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Updated by user Aug 25, 2016

UPDATE! If this wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny.

His character really shines through in his latest debacle.

Dr. Argüello used letterhead PILFERED from an INDIANA LAW FIRM and the NAME OF A FAKE ATTORNEY to send me a 4 PAGE LETTER threatening TO SUE if I don't IMMEDIATELY TAKE DOWN MY WEBSITE and REMOVE MY PISSED CONSUMER REVIEWS! You can smell the desperation can't you?

The letter was on raised letter stationery from an actual law firm in Indiana. What tipped me off was that the 'attorney' added his email at the end of the letter & told me to contact with him only through email.

Hmmmmmm?

I called the office listed on the letterhead & was quickly informed that there was NO attorney by that name on staff. They never heard of him. I double checked the firm's name & contact information to make sure I called the right place.

I even asked if they had other offices, etc, but she insisted he did NOT work there & she never heard of him.

I asked her to double check just to make certain he wasn't employed there. After all, this guy was threatening a lawsuit. I couldn't understand how I'd received a letter on their letterhead from an attorney threatening me with a lawsuit if he didn't even work there. It was like the Twilight Zone.

After a long hold, a woman who called herself Roseann got on the phone.

First, she refused to identify her position, then she proceeded to stumble through a pathetic explanation, which did not stand up to questioning. She finally blurted out after hat Mr. Yelkovac was 'of council', she couldn't say if he was coming into the office, she wouldn't say if he even had an office or if he knew the partners. She kept re-iterating that I should email him at the address provided in his letter.

As it turns out... Roseann stole the letterhead and was flustered because they never expected me to call. Roseann was probably duped into stealing the letterhead, either directly by the silver tongued Dr. Argüello or his friend.

She probably also lost her job over this because I wrote to the partners exposing the entire scenario. If she's a paralegal she just rendered herself untrustworthy, if she's an attorney, she could be sanctioned for behavior like that. Stealing letterhead for someone so they can use it for the purposes of fraudulent legal intimidation is serious. After that call, I was on a mission to figure out who this guy was.

I went to the Indiana State Roll of Attorneys, he's NOT listed as a practicing attorney or even a sanctioned attorney, he's just not listed! Searches found 1 or 2 older cases involving schools, but nothing recent. My next step is to contact Peter Yelkovac to determine if he did indeed write that letter and participate in the fraud or if he's unaware the Dr. Argüello has been using his name.

This should be interesting. I did email 'Mr. Yelkovac' at the specified email and I copied Dr. Argüello just to let him know that he'd have to do a little bit better than sending letters from pretend lawyers!

That was an epic failure. Anyone that still thinks he's pure and cares about his patients should think again. It's ALL about the money for him, the rest is an act. Being banned from RealSelf has all but stopped his influx of easily hidden, tax-free U.S.

cash, he's desperate to turn that spigot back on. Sad, really sad.

Updated by user May 11, 2016

I feel that RealSelf resolved the issue by removing him as they should have following their investigation, but Dr. Alberto Argüello is not to be trusted, find a real surgeon.

Updated by user May 10, 2016

Real Self did the right thing and removed Dr. Argüello from their site. His account was deactivated, he can no longer take patient referrals from Real Self and will not be allowed to have a RealSelf account again.

Updated by user May 10, 2016

Visit: www.plasticsurgeoncostarica.com to get all of the information on this doctor.

Original review posted by user May 10, 2016

I was his biggest fan, so I was as surprised as anyone. He is a fraud. He pretends to be concerned & compassionate, but gossips about his patients behind their backs & is not the surgeon he claims to be. He wears a mask for is U.S patients, he knows what we want & he gives it to us, until he makes a mistake or you dare to question him, then the real Alberto Argüello comes out.

He's a spoiled, privileged brat who will NOT admit to a mistake or make a revision no matter how serious the need. He can't be sued in Costa Rica & he's insulted & bulletproof on RS.

RS told me they don't get involved in malpractice, that's between you & your doctor, so they continue to market him, despite his conduct.

He makes his patients lie on RS, he uses all kinds of trickery to get us to support him no matter how awful our surgery turned out, we blame ourself, not him. I noticed a pattern of that with his patients. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. I did it myself for many months.

I had almost $15,000 worth of surgery with him in September 2015. I developed complications which I told him about BEFORE I left Costa Rica & many times after I got home.

We even drove to Boston in October only weeks after I got home when he was there for a conference, so he could stitch my breast closed until I could get my insurance claim filed & return to Costa Rica for him to fix it.

He conveniently forgot to bring sutures after we drove 9 hours to see him & he knew my breast implant was NOT secure & ready to fall out. He pretended to be meeting us there to stitch my breast, but he knew if he stitched me in the U.S. I could sue him here, so he 'forgot' the sutures!

He told me in Boston that I needed to be back in the O.R. in Costa Rica, ASAP. He told me to file an insurance claim & he'd bring me back for all the repairs I need, breast, arm, eyes & make sure everything was covered, including my air fare.

Seven Corners said it would take about 3 weeks to conclude the process, so I planned to go right back in early November.

I WAITED 7 MONTHS WITH A BREAST IMPLANT FALLING OUT OF MY BODY, TO FIND THAT DR. ARGÜELLO IGNORED ALL REQUESTS FROM SEVEN CORNERS FOR MY RECORDS, DESPITE THEM SENDING SIGNED RELEASES & REPEATED REQUESTS FOR THE RELEASE OF MY RECORDS & TELLING HIM THEY COULDN'T MOVE FORWARD WITH MY CLAIM UNLESS HE ANSWERED THEM.

They finally denied my claim for lack of response by my doctor. He knew they couldn't process the claim without his records so he just avoided them. Seven Corners is still trying to get him to release my records but he is still side stepping them.

THIS CHARLATAN KNOWS I HAVE NO RECOURSE TO SUE HIM IN COSTA RICA, BUT WANTED TO ASSURE HIS MONEY STREAM FROM RS, SO WITHIN HOURS OF ME TELLING HIM I WAS GOING TO EXPOSE HIM ON REAL SELF, HE HAD MY ENTIRE PROFILE REMOVED. HE REPORTED ME AS A LIAISON!

This man is evil, he care only for getting as much U.S. cash in to his hands as possible, he does not care how he gets it.

He fooled all of us with his sweet demeanor & caring ways but that's an act he's really a vicious, drama queen who's whole life is a big, ugly soap opera.

Your surgical outcome is a *** shoot depending on what current drama he's hiding behind that face smile the day you're up & depending on whether or not he wants to leave early.

MY BREAST IS NOT THE ONLY MISTAKE HE MADE. I have to pay another surgeon to repair the obvious mistakes made by Dr. Alberto Argüello.

He's a bad surgeon & an awful person. He pretends to be practically perfect to his U.S. patients because he wants U.S. cash, which we gladly deposit into his U.S. bank account. He needs our cash to support his extravagant lifestyle & his failed ventures like his spa that barely lasted a year, his skin care line which caused a permanent marks on my R eye & his constant trips & vacations.

HE'S HAVING HIS U.S. DOLLARS DEPOSITED INTO A U.S. BANK, HE THINKS HE CAN SCAM THE COSTA RICAN GOVERNMENT ON TAXES TOO... THIS MAN IS DISHONEST IN EVERYTHING HE DOES.

DO NOT USE THIS DOCTOR

Reason of review: WRONGED & LIED TO, HES' STILL ON RS.

Preferred solution: I submitted concrete evidence that he's in violation of RS rules & was assured he'd be removed, he's still on! He was able to remove my profile within hours with no inquiry made to me as to the validity of his claim, but he's still on. RS LIES!.

Realself Cons: Liar cheat fraud bad surgeon, Betrays his patients, Refuses to acknowledge mistakes, Scams patients into lying for him, He is on rs but violated rules.

Location: San Jose, San Jose

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Guest

Doctor Arguello is a psychopat, he likes to damage people, and he is also protected in Costa Rica by politicians and etc, if you manage to read this message, by any means, do not operate with this doctor, he will only try to hurt you and steal your money

Trysten Arh

Let him operate on you, then you'll change your tune. Almost 4 years later, I have a giant knotted suture coming through the eyelid on my left eye!

He's using sub-par sutures to save money.

All of his patients get infections, he blames it on them, but the director of rehab in CR told me his patients got more infections than any of the other surgeons. He was low on cash, so I'm guessing they're not sterile.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Trysten Arh

He’s a *** horrible

Guest

This person is a disgruntled former employee fired for her misconduct. This story is fabricated.

I had surgery by Dr. Arguello and his is top drawer.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1555936

I’m not a disgruntled former employee, You are a liar. I was used by this con-man, he held the repairs I needed over my head, they were his fault & he promised to fix them, but only if I told people on Realself that he was fabulous & a great surgeon.

In the beginning, I really believed that, but soon after I found out the truth. I went to him in good faith, from the US, he ruined my face, my eyes, my breasts & my arms. If you think he’s top drawer, I'm sure you’e the latest patient he’s using to get him business.

I’m also sure your surgery didn’t turn out perfect & now he’s stringing you along promising to fix his mistakes. Stop helping that con man, you’ll only end up like the rest of us.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1556333

Himself, he writes his own (positive) comments, most likely he is the one writting the answer above, dont trust this doctor for any reason... he will run with your money, it is completely fraud

Adleigh Hwe

You waited 7 months with an open wound in your breast and your breast implant "falling out"??? How is that even possible? If you had a wound like that for that long, I can't iimagine not getting an infection.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Adleigh Hwe

Agree, this would be a medical issue and would have been covered by insurance in the US very quickly (even if post-cosmetic surgery). As much as I want to believe this review, who waits that long with an exposed implant? Just go to a US plastic surgeon or even go to the emergency room.

Trysten Arh
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1712528

No, not covered by insurance. I spent every cent I had to go there & have this surgery, against the wishes of my family & friends.

I guess I wanted this so bad that I let myself be fooled by him. I was old enough to know better & admittedly I should have.

I blame no one but myself, I went voluntarily, but there's no reason to let him hurt others. If you read the comment above it'll explain everything.

Trysten Arh
reply icon Replying to comment of Adleigh Hwe

I did have several infections, I took anti-biotics, which my long time family doctor would call in for me not knowing exactly what they were for. I kept my arms & breast closed with butterfly bandages, steri-strips & extra wide brown paper tape & wore arm compression sleeves & a compression bra 24/7.

I did a cleansing & rebandaging 4-5 times a day. You ask why? I left the US to go to Costa Rica for this surgery. I spent every cent I had saved & went against the advice of everyone.

I was not covered for his mistakes by my insurance & I was mortified to tell anyone the truth & admit how absolutely stupid I'd been at my age to be taken in by that silver tongued devil, so I hid it all. My husband knew, because he helped me every day. I had to even think about it. I spent that 7 months barely being able to move for fear that everything would pop back open.

It was a nightmare, I caused it myself by going there & I paid for it myself. To this day my breasts still hurt & pinch at the suture line. The L is the better one because it opened only slightly, the R opened all the way & became infected, that's about 4 inches lower than the L. Same with the arms only opposite.

The R arm opened, but only in a few spots, so it looks better, although he made some other horrid mistakes on my arms. The L arm opened up all the way down & became infected. It doesn't look much better than it did before I went. It's been almost 4 years & I have a knotted piece of suture coming thru by left eye lid.

Beleive me, this isn't what I hoped for & it certainly isn't what I expected. I've been contacted by other women from all over the US via the website & I've heard stories that would make you cringe, had I heard them before I never would have gone. The highlights... he had a patient die, he lied about his connections to US doctors, he pilfered money from women to support his practice & his lifestyle, even had one sell her home in the US & give him than money, then he dumped her!

He was off Real Self for several years before my surgery & unbeknownst to me, only came back on right before I found him. That was due to the death of his US patient.

He was removed again after my surgery when RS did an investigation & found he was lying. Believe me or not, I lived it & everytime I look at myself, I wish I hadn't.

Guest

Give it a rest you lunatic.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1297549

Laura Delaney, go to ***. He's using you like he used others.

Your free surgeries won't go well, none of his surgeries do, but you'll find out soon enough.

If this isn't Laura, it's Alberto Argüello, the doctor himself. You're washed up Argüello, RS kicked you off & you're desperate. Stick to your own helpless citizens & leave those from the U.S.

alone, they won't be your helpless victims.

You should be ashamed! Your FAKE attorney is proof of your guilt.

Guest

Well I was told long as you say this is my opinion no one can say anything about what you post. Just FYI there.

I got into a law suit deal on face book.

Thanks for all you shared I really know not to touch it.

Thanks for saving me time and money. I appreciate You.

Sincerely, Trisha Hall

Guest

Is there any way to turn him in for a botched fl. Would like the asps aware

Guest

I'm saddened to read your complaint. I followed you on RS and enjoyed your review of your time in CR.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1172782

I'm saddened by my complaint, I was his biggest fan, but he turned out to be a very different person than he represents. His surgical skills are not up to par & after 3 PS consults I've been told they are amateur at best & my eyes cannot be fixed.

Seven Corners even tried to get him to release my records again, but no response. A total disappointment.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1172871

Please post pictures of your before and after concerns of your procedures. The photos that you posted looked great. Thank you!

Guest

Why in the name of sanity would you have gone to Costa Rica for surgery in the first place ? Secondly if your implant was practically falling out you would have gotten an infection and your breast would have been amputated because infection and bacteria love foreign bodies (implants) !

Being a medical plastics professional I call bs ! And in the future if you live in the US get surgery in the US.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1164810

YOU call BS, Really? What exactly is a medical plastics professional?

I call BS too!

If you are a professional in the plastics sugary field, you realize that plastics pricing in the US are overinflated and people can't afford them so they leave the country for more affordable options.

I don't need your approval for your disapproval, so you can take your ***, ignorant advice and stuff it.

It's my implant that didn't take properly because the internal sutures failed, it's my implant that's been infected 14 times and my ***, awful surgeon that failed to replace it like he promised. YES, I made a mistake, but the last thing I need is a mean person like you bashing me for doing what I thought was right.

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