A local woman, however, recounts that her hunt for beauty became just the opposite.

Louise Lopez, a 39-year-old, said, “I don't even like looking at myself anymore.” She mentioned that after having children, she made a decision that she needed a mommy makeover. However, after more than 1 year and spending $16,000, she showed the scars that are left from her abdominoplasty and breast enhancement procedures. She said,

It’s an awful feeling knowing I paid so much money to make myself feel better ... to get slapped in the face with it.

He goes, 'you get what you pay for. If you would have come into my office, I’d fix you under my contract. But you pay for cut rate service, that's what you get'.

Judy Parks, a 62-year-old also from Bakersfield, says she went to the doctor’s office, and she was not happy at all of the results of her procedure. She said Dr. Birnbaum persuaded her to get rhytidoplasty, abdominoplasty and eyebrow lift procedures simultaneously.

Parks states that the first sign of the problem happened during the procedure. She said,

My family was telling me that he had come out and said that it had got a little tight. That he tightened it maybe a little too tight, but he seen pink coming back in so he figured it would be okay.

Parks then said that, about six months later, the wound burst out. Her caregiver informed Dr. Birnbaum that he was taking Parks to the nearest hospital. However, she mentioned that the doctor ordered them to meet him instead at his clinic in a few hours. Parks said,

He had to help me up those two flights of stairs standing behind me because every step id make it just felt like my stomach was falling out. She added, So got up there and it was about 110 degrees in the office. He laid me down on the bed, raised up the bandage the caregiver put on me and he said, ‘Ya, I expected this to happen.’

Parks is filing a suit against the surgeon for $250,000, which is the medical malpractice limit in California.

Jonathan Birdt, which is from the McNulty Law Firm, stated, “We’ll seek out expert opinions and other plastic surgeons and if they think can improve the pain and suffering she having now, we'll also try to recover the cost of future surgeries to correct what he's done.”

Louise Lopez says that, even though she paid Top Surgeons, they will not give back her payment and hold Dr. Birnbaum responsible for the issue. For the time being, Lopez states that every time she looks at herself in the mirror, the scars remind her of the pain she has suffered. She said,

They are ugly, they are humongous. I don't even know how to explain it. I wouldn’t wish this on no body. its awful, awful thing to have to go through.

The California Medical Board stated in their records that, about three years ago, Dr. Birnbaum was put on probation; six years ago, his medical license in New York was suspended, and 12 years ago, he lost a malpractice case.

For those who are looking at getting a surgical procedure, before working with a surgeon, they must check first with the Medical Board, search out for another opinion, and speak with other patients.