An eye doctor performing a breast augmentation and a gynecologist performing liposuction. It sounds absurd, but it's happening more and more.

As a result, the number of complications is on the rise.

"Mary" -- who did not want to be identified -- said, "I have about 15 to 17 holes on my body, (and) a lot of lumpiness and hardness."

Mary said when she looks in the mirror, she hardly recognizes her body.

"When you see, it you're still kind of like 'wow this is, this is crazy,'" Mary said.

Mary said all she wanted was to increase her breast size.

"I had to have lipo to get the surgery done," Mary explained.

She said her doctor took fat from different body parts and injected it into her breasts.

Mary said, "When I got up and I saw the results, it actually was not what I was promised."

Scarred, lumpy and not the size she wanted to be, Mary was devastated.

But that was just the beginning. Mary found out the doctor who performed her plastic surgery wasn't a plastic surgeon.

"When you look at his credentials, he's an OBGYN," Mary stated.

How could this happen? How could a gynecologist perform plastic surgery?

"Because he can," Mary answered.

She's right. As long as doctors are licensed, they can legally perform any procedure they want anywhere in the United States.

And there's no requirement that says the physician must be properly trained.

Dermatologist Susan Van Dyke said, "It's frightening.”

Van Dyke is one of Mary's doctors who helped fix some of her scarring and lumpy skin.

Van Dyke said she's treated a lot of patients, like Mary, who have problems caused by doctors practicing outside their specialty.

"There's so much to know now about each field that we do our patients a great service by sticking with what we know," Van Dyke said.

Dr. Nicholas Ahn agreed. He's an orthopedic surgeon at University Hospitals.

He told NewsChannel5 he's worked on patients who said dentists have done spinal procedures on them.

"You really want somebody who is trained to do what type of procedure so that if they run into anything unusual, they will feel very comfortable in terms of taking care of you," Ahn explained.

Roger Downey of the Medical Board in Arizona said more and more doctors are changing their scope, often to cosmetic or plastic surgery.

"It is money motivated," Downey said.

And in Ohio, the medical board has not established any guidelines on this subject. But physicians must "adhere to minimal standards of care."

If there's a complaint filed after a bad outcome, the medical board can take disciplinary action.

For now, it's up to the patient to ask questions ahead of time like:

• Is the doctor is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties?
• Do they have privileges to perform your procedure in a hospital?
• Are they in good standing with the medical board?

If the answers to these questions are no, experts say look elsewhere. And don't be afraid to ask.

Dr. Ahn said, "Absolutely not. You know I get asked all the time have you done this type of procedure before and if I feel comfortable with it."

If you don't ask, like Mary, you risk the consequences.

Helpful Links:

• American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
• American Society of Plastic Surgery