Treatment Provider
Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Traumatic Results-- Long, Honest Review
I had fat transfer to breasts with Dr. Carmona in November 2021. I thought I did my research and chose the best doctor in Cancun, but sadly it was the worst decision I have ever made. I don't have any other regrets in my life, only this. Every single day since that surgery I have woken up feeling deformed and depressed about my body and have obsessed over how to fix it. Dr. Carmona and his assistant Danny always seemed rushed and disinterested in me and my results, barely responded to my requests for help, and took zero responsibility for his mistakes.
I was a model with a beautiful, slender body and size 34A breasts, which never bothered me until I was told that I would get more work if they were bigger, and many times my bra would be stuffed for a shoot or show. It really got to my head, and I wish I had gotten therapy instead of surgery! But, fat transfer seemed like a minimally-invasive, low-risk, natural solution. Almost everyone on here seemed happy with their results and the recovery seemed quick and easy. Now I see that bad reviews are put at the end of the review sections, so they are hard to find.
I wanted to have it done while on vacation by myself so nobody would know, and Dr. Carmona had good reviews, so it seemed like a great idea. I should have known from my consultation that it was a terrible idea, because he was extremely rushed and dismissed several of my questions and concerns. I proceeded anyway and booked my trip. The pre-op instructions were very minimal, they didn't give me info about supplements, garments, massages or anything, so I was expecting it to be a breeze. When I was already in Mexico, Danny unapologetically messaged me to say that Dr. Carmona had an emergency and needed to reschedule for the following week. I wish I had taken that opportunity to cancel, but I went along with it and booked another week's stay at my own expense.
In my pre-op appointment with Dr. Carmona, we went over the areas he would liposuction to collect fat for the transfer, and I kept telling him that the most important thing for me was to look natural. I wanted a subtle increase so that no one would know I had done anything, but enough to stop wearing padded bras, fill out clothes and look good in a bikini. He said people always lose some of the fat, so he would try to take enough to compensate for that. We talked about taking fat from multiple areas so that I didn't look uneven but could still get enough, since I am skinny. He said he would take from my flanks, saddlebags and inner thighs. When I asked about taking a little fat from my stomach, he said "but you have a beautiful stomach," so I said, "then just take a tiny bit." Looking back, I think that was his way of saying that he couldn't do it without messing it up. I wish I had understood that. I had no idea how horribly wrong it could go.
After getting shuttled back and forth to the hotel, pharmacy and hospital, I went in for surgery early the next morning. I waited several hours in a hospital room without my phone or stuff, no one checking on me or telling me what was going on, and then the anesthesiologist finally showed up and put me under. I woke up in a hospital bed that night and felt like I was hit by a truck, but the meds and kind nurses made me feel peaceful while I vomited repeatedly and couldn't move. Looking down at my chest, I saw the most enormous, hard, bruised, bandaged breasts and was terrified. Dr. Carmona came by and said everything went very well. He said, "your skin was so stretchy, I was able to put more fat in than I expected. I just kept adding more. I got 800cc, I think you will be very happy." I tried to express my concern that they were way too big, and that sounded like too much, but he said it was just swelling, some fat would be absorbed, and rushed off to his next appointment.
I was completely unprepared for the level of damage to my body. This was not a minor surgery, as it had been presented to me, it was MAJOR. I was medicated and numb in all of the lipo sites, so the pain wasn't too bad, but I could barely move. My whole body was swollen, like a big hard board, and the bruising was very scary. My groin was completely black and full of fluid, and my legs, lower back, flanks and stomach were red and purple, as was my chest. I spent my time watching movies, sleeping, avoiding the mirror, and trying to walk around the hotel. After 4 days, Dr. Carmona came to check on me as I was preparing to leave. I was concerned about removing the stitches from the areas I couldn't reach, so he took those out then, a few days early.
As the swelling and bruising began to subside over the next few weeks, I noticed lumps in my belly and odd indentations in my butt and thighs. Then, despite wearing all recommended compression garments, I noticed a large, squishy pouch on my right flank, right above my butt. After some research, I realized it was a seroma, which is a complication from large amounts of tissue being removed. I was back in the US, so I had to go to urgent care to have it drained. The seroma kept refilling and I had to go back and have it drained 5 times! I was terrified and confused and contacted Danny for support. All she said was "you can get lymphatic massages or ultrasound therapy" (which I did, costing me $3000 over the next few months). No sympathy, no concern, which tells me that this is not an uncommon experience for them...
By month 2 post surgery, the seroma finally healed, but with scarring, and more irregularities were appearing in the lipo sites all over, plus discolored blotchy skin on both flanks. I was so anxious and ashamed. I didn't want to tell anyone what I had done, and I felt completely alone. I was crying every day. I sent photos to Danny and she was again totally uncaring. She just repeated that Dr. Carmona advised to get massages, and to wait another 2-3 months for final results. I tried to be patient and believe that it would all improve.
After 8 months, the irregularities were even more pronounced with the swelling gone. My breasts were softer, but still very big--I went from an A to a C, sometimes D cup. I still had very noticeable red, blotchy discoloration on my waist, numb areas, a lumpy belly, scarring on my flank where the seroma was, an uneven lower back and hips, pockets of residual fat as well as indentations on my saddlebags, lower back, butt and inner thighs. I was unable to work, since my body was deformed and marked.
I again sent photos, and Dr. Carmona said I had fibrosis, which was caused by fat necrosis or collagen production, and could be improved with more lipo. My massage therapist was able to tell exactly where there was still some fibrosis on my flanks, and the lumps were clearly residual fat, while the indentations were clearly where too much fat had been removed. I asked what Dr. Carmona could do to fix his mistakes. Danny reported that he said he could graft fat to the indentations in my butt, but not my stomach, because of fibrosis. I repeated that there wasn't any fibrosis on my stomach, only uneven fat, and asked which other areas of my body could be liposuctioned for donor fat, since I didn't want any more lipo to those areas after they had been injured by too much lipo already...I got NO REPLY. Not a word from Danny for the next 2 years. Never an apology, never any admission of taking too much fat and ruining my life. I was shocked that they didn't want to help me.
Fast forward 3 years. I quit modeling and had to figure out something else I could do for a living. I was too afraid and didn't have the money to do any more surgery, so I spent all my money on massages and Thermage to tighten my skin in the hopes of covering up the unevenness. I tried lasers on the skin discoloration, which were ineffective, and it was later diagnosed as erythema ab liporaspiration, which is a result of overly aggressive liposuction, and there is no known treatment. Nothing has helped, so I have tried my best to just move on and accept my body. I have done a ton of therapy to try to improve my mental health and body image, but I can't move past looking and feeling deformed. If it were my natural body, I could probably learn to accept it, but when I was botched by a careless surgeon, it just feels so deeply wrong. I haven't been able to wear a bikini or be naked in front of anyone for these 3 years, and I am so embarrassed by my big, overfilled breasts, I always wear high cut shirts. I have wished every day that I didn't do this to myself, or that I had at least chosen a more cautious, better surgeon.
I have now saved up enough for a revision, and I politely reached out to Danny 2 months ago at the 3 year mark, to see what they might be able to offer me. She asked for photos, so I sent a bunch of photos, and she has not replied. I sent more polite messages asking for a reply, and have not heard back. It feels like the ultimate slap in the face. Not only did they ruin my body, but they don't seem to care, or at least they see how badly Dr. Carmona screwed up and don't want to take responsibility.
I finally consulted with several other surgeons to find out my options for a revision. They have all confirmed that Dr. Carmona screwed up badly. He scraped every bit of fat possible from my midsection, butt and thighs, and I don't have enough fat on my body to fill all of the deformities he left me with. I am afraid to mess it up more, but planning to try and fix my body as much as possible with Dr. Misbah Khan in New York, a revision specialist who seems the most detail-oriented and honest, and has the least invasive technique. I wish she could take fat from my huge breasts and put it back where it belongs, but she says that isn't possible.
I am not someone who writes bad reviews, and I am generally a very positive, grateful person, but this experience has truly been a NIGHTMARE. I hope you will not go to Dr. Carmona, but what I most want to leave you with is this: your natural body is more beautiful than anything that can be achieved with cosmetic surgery. Do not fall prey to media or wherever you got the idea that you should try to "improve" yourself this way! It will most likely make you more miserable, cost far more money, time, and energy than you think, and contribute to a sick culture that sets an unrealistic and sad example for others. You are beautiful the way you were created. Focus on being healthy, taking care of yourself, having fun and strengthening your relationships with family and friends and you will be happy. The right people love you for who you are, not how you look, anyway.
I was a model with a beautiful, slender body and size 34A breasts, which never bothered me until I was told that I would get more work if they were bigger, and many times my bra would be stuffed for a shoot or show. It really got to my head, and I wish I had gotten therapy instead of surgery! But, fat transfer seemed like a minimally-invasive, low-risk, natural solution. Almost everyone on here seemed happy with their results and the recovery seemed quick and easy. Now I see that bad reviews are put at the end of the review sections, so they are hard to find.
I wanted to have it done while on vacation by myself so nobody would know, and Dr. Carmona had good reviews, so it seemed like a great idea. I should have known from my consultation that it was a terrible idea, because he was extremely rushed and dismissed several of my questions and concerns. I proceeded anyway and booked my trip. The pre-op instructions were very minimal, they didn't give me info about supplements, garments, massages or anything, so I was expecting it to be a breeze. When I was already in Mexico, Danny unapologetically messaged me to say that Dr. Carmona had an emergency and needed to reschedule for the following week. I wish I had taken that opportunity to cancel, but I went along with it and booked another week's stay at my own expense.
In my pre-op appointment with Dr. Carmona, we went over the areas he would liposuction to collect fat for the transfer, and I kept telling him that the most important thing for me was to look natural. I wanted a subtle increase so that no one would know I had done anything, but enough to stop wearing padded bras, fill out clothes and look good in a bikini. He said people always lose some of the fat, so he would try to take enough to compensate for that. We talked about taking fat from multiple areas so that I didn't look uneven but could still get enough, since I am skinny. He said he would take from my flanks, saddlebags and inner thighs. When I asked about taking a little fat from my stomach, he said "but you have a beautiful stomach," so I said, "then just take a tiny bit." Looking back, I think that was his way of saying that he couldn't do it without messing it up. I wish I had understood that. I had no idea how horribly wrong it could go.
After getting shuttled back and forth to the hotel, pharmacy and hospital, I went in for surgery early the next morning. I waited several hours in a hospital room without my phone or stuff, no one checking on me or telling me what was going on, and then the anesthesiologist finally showed up and put me under. I woke up in a hospital bed that night and felt like I was hit by a truck, but the meds and kind nurses made me feel peaceful while I vomited repeatedly and couldn't move. Looking down at my chest, I saw the most enormous, hard, bruised, bandaged breasts and was terrified. Dr. Carmona came by and said everything went very well. He said, "your skin was so stretchy, I was able to put more fat in than I expected. I just kept adding more. I got 800cc, I think you will be very happy." I tried to express my concern that they were way too big, and that sounded like too much, but he said it was just swelling, some fat would be absorbed, and rushed off to his next appointment.
I was completely unprepared for the level of damage to my body. This was not a minor surgery, as it had been presented to me, it was MAJOR. I was medicated and numb in all of the lipo sites, so the pain wasn't too bad, but I could barely move. My whole body was swollen, like a big hard board, and the bruising was very scary. My groin was completely black and full of fluid, and my legs, lower back, flanks and stomach were red and purple, as was my chest. I spent my time watching movies, sleeping, avoiding the mirror, and trying to walk around the hotel. After 4 days, Dr. Carmona came to check on me as I was preparing to leave. I was concerned about removing the stitches from the areas I couldn't reach, so he took those out then, a few days early.
As the swelling and bruising began to subside over the next few weeks, I noticed lumps in my belly and odd indentations in my butt and thighs. Then, despite wearing all recommended compression garments, I noticed a large, squishy pouch on my right flank, right above my butt. After some research, I realized it was a seroma, which is a complication from large amounts of tissue being removed. I was back in the US, so I had to go to urgent care to have it drained. The seroma kept refilling and I had to go back and have it drained 5 times! I was terrified and confused and contacted Danny for support. All she said was "you can get lymphatic massages or ultrasound therapy" (which I did, costing me $3000 over the next few months). No sympathy, no concern, which tells me that this is not an uncommon experience for them...
By month 2 post surgery, the seroma finally healed, but with scarring, and more irregularities were appearing in the lipo sites all over, plus discolored blotchy skin on both flanks. I was so anxious and ashamed. I didn't want to tell anyone what I had done, and I felt completely alone. I was crying every day. I sent photos to Danny and she was again totally uncaring. She just repeated that Dr. Carmona advised to get massages, and to wait another 2-3 months for final results. I tried to be patient and believe that it would all improve.
After 8 months, the irregularities were even more pronounced with the swelling gone. My breasts were softer, but still very big--I went from an A to a C, sometimes D cup. I still had very noticeable red, blotchy discoloration on my waist, numb areas, a lumpy belly, scarring on my flank where the seroma was, an uneven lower back and hips, pockets of residual fat as well as indentations on my saddlebags, lower back, butt and inner thighs. I was unable to work, since my body was deformed and marked.
I again sent photos, and Dr. Carmona said I had fibrosis, which was caused by fat necrosis or collagen production, and could be improved with more lipo. My massage therapist was able to tell exactly where there was still some fibrosis on my flanks, and the lumps were clearly residual fat, while the indentations were clearly where too much fat had been removed. I asked what Dr. Carmona could do to fix his mistakes. Danny reported that he said he could graft fat to the indentations in my butt, but not my stomach, because of fibrosis. I repeated that there wasn't any fibrosis on my stomach, only uneven fat, and asked which other areas of my body could be liposuctioned for donor fat, since I didn't want any more lipo to those areas after they had been injured by too much lipo already...I got NO REPLY. Not a word from Danny for the next 2 years. Never an apology, never any admission of taking too much fat and ruining my life. I was shocked that they didn't want to help me.
Fast forward 3 years. I quit modeling and had to figure out something else I could do for a living. I was too afraid and didn't have the money to do any more surgery, so I spent all my money on massages and Thermage to tighten my skin in the hopes of covering up the unevenness. I tried lasers on the skin discoloration, which were ineffective, and it was later diagnosed as erythema ab liporaspiration, which is a result of overly aggressive liposuction, and there is no known treatment. Nothing has helped, so I have tried my best to just move on and accept my body. I have done a ton of therapy to try to improve my mental health and body image, but I can't move past looking and feeling deformed. If it were my natural body, I could probably learn to accept it, but when I was botched by a careless surgeon, it just feels so deeply wrong. I haven't been able to wear a bikini or be naked in front of anyone for these 3 years, and I am so embarrassed by my big, overfilled breasts, I always wear high cut shirts. I have wished every day that I didn't do this to myself, or that I had at least chosen a more cautious, better surgeon.
I have now saved up enough for a revision, and I politely reached out to Danny 2 months ago at the 3 year mark, to see what they might be able to offer me. She asked for photos, so I sent a bunch of photos, and she has not replied. I sent more polite messages asking for a reply, and have not heard back. It feels like the ultimate slap in the face. Not only did they ruin my body, but they don't seem to care, or at least they see how badly Dr. Carmona screwed up and don't want to take responsibility.
I finally consulted with several other surgeons to find out my options for a revision. They have all confirmed that Dr. Carmona screwed up badly. He scraped every bit of fat possible from my midsection, butt and thighs, and I don't have enough fat on my body to fill all of the deformities he left me with. I am afraid to mess it up more, but planning to try and fix my body as much as possible with Dr. Misbah Khan in New York, a revision specialist who seems the most detail-oriented and honest, and has the least invasive technique. I wish she could take fat from my huge breasts and put it back where it belongs, but she says that isn't possible.
I am not someone who writes bad reviews, and I am generally a very positive, grateful person, but this experience has truly been a NIGHTMARE. I hope you will not go to Dr. Carmona, but what I most want to leave you with is this: your natural body is more beautiful than anything that can be achieved with cosmetic surgery. Do not fall prey to media or wherever you got the idea that you should try to "improve" yourself this way! It will most likely make you more miserable, cost far more money, time, and energy than you think, and contribute to a sick culture that sets an unrealistic and sad example for others. You are beautiful the way you were created. Focus on being healthy, taking care of yourself, having fun and strengthening your relationships with family and friends and you will be happy. The right people love you for who you are, not how you look, anyway.
Provider Review
Plastic Surgeon
Boulevard Puerto Cancun . Zona hotelera, local 2, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Quintana Roo