Treatment Provider

Justin Yovino, MD, FACS
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
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It's been almost a year, and I still look worse than I did before I met Dr. Yovino

March 1st will mark 1 year since I had my surgery with Dr Yovino. I hate to say it, but I still look significantly worse than I did when I met him. I have lost weight (about 8 lbs), but only in my arms and legs. I can't seem to lose anything in my midsection since he performed surgery. Add to this, my scar hasn't gotten any better. I asked him about this, but no surprise, he wouldn't respond to me. It almost looks like a cigarette burn. I have no idea what it came from. My only guess is that perhaps it's ink from where the incisions were marked? Though I assume that would normally be cleaned. I may never know what that came from. Still wishing I could go back in time and un-do ever meeting them. My body will never be the same.

I left the US

Following this whole experience, I've been feeling really embarrassed and depressed. I should have known once Dr Yovino stopped speaking to me that something was seriously wrong. Abandoning your patient during a time when they need care and answers is not something any professional should do. You make an oath to care for your patients. How can you just turn away if they don't turn out how you hoped? After much debate, I decided to leave the US and head to a country where doctors put patients before profits. As I shelled out nearly $13k to Dr Yovino, I just couldn't afford to get the care I needed in the US following the negative outcome of surgery. I'll be in Southeast Asia [at least] through the end of the year, attempting to recover and hopefully meeting with someone who can explain where my procedure went wrong. From what I've heard and read, some of the best doctors in the world reside here, and they aren't after taking patients money and leaving them worse off than before. Also, I wont have to deal with the embarrassment of how my body looks now since nobody knows me. I left my job, my friends, and my community all so I can get my body back to where it was before I saw Dr Yovino. I really can't believe it. Meeting him has really turned my life upside down. I don't know if I'll ever fully recover from the whole experience.

An update

I'm still swollen today but I haven't eaten much in two days so looking a little better even though still can't squeeze into my old pants. So frustrating! Will definitely post a photo soon. Just wanted to post a quick update. I contacted Dr Yovino one last time yesterday, begging him to help me. He did not respond. Following the advice of another member, I reached out to an attorney this morning. This is my only option now if I want to ever get answers and I'm so disappointed that it has to come to this. I really put a ton of effort into trying to work with them. Today I finally realized that it's time to move on, to believe in myself and get the care that I deserve. I'm so thankful to have the support and advice from the people who commented on my post. I was hitting my lowest low and you guys have given me the little burst of energy I needed to not give up and keep fighting for what's right. <3

Provider Review

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
9735 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, California
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Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
Phone or email responsiveness
Staff professionalism & courtesy
Payment process
Wait times

I didn't get the body I paid for. Since my surgery, I've ended up 2 sizes bigger than I was before going in (I have been this swollen since returning home from surgery four and a half months ago). Dr. Yovino used to tell me to just keep waiting, and now he refuses to speak to me entirely. Originally I thought it was just an unfortunate outcome. He offered me a refund, stating that he wanted his patients to walk away happy. I truly believed him at that time. Then his wife called me to arrange the refund. That's when she told me Dr. Yovino was absolutely furious with me and began adding conditions to the refund. I told her about my whole experience with their office, outlining that I was given incorrect information about risks, and wasn't provided with any information about the procedure or recovery until after I had paid for it in full, essentially trapping me in a situation where I paid for a service that I couldn’t get out of without losing ($12,900). I also told her about how my credit card was kept on file with their office without my authorization, and charged for things that I refused. I told her that when the nurse called me before surgery to ask about my allergy to codeine, I firmly stated I would not be taking any painkillers other than ibuprofen post surgery (my ex boyfriend died of an overdose, it’s a huge problem in this country and I can’t be part of it). And yet- I was charged for a prescription for painkillers by a pharmacy I had never heard of. Mrs. Yovino advised that this wasn’t her doing, it was the pharmacy. However, I’ve never been to that pharmacy and they couldn’t have charged me without her office providing them with my credit card number. She did clarify that following my incident they changed their policies around how they handle patient cards. That was a relief to me. While it didn’t change my experience, at least they wouldn’t do this to anyone else. That shows that they care about improving their practice. Regardless, they never ended up giving me my money back. Not a penny. I've just been left mortified with my body, and out $12900 to end up 2 sizes bigger. I’ve tried to work with them numerous times. I’ve told them how scared I am about what’s happening to me, how painful this has been, and how even after four and a half months, I can’t wear my old clothes anymore. I told Dr. Yovino I was starving myself because I didn’t know what to do to get the swelling to stop and instead of helping me, he defended himself and his work. Now he will not respond to questions about my care at all. It’s like I no longer exist. And even though I’m afraid to have Dr Yovino touch me (following his wife telling me he’s furious, because angry surgeons are a bit intimidating), all I want now is answers. I've received mixed stories about the surgery from him and his wife, leaving me confused and worried about the prolonged effects of the procedure that aren’t at all outlined in their aftercare. Mrs. Yovino told me that she was in the room during my surgery and that he told her he just couldn’t get anything off of me. She said it was unfortunate, but it happens and they can’t possibly know until they go into surgery. That was part of the reason she was willing to provide the refund. I later heard from Dr Yovino that wasn’t the case and that the surgery was a success- that he was very thorough and removed all the fat available (3 lbs). That’s not only a different story, but far less than the 2 pant sizes I was told I would go down when agreeing to the surgery. At this point, I’ve been hopelessly reaching out to Dr Yovino for weeks with no response. I’m terrified of what’s next for my body. I’ve never looked worse and now my doctor refuses to speak to me about my outcome. While I believe he does great work for many beautiful people, it seems that I’m not one of the lucky ones.