‘I was skinned alive’: Patients say cosmetic surgery chains left them disfigured

Erin Schaeffer experienced severe complications following a tummy tuck and liposuction procedure at Sono Bello's Jacksonville location. Days after the surgery, she woke up with fluid leaking from an open wound in her stomach, leading to a week-long hospitalization in Florida to battle a severe infection.

Over a year later, Schaeffer still bears scars on her lower body. She has filed a lawsuit against Sono Bello and Dr. Manuel Herrera in Duval County Circuit Court. The lawsuit alleges that Sono Bello used Herrera, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, to perform the procedure despite him being inadequately trained and unqualified for such surgeries. Schaeffer, a 37-year-old UPS training manager, described the experience as excruciatingly painful, stating, "I literally felt like I was skinned alive."

Sono Bello and Dr. Herrera have jointly denied the allegations in a court filing. Robert Centeno, Sono Bello’s medical director for the East region, defended the company's practices in an interview, asserting that its surgeons undergo "very rigorous training."