Fardo Interviewed by USA Today About Non-Qualified Doctors Attempting Plastic Surgery

Originally published September 26, 2011. Updated October 2026.

Managing Partner Noah Fardo was interviewed by USA Today for a September 2011 cover story on doctors without plastic surgery training who perform cosmetic surgery. The article ran under the headline “Lack of training can be deadly in cosmetic surgery.”

The Problem

As Noah explained at the time, a doctor did not have to be a plastic surgeon to perform plastic surgery. For more than a decade, our firm has helped patients injured by dermatologists, OB/GYNs and general surgeons who attempted procedures they were not qualified to perform. These cases often involve failed breast reductions, botched breast augmentations and liposuction injuries.

Some patients choose plastic surgery for appearance. Others need it for health reasons. Either way, the last thing they need is to end up worse off, often facing painful and costly corrective surgery.

Why It Happens

In our view, the reason is money. Cosmetic surgery is often paid in full before the procedure, without dealing with insurance companies.

Some non-plastic surgeons have formed their own societies with credible-sounding names and offer weekend courses in procedures like breast augmentation. A weekend course is not the same as years of residency training in plastic surgery. In cases we have handled, the certificate handed out at the end of such a course stated that it “does not confer a level of competency.”

Why These Cases Can Matter to a Jury

Many lawyers have been reluctant to take plastic surgery cases. They worry that juries will not sympathize with someone who chose an elective surgery. What we have learned is that when the lack of training is shocking, the recovery for the injured patient can be substantial.

Investigating the Doctor’s Training

If you were harmed during cosmetic surgery, every part of the doctor’s training needs to be investigated. In some cases, we have found that doctors who claimed training in another state were not even licensed to practice or train there.

What This Means for You Today

• Ask any doctor about their training in the exact procedure you are considering.
• If you were injured, keep your records, photos and any advertising you relied on.
• Learn more on our plastic surgery errors and medical malpractice pages, and see more of our media coverage.

Talk to a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Call 412-802-6666, text 412-855-5511, email Noah at npf@pghfirm.com, or send us a message. The consultation is free.

There is no fee unless we obtain a monetary recovery. General information only, not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.