Exercise Caution When Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

A plastic surgeon expert witness told a tribunal in New Zealand last week that a woman was left with a grossly disfigured right breast, unsightly scarring, gross distortion of the pubic area and unimpressive results from the liposuction. She lost her left nipple and belly button two weeks later to tissue damage.

"I have seldom seen such an unfortunate outcome from what would be in properly trained hands...three reasonably simple plastic surgical procedures."

He believes that the operation, which took less than four hours, suggests "inappropriate haste with scant attention to meticulous detail".

The woman told the tribunal she was left to live with her disfigurements every day.
However she does admit that she had been happy to have all three procedures done in a single operation, against the advice of experts. She had told the surgeon to spare her the "gory" details of what he intended to do. Names are suppressed for the patient, the surgeon and witnesses who are currently in court.

The woman had breast reduction, abdominoplasty, and liposuction in a single four hour operation. At the time of the operation, the woman weighed 108kg, approximately 225 lb, and was morbidly obese with a body mass index of 37.

She did not research her plastic surgeon or the procedures she was interested in having. In fact, she said to a Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal last week:

"I didn't really know what liposuction was - I just thought that I was going to have a nice flat stomach afterwards as a result of a tummy tuck.”

"(The doctor) told me that I was the perfect candidate because I had slim legs and no bottom, and I was going to look great when it was over."

"One of the things that has been hard for me is that I feel sort of guilty that I wanted cosmetic surgery," she said.

"I feel as though people will judge me for wanting it, and that has made this whole process very challenging for me, but I have pursued this complaint because I don't want to anyone to go through what I went through. I want other women to be aware of the risks."

It is so sad to see a woman feeling this way after surgery. The fact is, plastic surgery is becoming a part of daily life for millions of people through-out the world. Many people have endured multiple operations to correct minor imperfections. None of these people were faced with the nightmare this woman endured.

The truth is, this thing should never happen in today’s plastic surgery world. Plastic surgery is major surgery, and there are complications as there are in all types of major surgery. However, experienced plastic surgeons know how to ensure that patients receive the procedures they want in a safely.

In fact, plastic surgery clinics are working to minimize patient discomfort. A good clinic will have a regime for patients to participate in that is aimed at reducing discomfort, pain, and improving results.