Woman left with 'uniboob' after botched surgery leaves her breasts joined together

A 40 year old woman has gone public with her 'botched' breast enhancement operation in a bid to warn other women about the dangers of using an unqualified plastic surgeons.
Dinora Rodriguez, from Los Angeles, California, was left with a 'uniboob' after her breasts were conjoined by skin.
She also had a nip-tuck operation on her eyelids that has meant she is unable to close them.
Mrs Rodriguez is featured in a new advertising campaign being mounted by theAmerican Board of Plastic Surgery in an attempt to warn people about the dangers of using unqualified surgeons.
The ASPS want to warn people considering surgery tobe on their guard against what they call'white coat deception'.
A spokesman for the ABPS explained: 'Just because they have a white coat doesn't mean they are qualified to perform plastic surgery.'
Mrs Rodriguez said she discovered this the hard way after visiting a doctor to have her breast implants replaced.
Her surgeon had cut across the two separate 'pockets' that normally hold breast tissue which meant the implants were able to touch in the middle creating the look of a single breast, or 'uniboob'.
The female surgeon also cut through nerves and muscle, leaving her with shooting pains in her ribs.
Mrs Rodriguez revealed that the surgeon also carried out corrective surgeryon her eyes - even though she did not request any.
The operation has left her unable to close her eyes and surgeons said no corrective surgery willbe able to repair the damage.
Mrs Rodriguez must take medication for the rest of her life to keep her eyes moist.
She said: 'It was a terrible experience waking up from surgery and seeing that this had happened.
'I didn't know to check my doctor's qualifications and I regret it.'
A new surgeon, Dr Steven Teitelbaum, has since carried out corrective surgery on Mrs Rodriguez's breasts.
She was able to pay for the new operationwith a settlement after suing her previous surgeon for malpractice.
An advert featuring Mrs Rodriguez was unveiled at the annualconference of the ABPS in Denver, Colorado.
The group hope it will warn women and men to check on the credentials of their doctors before going ahead with operations.
It is currently legal in 48 states for doctors who are not certified by the board of plastic surgeons to practice cosmetic and plastic surgery.
Malcolm Z Roth, ASPS President, explained: 'Patients are getting injured, some are dying during procedures performedby non-board-certifiedplastic surgeons.
'We want patients to understand what to ask their doctor and what to look for so that they can maximize their chanceof a safe and successful procedure.
'There is a misconception among consumers that as long as a doctor is certified in a medical field that he or she is qualified to practice plastic surgery. This isabsolutely wrong and it is dangerous for patients.
'If you are consideringa plastic surgery procedure it is critical that your doctor is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This is the best way to be certain that he or she has completed the necessary training and meets certain standards to practice plastic surgery.'
Latest figures from the ABPS show that 1.6m procedures werecarried out in 2010.
They included over 300,000 breast augmentation, 289,000 liposuction and 138,000 breast reduction.
Other procedures included 152,000 eye surgery and 145,000 Abdominoplasty.