Dr. Deirdre Rhoad

Rhoad is one of 9.4 percent of certified plastic surgeons in the U.S. who are females, according to 2012 data from the The American Board of Plastic Surgery.

"A lot of times it feels like I am the oddball because for some reason women are not supposed to go into surgery," she said. "But [plastic surgery] is a different kind of surgery—it's a more gentle surgery, a more pretty surgery."

Rhoad said there might be fewer female plastic surgeons because becoming certified requires a rigorous time commitment that might make it difficult for some women to have families during schooling, she said.

Any unlicensed physician can call themselves a plastic surgeon no matter how much training or experience they may have in their field, but being a certified plastic surgeon indicates expertise and is a voluntary process, according to the ABPS.

To be certified by the ABPS, at least six years of education is required after four years of undergraduate study. Additionally, education in general surgery for at least three years is required. During Rhoad's rigorous training, she said she worked about 130 hours per week.

"Mostly I think getting through general surgery is the toughest part. ... It's a tough residency, and you have to be tough on the inside. You have to want to get to that goal," Rhoad said.

In 1993 Rhoad started her own practice, now called Rhoad to Beauty, after about 14 years of education and training. Occasionally Rhoad is asked by local hospitals such as North Austin Medical Center to consult and treat premature babies.

Rhoad said one reason she wanted to become a plastic surgeon is to help people feel good about themselves.

"I felt like I am needed and appreciated in this [profession] as a woman in surgery and that people do care about the outcome," she said. "It's nice being able to change something for them that has bothered them for a long time and to know that something can be done about it. It took a lot of bravery to get them to come through the door."