Krystle Morgan from Barrack Heights, south of Wollongong, had a breast enlargement procedure at The Cosmetic Institute in Bondi last year and was short of breath when she awoke from surgery. She was transferred to St Vincent's Hospital where she says she was treated for a collapsed lung.

Ms Morgan, 33, said that when she complained her back was starting to ache and she was short of breath, she was told this was "normal".

"I couldn't breathe and I was told it is normal to be short of breath," she said. "This sensation continued to the point where they told me they were calling an ambulance for a routine check and that sometimes it's normal for tall thin girls to have lungs collapse for no given reason.

"I arrived at emergency and was given X-rays where I was told that I had a large hole in my right lung where the needle had gone through and completely deflated my lung."

Ms Morgan said the surgeon visited her at St Vincent's Hospital every day with flowers.

"He told me on examination while I was lying in hospital that I should be happy with the results, my breasts look great," she said.

"The Cosmetic Institute haven't admitted any fault. There hasn't been any apology.

"Sure there are risks with every surgery, I was aware of that, but the Cosmetic Institute is a production line of surgery."

Ms Morgan said she was fearful for other young women who were not aware of the risks associated with cosmetic surgery.

In a statement to Fairfax Media, The Cosmetic Institute said it was unable to discuss individual cases because of patient confidentiality.

"What we can tell you is that a punctured lung, or pneumothorax is rare but recognised complication of breast augmentation and us such we include it on our pre-surgical information to all patients, along with any other potential risks and complications of this particular surgery," the statement said.

"All surgery, including cosmetic, carries risks. At The Cosmetic Institute we have operated on more than 14,000 patients and our complication rate is extremely low. Patient safety is front and centre of every procedure we undertake at our licensed and accredited facilities."

Peter Haertsch, an associate professor in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Sydney said a punctured lung was an unexpected complication involving the use of a local anaesthetic being injected into the ribs.

"A puncture of the lung could occur by virtue of injecting local anaesthetic into the muscle and inadvertently transgressing the rib cage," he said.

"Patients are being exposed to that risk by virtue of the fact that they are not having a general anaesthetic which would involve an extra cost."

There have been at least four cases involving the emergency transfer of patients from The Cosmetic Institute to hospital. They included Amy Rickhuss who went into cardiac arrest during cosmetic surgery at The Cosmetic Institute's Parramatta clinic on January 30.

She was rushed to Westmead Hospital's emergency unit and early reports from The Cosmetic Institute indicated that she "had a reaction to the anaesthetic".

Fairfax Media later discovered Ms Rickhuss, 21, was given Intralipid, a drug most commonly used to treat an overdose of local anaesthetic.

Phillipa Hore, who chairs the safety and quality committee of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, said Intralipid was used to treat "local anaesthetic systemic toxicity".

Dr Hore said local anaesthetic overdose was preventable and generally occurred when an inappropriate amount was given for the weight and age of the patient.

Earlier this month, a 22-year-old woman from Mordialloc in Victoria was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital emergency unit from The Cosmetic Institute's Bondi clinic after having a heart attack during a breast enlargement procedure.

Fairfax Media understands that the woman, who does not wish to be identified, planned to return to The Cosmetic Institute to complete the procedure and has no complaints about her treatment.

The Cosmetic Institute said her "significant cardiac issue during routine breast augmentation surgery" did not indicate "either an anaesthetic or surgical error".

Meanwhile, Sally Gleeson, a partner at Turner Freeman Lawyers, said she has been approached by close to 50 women with similar complaints about their treatment at The Cosmetic Institute.

The women all had breast augmentation procedures that were allegedly positioned incorrectly or had disfigured the women.

"We are investigating the cases and still taking instructions from the women and one consideration will be a potential class action depending on the outcome of our investigations," she said.

Fairfax Media understands that Ms Rickhuss and Kylie Pollock who was also rushed to hospital after having a seizure during surgery at The Cosmetic Institute are also among the women who have sought legal advice.

The Medical Board of Australia is reviewing the largely unregulated billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry in which any qualified doctor can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon without specialist plastic surgery qualifications. The Cosmetic Institute says that all its surgeons have had formal surgical training including under its director of surgery, Dr Eddy Dona, who is a qualified plastic surgeon.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner is also reviewing the Private Health Facilities regulation Act.

"I have asked the Ministry to advise whether further legislation in relation to issues surrounding the practice of cosmetic surgery, including location, equipment and practitioners, is required," Mrs Skinner said.

The Health Care Complaints Commission is also investigating at least three cases from different cosmetic surgery clinics.