Part 1 | Part 2

Karen Yanez desperately wanted to improve her appearance, but her dream turned into what she calls a cosmetic surgery nightmare.

It was a surgery she wanted for more than 20 years -- cosmetic surgery to help her finally overcome a long struggle with low self-esteem. But what happened to this wife and mother was devastating. The surgery left her scarred for life.

Yanez's story sheds light on a disturbing trend: the booming business of plastic surgery and the doctors who are making a lot of money doing it despite the fact that they are not board certified in this area.

Nearly a year after her breast augmentation, Yanez and her husband are still trying to pick up the pieces.

"He always told me that he loves me no matter how I look -- fat, thin, big chested, little chested,“ Yanez said. “He loved me for the way I am."

Yanez met her husband, Norman, when she was a teenager. The two have been inseparable ever since. They married and had several children. She was happy -- except one thing.

As a teenager, Yanez was haunted by terrible self-esteem issues. She describes herself as big boned yet never fully developed.

"I wanted this," she said. "I've wanted this since I was a teenager. I always thought what's wrong with me?"

Yanez hoped one day she would be able to afford breast implants. She envisioned about a size C.

Yanez had heard good things about a Mesa doctor by the name of Paul Blumberg.

So at age 45, she decided to finally have the surgery.

Her husband was apprehensive, but still, he supported his wife.

"He told me, 'If this is what you really want, I love you unconditionally. If this is what you want, then let's do it,'" Yanez said.

On April 7, Yanez went to see Blumberg, an ear, nose and throat doctor and facial plastic surgeon, who also performs breast augmentations.

"He professes to be this great person who makes women look beautiful," Yanez said.

But Yanez said her surgery went horribly wrong.

"I looked in the mirror and one implant was up on my collar bone and I just felt like a freak," she said.

A week after surgery, Yanez said the pain was unbearable. She ended up in the emergency room near her home in Globe-Miami and then back at Blumberg's office in Mesa.

"It's been a nightmare," she said.

Blumberg removed both implants, but the infection persisted and Yanez was hospitalized -- again. This time at Banner Mesa Medical Center in critical condition.

However, Blumberg could no longer treat Yanez because he does not have privileges at that hospital.

She ended up having debridement surgery by another doctor. The breast tissue and infection had to be scraped out.

She ended up spending a week to 10 days in the hospital.

"I'm down to one side completely gone and one side is still there," Yanez said.

Yanez said she now has to wear gel implants in her bra.

After removing the implants, Blumberg allegedly had little further contact with Yanez.

"What little self-esteem I had, he's taken that all away from me," she said.

"Did this doctor leave this woman disfigured? Yes," said Chris Zachar, Yanez's attorney

Zachar is representing Yanez and another woman who have both filed claims against Blumberg.

Both women accuse him of leaving them disfigured.

"This is not about money. This is not about hitting the lottery," Zachar said.

Just a few weeks ago, Blumberg appeared in front of the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners to answer the accusations against him. 3TV's cameras were there and so was Yanez. She'd been waiting nearly a year to see Blumberg again.

Does Yanez think Blumberg should be practicing?

"No, I do not," she said.

Some might ask the question why is an ear, nose and throat doctor performing breast augmentation surgery?

What we found out in researching this story is surprising. You can be an ENT, a pediatrician even a dentist and still perform cosmetic surgery. It's all perfectly legal.

"It is not illegal to do any type of surgery in your office if you have a medical degree," Dr. John Corey said.

Corey is a former chief of plastic surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Part 2

In the United States more than 10 million cosmetic surgery procedures are now being performed every year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

"When you see a medical degree and you see a doctor, people tend to trust that they are going to do the right thing, the safe thing," Corey said.

Yanez had trust when she went to the Blumberg Center in Mesa to see Blumberg.

All of this pain and suffering -- for plastic surgery.

"It used to be, years ago, when you talked about plastic surgeries you talked about face lifts and Hollywood stars," Corey said. "Not anymore."

Corey did not talk to us specifically about Blumberg, however he did tell us that there's a frenzy of beauty in the United States right now and the high demand for cosmetic surgery is causing more and more doctors to chase dollar signs.

The problem is many doctors don't get board certified in plastic surgery and what's worse they can't help you if complications arise.

"They might be board certified in podiatry, they might be board certified in pediatrics, yet they are doing breast augmentations," Corey said.

Corey said there is one question potential patients need to ask: "If I were to have an emergency situation, what hospital would I go to and will you be able to treat me for this?"

Blumberg is a board-certified ear, nose and throat doctor and facial plastic surgeon. There is nothing illegal about him performing cosmetic surgery in his office even surgeries that don't deal with the face like breast augmentations and liposuction.

The question is what happens if something goes wrong?

"Let's take the example for ENT or oral surgeon," Corey said. "They may have privileges for oral surgery so if you went in for a breast infection, they would not be able to treat you for your breasts. But if you had an impacted tooth, they could."

When Yanez needed emergency care, there was little Blumberg could do except tell her to go to the hospital.

"I'd like to see his license taken away from him," Yanez said.

Blumberg currently has five formal complaints against him being investigated by the Board of Osteopathic Medicine. Our cameras were there Jan. 20 as Blumberg and his attorney appeared in front of the board, but his hearing was postponed and that means Yanez is still waiting to tell her story.

"I'm disfigured and I'll never look the same," she said.

We made several attempts to contact Blumberg and his attorney. His office manager told us he can't comment on patients due to federal privacy laws so we've requested to talk to him about his background and training. We are still awaiting a response.

Yanez has suffered physical and emotional scars from this cosmetic surgery gone bad, but she's also taken a terrible financial hit. The surgery was supposed to cost $5,100. It turns out her medical bills to date are $53,000 and climbing. She has filed legal action against Blumberg and she will testify in front of the board on March 3.

Corey said patients should not be afraid to ask the doctor questions about where they were trained, what their residency was in, what exactly they are board certified to do, and whether or not they have hospital privileges.