a seven-year outer limit and only narrow exceptions, such as a foreign object left in the body. Mississippi law also generally requires a patient to give the provider at least sixty days of written notice before filing suit. If you traveled to Jackson from another state for your surgery, a different state's deadline could apply, which is one more reason not to guess.

Waiting to see whether a bad result settles down on its own is the mistake that quietly ends strong cases. The deadline can pass while you are still deciding, and once it does, even a clear case usually cannot be filed. If your surgery was recent, or if you have lived for years with a result that never looked or felt right, the time to ask is now, while the answer can still help you. Our article on the statute of limitations for medical malpractice explains how these deadlines work and why the start date matters so much.

A records review costs you nothing and does not commit you to anything. Bring what you have: operative reports, before-and-after photos, consent forms, discharge paperwork, billing records, and any text or email messages with the practice. Whether the answer is a case worth pursuing or a plain explanation of why it is not, you will know where you stand. We review cosmetic and plastic surgery matters nationwide, and the review is free and confidential.