Careaga Plastic Surgery
reviews and complaints

I went to Dr. Careaga for a tummy tuck and I so regret ever meeting him. I have wished a thousand times that I would have chosen another doctor but unfortunately, I did not.
He talks about drain less tummy tucks but he uses drains. I am a size 6, very athletic, had no hanging skin and I thought that working on me would be one of his easiest cases and that if anyone would not need drains, it would be a body type like mine but, he used drains.
From the first day after my surgery, my right drain was not working and it never worked the entire time it was in me. It was obvious that when he put the right drain in me, he hit a nerve in my leg and I was in severe pain in my groin and leg and it felt as though I was constantly receiving electrical shocks. The drains were extremely uncomfortable, I was miserable and could not wait for them to be removed. By the time he removed them, the drain in my left side, he had to pull it multiple times and used force just to pull it out of me. Also, due to the right drain not working, on two different post op visits, he had to put a huge needle with a large cylinder into my abdomen multiple times to remove fluid. I almost passed out the first time he did this because he did not warn me that he was going to do that or at least advise me to look up or close my eyes, which that would have helped. That same day, I saw my incision for the first time and I was overwhelmed because it looked like Frankenstein had sewed me up. I had heavy pleats upon more pleats the entire length of the incision and I had no idea the incision would look like that because he never for-warned me and I've never seen anything like it. It took many months for most of the pleats to go away.
It was very important to me that I had a straight incision line and we discussed this many times. He agreed that he would do a straight line but he did not do what I wanted and what we agreed to. He made the incision well beyond the outside of my hip bones and then he slanted sharply straight down approximately 3 inches. Not only does it look bad but I also have lines that stretch out that were once large pleats and it also makes it much more difficult to hide the scar wearing underwear and the skin bunches very oddly like it's 100-year-old crepey skin when I bend and it looks very ugly. I feel like I've been branded by Dr. Careaga. Every Dr. who has seen my incision, they have all said that they've never seen an incision like mine for a tummy tuck and that normally if it's necessary to go beyond the outside of the hip bones, then the incision should have curved slightly up at the ends but never sharply down and that I should have scar revision surgery. One of the doctors said he did not think scar revision would work because the skin was too tight. All I know is that my incision looks terrible and if he would not have done the sharp 3 inch slant down, the incision would look much better and I would not currently have these problems regarding the incision.
Also, when he stitched around my belly button, he did not stitch in a precise, uniform or clean circle but very sporadically and oddly and at the bottom it's stitched like an upside down v and it left me with 2 deep pleats for many months and one of them was over 1 inch in length below my belly button. The pleats finally went away, leaving a remnant of a line on what was a long pleat. I also use to have a belly button and I thought that I still would have one but I don't. Now, I just have an opening with a deep hole for a belly button.
Also, the abdominal fat that I did have prior to surgery, I feel that he did not remove what he should have and many of the problems I had prior to surgery, I still have today. The odd thing is that my stomach was flatter and the skin was tighter and looked better the first day after surgery and the first couple of months after surgery than what it does right now. Also, I did have lose upper stomach skin prior to surgery and still do now, after surgery.
Also, when I called to get a tummy tuck price, I was quoted $7, 000 but when I went in for my consultation, they gave me a proposal of $10, 505.00 which was obviously thousands over what I was told. It was stressful getting them to agree to $7, 405.00. At this point, I can't do anything but let others know what's happened to me and hopefully you will not have to go through what I have and am going through. My advice to anyone reading this is to chose your doctor wisely because when you don't, it's your life that's changed forever.

Words are inadequate for the heartache and overwhelming sadness that I now feel and know. I went to Dr. Careaga for a Tummy Tuck and he automatically also does liposuction with his tucks. I am a size 6 and naturally have small hips and a small butt, but prior to my surgery, my hips/sides and butt were pretty and I was happy with them and so excited that once I had a Tummy Tuck that I would be more comfortable with my body.
But, ever since Dr. Careaga or one of his assistants did Liposuction on me, I can't tell you how many times I have fallen asleep crying and I now go out of my way not to look at my hips and butt because it makes me so sad to see how I now look. I am so insecure, uncomfortable and distraught with what's been done to me and I never would have thought in a million years that when I was going to have a Tummy Tuck procedure that my life would be drastically changed for the worse and I would be crying and disfigured over a Liposuction procedure.
When Dr. Careaga and I discussed Liposuction, it was to be a very light amount on the small of my back/love handles and upper high part of my hips. He never did liposuction in these areas but instead, he did heavy, deep liposuction of my sides/butt, and we never discussed this. I never agreed to this and I never would have. During a Post op appointment, I asked him how did this happen to my sides and butt and I told him how devastated I was and he said, that he did not F up like that, he never would do liposuction in those areas and that he marked me. He then jumped up, went into another office and pulled up my pre-op pictures on the computer and saw that he did not mark me with any lines on my body regarding where to do Liposuction.
Then when I went back for other Post Op appointments, I was desperate, vulnerable and needed his help, concern and attention and I asked him each time to please look at me and tell me what could be done to help me and he said that he knew what happened, I lost weight. I never lost any weight and weight had/has nothing to do with my situation. Then he said, it was my compression garment that did this to my hips and butt. It's impossible to wear a compression garment and blame it for the removal of a lot of flesh that was sucked out of me and it clearly shows and is evident where Liposuction took place on my body. Then he said, it was gym related because I had not been in the gym, which I go to, 5 days a week but it's impossible to lose your flesh from not working out. Then he said that it was impossible for him to do liposuction on my sides and butt based on the location of my incisions. It's evident, the clear, direct and easy access he had and took based on my incisions. Anyway, just like a new road that's been cut is obvious, so is it obvious what's been done to my body. Anyway, he denied, denied, denied and never looked at me to try and help me.
Then he said after 6 months, he would look at me. His office called me to cancel my six-month appointment due to a surgery scheduling issue.
I understand that we are all human and make mistakes and get scared but, when we make a mistake in life, what determines if we are people of good moral character, is how we handle our mistakes and if we admit to them and do everything that we can to correct them, especially if that mistake harms someone's body and life instead of enhancing and improving it, them.
Plastic surgery is supposed to improve someone, make them better off then what they were, not harm them. Part of the Hippocratic oath a Doctor makes, is First Do No Harm.

He did improve my stomach but my upper stomach skin is still loose when I sit and an inch+ of skin rolls over my pants and this was a problem that I had before the tuck and I still have. Also, my lower stomach when I'm sitting also has fat that I should not have after a tuck but I still do.
Also, he made the incision inches beyond the outside of my hip bones and slanted/dropped the incisions down approximately 1 inch, once he got past my hip bones, instead of keeping the incision straight like we talked about many times and I told him how important it was for me to have a straight incision. Not only does it look bad but I have multiple lines that stretch out that were once large pleats and it also makes it more difficult to hide the scar, wearing underwear and the skin bunches very oddly when I bend and is ugly.
Also, when he stitched around my belly button, he did not stitch in a uniform circle but oddly and at the bottom it's stitched in an area like an upside-down V and it left me with 2 deep pleats for many, months and one of them was over 1 inch in length below my belly button. The pleats finally went away, leaving a remnant of a line on what was the long pleat.
Regarding my stomach in general, the odd thing is that my stomach was flatter and the skin was tighter and looked better the first day and the first couple of months after surgery than what it does right now.
Also, Dr. Careaga talks about Drainless Tummy Tucks and states this on his folder that he gave me with my Proposal but then he used drains. From the first day after my surgery my right drain was not working and never worked the entire time it was in me and when he put the drain in, he clearly hit a nerve in my leg because I was in severe pain and my groin and leg felt like I was constantly receiving electrical shocks. The drains were extremely uncomfortable, I was miserable and could not wait for them to be removed. Also due to the drain not working, two times the Dr. had to use a huge needle with a large cylinder and pull a lot of fluid out of my abdomen. I almost passed out the first time.
I have met with a couple of Reconstructive Doctors who have said they can't help me because I don't have enough fat to fill in my sides/butt and that Liposuction should never have been done on my sides and butt. They also said how unusual it is for a Doctor to make an incision like mine and that it should have been a straight line and if it was necessary to go beyond the outside of my hip bones, then the incision should have curved up at the ends, but never down and that I should have scar revision surgery when I have my Reconstructive surgery.
I am in the process of trying to find a Reconstructive butt/hip surgeon who will be able to help me so that I can at least have some hope for improvement in my future, when I can afford the approximately $7, 000-$10, 000 surgery cost and when I can afford to not be able to work for many weeks and I'll have to avoid sitting or lying on my butt for over a month and I'm told I'd have to sleep only on my sides or stomach, and I will not be able to go to the gym or live a normal life for some time, and I'll have to go through all of the stress of surgery, the fears of surgery, the pain of surgery, and it will all be because of a surgery that was done to me that I never wanted or agreed to. All I know, is that my butt/hips will never be the same as I was prior to surgery/normal and I don't know how the next surgery will turn out.
I am filing this complaint to make known what has happened to me and I don't want anyone else to have to go through the heartache of what I am going through. I will also be notifying all governmental agencies and will do everything that I can to get the laws changed in the state of Florida and throughout our country to make it mandatory for Doctors to carry Medical Malpractice Insurance.
P.S. When I called to get a Tummy Tuck price, I was quoted $7, 000 but when I went for my consultation, they gave me a Proposal of $10, 505.00 which was obviously thousands over what I was told. It was stressful getting them to agree to $7, 405.00.

Harmed by a Doctor

My ultimate goal was to get a flatter stomach with a snatched waist. However, that was not the case. I was cut in places that I did not agree too, which resulted to keloid scars. This doctor did not have good bedside manners. Also, he was very unprofessional. His staff supports him in whatever decision he makes whether it's good, or bad. Since I had my surgery performed by this doctor, I have never received a follow up call from them. Unlike any other caring doctor, Daniel Carega does not care for his patients, also he does not accept any responsibility for his mistakes. Yes, we are human and we all make mistakes, but it is up to that certain individual to make a change and find a resolution to the problem. My experience was horrible! I signed up for smart lipo with a fat transfer to the butt (8/22/16), but I don’t know what I received. Lara (patient coordinator) was helpful at first, but after she became aware of my third degree burns, she completely ignored me. Overall, they’re unprofessional. Doctor Careaga refuses to take responsibility of his actions, which did not seem to be the case when I first met him. He is extremely negligent, unresponsive, and hasty. Furthermore, he brushed off the situation like it never happened. As a result, I will be notifying all local media outlets