SC plastic surgeon’s medical license suspended

South Carolina’s medical board has suspended the license of a plastic surgeon who it says left an operating room for hours during surgery and had sex with staffers who became his patients.

Multiple media reports say a report from the State Board of Medical Examiners said the group took its action against Dr. Thomas Luther Roberts III after he admitted to the misconduct.

The report says Roberts left the operating room during a surgery and a nurse finished the procedure. It also says the doctor examined women without using gloves and falsified medical records.

Roberts can get his license back if he pays nearly $27,000 in fines and fees and completes an ethics course.

Roberts apologized to his family, friends and patients.