It is said in Spanish that cheap shoes can be costly. This is a phrase that is applied to buying something inexpensively that ends up costing you much more in the long run. Unfortunately, it applies to cosmetic plastic surgery as well.

Being in Washington Heights since 1988, and in my private practice, Yager Esthetics, since 1997, I have seen my share of poorly performed plastic surgery, as well as procedures done by unlicensed people resulting in often irreparable damage.

The procedure that irks me the most is silicone injections. Sometimes, as in the lips or cheeks, it simply results in a disfigured shape. Surgery can sometimes debulk and assist in correction.

Injections in the buttocks are more common. Some patients develop abscesses or infections, others get hard balls, others create a rock hard contour that can be painful and change color. There are cases that I prescribe steroids for comfort, others I inject, and others where I can simply use a liposuction technique to reduce the silicone load. Some, I can offer no help, as the cure is virtually an amputation of the skin and tissue which I do not feel comfortable doing.

I recently had a woman who had silicone injected into her breasts. She had red damaged skin, hard masses, and a disfigured appearance. She was devastated, and it ruined her self esteem and relationships. I was able to perform a partial mastectomy with implant reconstruction and a lift which miraculously even preserved nipple sensation. She was lucky, but it cost her 10 times what the injection did.

Be smart with your health and body. There are places to save money, but plastic surgery is not where I would suggest.