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"We can usually make something much better, but can we take it back to what it was before? Probably not," he said. "Once you've done two or three operations, you significantly increase the risk of problems and making things look more natural."
Kolk, Roth and other plastic surgeons note that a bad economy fuels these problems: Doctors in other specialties may dabble in cosmetic work to make extra money, and patients are more motivated to shop around for bargain basement prices.
"Especially with this market, it's become a bigger issue with the economy in the last year," said Dr. Vincent Marin, a surgeon certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
"The cheaper price sometimes brings with it lesser quality," said Marin, who practices at the La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre in La Jolla, Calif. Marin said he's noticed that many of his patients shop for price first, but only start researching to find a quality surgeon after they've had a botched surgery.
Angel D., who asked that ABCNews.com not use her full last name, said her first "bargain" breast enhancement eventually cost her eight years of painful revision surgeries, multiple cross-country trips and a total of $45,000 instead of $2,000.
"It was just like flaps of skin," said Angel. "I had indents around my right breast, all around my areola. If you put your finger in it was as like Play-Doh."
That was her description after doctors corrected her first botched breast enhancement. Angel said it all started in 2000, with a Christmas gift from her ex-fiance.
"I didn't have bad breasts to start with, I was 90 pounds and I was a small 32B," she said. "But I was dating somebody who wanted big boobs." A size D to be exact.
Angel said everything went well until three months after her surgery.
"My right breast became hard to the touch and I couldn't lie on my side because it was so painful. Instead of being round, it started looking square in areas," Angel said. "It just looked deformed."
Angel later found out she had a capsule contracture, or shrinking scar tissue around the breast.
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