Dr Semone Rochlin is being investigated by the Arizona Medical Board for Medical Malpractice, Medical Battery, and Violating a Patients Right to Privacy.  

Dr Rochlin is not a plastic surgeon. She is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. 

Dr Rochlin performed surgery on a patient in April, 2024 and while the patient was naked and unconscious on the operating table, she brought 2 men into the room and let them watch the surgery.

The patient was not aware that 2 men were standing over her naked body staring at her breasts and pelvic area during her surgery.

During surgery, Dr Rochlin operated on the wrong part of the patients body for liposuction, and did not complete the breast lift correctly.

The patient is suing Dr Rochlin for medical malpractice, medical battery, and violating her right to privacy.  

Medical Malpractice:
 
Dr Rochlin performed liposuction on the wrong part of the patients body.  The patient signed consent forms for surgery on her stomach.  During surgery, no liposuction was done on her stomach and Dr Rochin did liposuction on the sides of her body and her hips instead, without the patients consent.
 
Medical Malpractice:
 
Dr Rochlin completed an implant exchange and breast lift incorrectly, which will require a second surgery to repair the chest muscles.  She did not suture the patient correctly, so the implants are falling out of their capsules through the incisions she made underneath each breast, and they are resting on the patients ribcage and bulging out directly under the skin.
 
The patient has consulted with another surgeon who advised that the cost to fix the breast lift will be over $32,000 as muscle repair will be needed.
 
Violation of a Patients Right to Privacy:
 
Dr Rochlin brought 2 male medical students into the operating room while the patient was naked, unconscious, and strapped to the operating table. She did not get verbal or written consent from the patient, and the only way the patient found out about the men being allowed in the operating room is when she met one of the men during her post-op appointment.
 
Dr Rochlin brought one of the men into the patients post-op appointment and did not state that he was a student or request consent to have the man in the room and let him view the patient naked from the waist up.
 
Dr Rochlin is paid $800 per month for each student she allows to observe procedures in her office, so she financially benefits from having students observe in a surgical setting.  If she has 2 students per month, she earns $19,200 per year for bringing students into her private clinic and allowing them to watch surgeries.
 
The AMA Code of Medical Ethics 3.1.2 entitled: Patient Privacy & Outside Observers to the Clinical Encounter – specifically requires a patient’s explicit consent to allow students to observe and/or participate in patient care activities.
 
Midwestern University:
 
The patient filed a formal complaint with Midwestern University and spoke to the Dean of Education Dr Lori Kemper who stated that the college signs contracts with doctors to become preceptors and there is no process in place to examine what occurs in the doctor’s offices.
 
There is no follow-up from anyone at the college to confirm if students are getting verbal or written consent from patients allowing them to be involved in their treatment and observe surgeries, or that students are being introduced during pre-op and post-op appointments and the doctor is obtaining consent for a student to be in the room.
 
She stated that what happens in the doctor’s office is the doctor’s responsibility and that Midwestern University takes no responsibility for any actions of their students during their observation hours at private clinics in Arizona, even if those actions violate women’s rights, dignity, and personal autonomy.
 
Lastly, she stated that she plans to take no action based on the formal complaint.  Midwestern University is going to continue sending students to Dr Rochlin’s office with the prior knowledge that those students might be observing surgeries on naked, unconscious women without their knowledge or consent.
 
Medical Battery:
 
The patient only wanted an implant exchange, but Dr Rochlin convinced the patient to get a breast lift by promising the procedure would be done using the donut lift technique.  The patient advised that under no circumstances would they consent to the surgery if it was done with the lollipop lift technique, and it was under that agreement that the patient moved forward with the surgery.
 
During surgery, Dr Rochlin completed the breast lift on both breasts using the donut lift technique but then decided that she didn’t like the outcome, so she performed a vertical incision lollipop lift on the right breast only, leaving the right breast with 3 incisions. In the post-op checkup, she acknowledged that she had done the vertical incision against the patients wishes and the pre-op agreement.
 
She stated, “I know we agreed not to do that incision, and I really thought about it during the surgery, but the only way to make your breasts match was to cut your right breast. I looked at the other scars you got from your last surgery, and you healed so well that they’re hardly visible, so I decided to go ahead and do that incision because you heal really well, and the scar will hardly be noticeable. Don’t worry, it will be fine. We can do laser on it if it bothers you.”
 
Medical Battery in Arizona:

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that it’s considered medical battery when doctors lie to or mislead patients and perform procedures without a patients consent.  When a patient gives permission for one type of treatment, and the doctor performs another, that is considered battery. For example, operating on a patients hips when they gave consent for the operation to be done on their stomach, or performing the surgery with a technique that the patient did not consent to before surgery.

Duncan v. Scottsdale Medical Imaging, Ltd., Supreme Court of Arizona, en banc (the full court),
CV-02-0191-PR, June 16, 2003.

 

Yelp Reviews

Yelp Review – Leigh U.

Ten months and counting there are at least seven of us who are severely damaged by this Dr. Rochlin. She did J Plasma laser. She was grossly negligent and all of us are undergoing painful procedures to try to fix our once pretty faces.

Good luck with this doctor. Rolling the dice.

The J Plasma laser has been the most horrible procedure. I’m seven months now healing. I did everything by the book and informed this DO of my eye surgeries from the past.

Over looking all my information this procedure was done to me and several others on the highest setting by the doctor who was not even laser trained according to some of her staff.

I’m praying eventually I’ll have my face back. I also had to have eye surgery because of this laser. Way too deep way to high a setting. Don’t do it.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=10

Yelp Review – Jean K.

Went to Dr. Rochlin for a consult on a Tummy tuck. She said I “had to let her do it ” and I would look fabulous. 2 mo later scheduled the appt and very excited. Post surgery, I have an incision scar that looks like an emergency c-section.

Then the necrosis started and she had to cut away part of my stomach to the point where it looked like I had a cannonball thru my stomach and had to pack it with gauze and saline. Round 2 she promised to fix this and wanted to share a patients name so I am reassured. I let her do this to me again and result horrible scar where I am mortified to look at myself.

DO NOT GO TO HER , she is a BUTCHER.

UPDATE : Went to see her to review status of my treatment and request my files. She was rude and condensending in her conversation. She seemed like she definatley had something to hide. I am a FORMER patient of Dr. Rochlins, contrary to her comment. She may be good at BOTOX and Juvederm injections, but stay away from the scapel.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=30

Yelp Review – Tamara S.

I visited Semone Rochlin in 2009. My Augmentation didnt go well .. I have been living with it though cause Rochlin wanted another $1500.00 to fix the problem.. since my augmentation, I kept telling her that my right implant was too low and the implants are too far apart (more like in my arm pits)and she kept telling me it will be alright and it stayed that way..in the right one the pocket collapsed…and I can’t believe that she wanted more money after I paid $15,000 for tummy tuck, implants and liposuction I would rather have another cosmetic surgeon fix it.. and be thrilled about the results…..

PLUS I FIND OUT SHE IS NOT A LICENSED PLASTIC SURGEON !!!!!! ENTER HER OFFICE AT YOUR OWN RISK

I did go for several followups and all i got is her staring at me and asking me for MORE MONEY SO I didn’t go back for additional “followups” after because Semone Rocklin did not seem like she did not want to do the work that $15,000 should have paid for. I went to her a couple times more and all she did was sit there and suggest more work to fix the problem however she wanted more money($1500) as I mentioned in the review.

Yes it was a competitor that told me that Semone Rocklin is NOT LICENCED or CERTIFIED to practice plastic surgery. It takes more classes that she is too lazy to take. I have proof that I did what I was supposed to. She is lucky I’m JUST doing this review and I didn’t take her to court for botched breasts. My breasts have too much of a gap and since the 3rd day the implant fell 1 inch 1/2. I even told her that I felt a “pop”. She didn’t seem to care.

Y’all go to her or don’t but if you go …do it at your own risk. I’m NOT the only one that has been swindled !!!!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=20

Yelp Review – Cathy N. 

I have to agree with the one star reviews. I had similar results and let her know I was very disappointed even after paying her more money to fix it. She will just make an excuse and turn it around on you. She doesn’t listen to her patients.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale

Yelp Review – B Chene L.

Seriously think about having any procedure done by her. Dr. Rochlin did my breast augmentation May 2010. What a disappointment. After my 4th surgery I’m finally happy with outcome. I did return to her and explained how unhappy I was and she never returned my call.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=20

Yelp Review – Teresa S. 

Seen 3 times for breast aug, been 2 years, still not satisfied with result. My left breast sits lower than my right breast. My tummy tuck looks good, except my belly button is not center.

The friend who referred me to the doctor is also not satisfied with her breast augmentation.

The doctor can respond to this review, like the rest. The statements above are true, and if I were to do it all over again, I would see another doctor.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale 

Google Review – Erin R. 

Devastating scars and pain.
I went to Dr Rochlin to have a simple procedure done, a lipoma removal and mole removal. She agreed to do the surgery and I paid her out of pocket because I wanted a plastic surgeon to make my scar look nice. Unfortunately it was a huge mistake.

During the procedure there was a lot of chatter and laughter. I was awake and it definitely made me feel uneasy. When we were done she said well, you may end up with a Seroma.

Needless to say my incision swelled up with fluid and became extremely painful. When I went to see her the first time she looked at her nurse to ask what to do. That did not make the situation better. After 2 more visits she injected the incision with steroids and it finally went down but at that point it became infected.

I went on antibiotics and eventually it somewhat healed. The mole removal looked like a hole burned in my skin and was more painful than the lipoma removal. I went to see her another time and she said yes we should fix that scar. Then proceeded to give me a quote for the second surgery. I then decided I would never allow this woman to touch my body again.

Nearly a year later my back has devastating scar tissue and is still in pain. Even the mole removal is an ugly scar. I need a revision but I was told by a dr that I needed to allow it to heal before doing another surgery.

I cannot imagine Dr Rochlin doing an even harder surgery like a breast Augmentation. This was a simple procedure and I have possible life long repercussions. My scar is so ugly I can no longer show my upper back.
Im writing this to hopefully save someone from the same trauma that I have experienced.

https://g.co/kgs/w3XJ5C1 

Yelp Review – Michael G.  

The care I received at Dr. Rochlins office was negligent and results grotesque. I went in to see Dr. Rochlin based on the nice staff, unfortunately the result working with Dr. Rochlin were large cyst like bumps on my face that required the services of two other doctors to remove.

Both Doctors said her procedure was essentially , ‘negligence’ and calling what she did a mistake called,  “Filler Bumps”. Essentially in public they looked like cyst on my face.   When I called their office and sent pictures of the large protrusions and asked for a refund ,  the staff did not disagree that the doctor made an mistake or was negligent at all.. that was NOT their concern,  but they sternly said and emailed, they would NOT give a refund “because I signed a form which essentially gave Dr. Rochlin rights to make ANY error – mistake – and create any negligence …. and the form I signed allowed her to do that without any recourse.  

The staff acted cold and ‘as if’ this was regular issue for their office. There was no apology, no concern except that they keep the money. Next time I will see a doctor with a 4.8 yelp rating and not 3.2 .

https://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?not_recommended_start=0

Yelp Review – Mariela G. 

I had an otoplasty done by dr. Rochlin in December of 2020. My left ear was pinned too far back to my head. And my right looked semi-normal. Two months later my right ear went back to looking the way it was pre-surgery. I had a follow up appointment and when I brought it up I was told that everything seems normal. I called two more times until I got an appointment. That time she stated she “sees what I’m talking about” and they schedule me for a revision. Great… after a very painful 2 month recovery I realize I’ll have to go through that pain AGAIN.. I get BOTH ears revised during surgery. My left ear (the one glued to my head) gets released a bit. And my right gets fully redone. (I had local anesthesia so I was awake during the procedure) They sit me up and show me my ears.

My right ear was still sticking out way more than my left. I told the dr about it so she cuts out another piece of my skin to tighten it up some more… looks exactly the way It did before she did that.. at this point I’m starting to think the doctor has no idea what the hell shes doing.

She’s asking the medical assistants what THEY think SHE should do. It’s been 3 months since the revision surgery and they look so bad. I went In to see what she could do and she was so dismissive. She made it seem like It was just in my head. They look so deformed and ugly. If I could go back I’d rather have my old prominent ears back. I attached a picture of the over done ear. Please save yourself. Save your money, time, and hopes.

Dr. Rochlin should NOT preform otoplasty on ANY patient. I will be looking into filing a medical malpractice suit.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=10

Yelp Review – Rod P.

Dr Rochlin is not qualified in my opinion to work in the medical field. My experience with this person was a disaster, Went in for a Juvederm treatment on an area on my forehead that there is a noticeable depression. This So called Dr made a complete mess while injecting with Juvederm.

I had large injection site holes with blood dripping profusely from treatment site the Juvederm had no aesthetic appearance whatsoever the area had large lumps and grotesquely uneven appearance on my brow area.

I was very depressed at the result of treatment she advised me it would smooth out it never did total mess of my forehead having to work and be confident in this very competitive World is no easy task when you have to face your employers employees and clients with an aesthetic nightmare she left on my person.

Her office advised me to come in again I refused due to the nature of negligence of the treatment. I offered to send photos of the result in which they were not interested in receiving In addition I asked for refund which she did not have the dignity to refund. It is a shame when physicians in this country have had all the advantages to get where there at and refuse to be accountable for their actions.

My advice very sincerely is to BEWARE. Don’t walk from this practice RUN…Seek more qualified servants to your aesthetic needs along with physicians who just don’t say there accountable but act on those words. BE CAREFUL!!!!!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=30

Yelp Review – Jodi S.

Please remember that she is NOT a plastic surgeon, and lacks the specialized, thorough training which is required to become a plastic surgeon. As a result, the results she achieves are likely to be compromised.

My surgery was in 3/21/16. I had healing issues 10 days post op, with an open incision and exposed implant, and the implant should’ve been removed. Instead, Semone did 4 procedures in office, each time cutting off tissue and attempting to restitch the incision, which by the 4th procedure, was too tight to hold due to the lack of skin. I was left with very little skin remaining which is the picture I’ve provided.

Five of the top plastic, reconstructive surgeons in the valley told me that I had no option other than a lattisimus dorsi flap skin graft. A normal breast has 9cm of skin from the nipple to the inframmary fold…I was left with 2cm. I have written consult notes with measurements and details from each of these surgeons. Imagine having to go through this just to look normal, with no insurance help. My surgeon literally built me a new breast.

I also believe my medical records were altered, and I have filed a complaint with the medical board. Her office is not electronic so it wouldn’t be difficult to rewrite certain pages in a patients chart. I have witnesses and actual proof through text messages that she tried to cover up one of my procedures. Because of this, she is showing 3 procedures were done, not 4. Apparently, the “standard of care” in AZ is one of the lowest so the doctors are extremely protected from negligence claims and medical malpractice suits. In other words, they get away with so much. Check out their reviews! I’m absolutely disgusted with the medical board. Who is protecting the patients?

My current surgeon and others are familiar with her outcomes and have had to fix several of her patients. Don’t be fooled by her glowing reviews here, I’ve counted 5 reviews on this page written by her receptionist, former medical assistant, esthetician and spray tanner from her office

I WISH she would’ve made the correct call to remove the implant the first or second time my incision opened. I’m not the doctor, she is. Trust me, this was human error, her horrible judgement call and Iack of experience. The bottom line is that as my physician, she’s the one responsible for making medical decisions, and trying to achieve a good outcome. None of the reasons for failure that she listed even matter, because she was in charge of deciding to either pull out the implant or keep it in. It’s no ones fault but hers that I was left disfigured. She’s accusing me of being “emotional” and “non compliant.” Anyone who ended up looking like me would be emotional…I would think myself abnormal if I wasn’t. I was 100% compliant and followed all directions given. She can deny until her face turns blue, I’m not looking for blame. She IS TO BLAME.

My best friend set up a gofundme bc after Rochlin’s handy work I was looking at $30,000 in reconstruction. I never asked her to, but she was trying to help. I’m in no way upset that I only got $500 because it’s money that went towards my reconstruction, and i was extremely grateful to receive anything at all.

Please take note that Rochlin made no attempt to help the situation in any way. Instead, she blocked me from all social media and cut off all communication. Her lack of empathy and professionalism in my situation was a wake up call to how selfish and uncaring she truly is.

Rochlin had a lawyer send me a letter telling me to take down this review, she is obviously upset as she should be. It’s still up because it’s NOT SLANDER or defamation, she defamed herself by the looks of my breast.

All I am doing is warning other potential patients to choose carefully, she is terrible, the absolute worst. Don’t fall for her excuses and ridiculous rhetoric. Please visit my yelp or google maps page and look at the photos. You can decide for yourself if that looks like the work of a talented surgeon. I look like I belong on the show Botched and everyone who sees this picture responds the same way, with horror, shock and disbelief. I am not the villain here, I am the VICTIM.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=10

Yelp Review – Jenny H. 

Find a different plastic surgeon!!!

Dr rochlin did my tummy tuck and I’m so embarrassed by the results. I’m in a bathing suit in Hawaii now, with my tummy fully covered, the opposite of what I was hoping for.

My procedure was two years ago, April 2016. When it was done, my belly-button was off-center and 2 1/2 inches tall. She said it would be an innie, but it’s the biggest ugliest, outie you’ve ever seen. It literally protrudes from my stomach.

And then there were my stitches. They were made of barbed suture material. Rather than dissolving inside me, they made multiple sores in my incision and worked their way out of my body, until my scar looked like I had been cut open by a chain-saw. I cannot express to you the pain I went through during this “healing” process that took months. I have pictures of all of it, but Yelp won’t let me post them.

In October of 2016, I went for my 3rd or 4th post-op and she said everything looked beautiful. I told her I was unhappy with all of it and she reassured me I looked great. It wasn’t until I burst into tears, crying about my humongous belly-button and the fact that my scar looked like a chain-saw wound that she finally listened to me and understood I wasn’t happy. I had told her multiple times, but she just poo-pooed it all away and said everything would be fine.

She scheduled me for an in office scar revision. I didn’t get completely numb. There was a section on my right hip where I could still feel. SHE DID THE PROCEDURE ANYWAY!!! I could feel all of the cutting, scraping and stitching in that area and it was EXCRUCIATING!! I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but that was insanity.

While she was re-doing my belly-button, I asked her to make it as small as she could. Her assistant assured me it was tiny and dainty. —It’s still an inch and a half tall and protrudes from my belly—

Which is why I’m lying here in the sun, in Hawaii, wearing a full piece swimming suit.I have friends who have had tummy tucks since mine who look amazing.

I REALLY wish I had gone with another doctor.
ANY other doctor…

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale

Yelp Review – Venus K.

I received surgery with Dr Rochlin in April, and she brought male students into the operating room without my consent, and waited until I was naked and unconscious on the operating table to bring them into the room.  

She did a “breast lift” and put a huge 8-inch scar up my right breast but not my left.  So now my breasts are uneven, and the right breast is mutilated. You can’t even tell I had a lift as my before and after pictures are almost identical.

It took 2 months to heal because the sutures on my right breast kept poking out through the skin and had to be removed.  There was pus and discharge for months, and I was under the care of another doctor who said he’d never seen results like mine.

She also did liposuction on the wrong part of my body.  I requested liposuction on my stomach and she did it on the sides of my body instead.  

Because she botched my breast lift and did liposuction on the wrong area, I will have to get the entire surgery redone to fix what she did

https://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?not_recommended_start=0 

Yelp Review – Jodi S.

Let’s get something straight, the basis of my review wasn’t my healing issue, but Rochlin’s plan of treatment. She obviously didn’t think about potential future outcomes, like a skilled plastic surgeon would do. I don’t think she was thinking at all. No one will ever know with 100% certainty what caused my healing issues. It could’ve been a number of factors, but I’m certain it wasn’t due to my “emotional state” or “lack of compliance,” as stated in her reply. That’s preposterous. It doesn’t even matter, because it was Rochlin’s treatment plan, lack of judgement and foresight that led me to the end result, which is disfigurement. The implant should’ve and could’ve been pulled after the first incident. The majority of my skin would be intact, and I wouldn’t have needed a skin graft. Same goes for incidents number 2,3 and 4. If you look at my photo you can see that the majority of my skin is gone after procedure 4, and that is when Rochlin cut ties with me. I went over a year just being silent about this and going through major reconstruction. My negative review is purely based on my END RESULT, not how or why it happened. That is why she was found in no violation from the board. She followed the standard of care, up until the day she didn’t. They don’t take into consideration the end result, or what I look like now. According to them, she followed protocol using a treatment plan that she devised. If she had the foresight to realize how her poor decisions and multiple procedures would impact me, this could’ve had a better ending. The moral of the story? My hands were not controlling the scissors that butchered me. My brain didn’t make the decision to continue trying to keep an implant in that obviously didn’t want to stay in. Her list of reasons why this failed can fly out the wi Dow because they don’t pertain here. She did this, not me. It takes a lot of courage to share this with the world, especially the pictures.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/semone-rochlin-do-facos-scottsdale?start=10

Law Offices of Saldivar & Associates

If you or someone you know had surgery with Dr Rochlin and had complications or did not consent to students observing your private procedure, please contact: 

Saldivar & Associates PLLC

2417 N. 24th St. | Phoenix, AZ | 85008

P_602 314 1340 | F_602 354 3098
jose@saldivarlaw.com