Cosmetic Surgery Negligence

Suffered physical or psychological damage due to cosmetic surgery negligence? You could be eligible for compensation

Cosmetic surgery is as popular as ever with 21,174 procedures carried out annually at the last count according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

However, the biggest increase over the last couple of years has been in non-surgical cosmetic treatments, or “tweakements” where high tech lasers and injectables have replaced the surgeon’s knife. 

It’s being called the Zoom boom and means that the non-surgical market could be worth in excess of £3bn within the next five years

It seems we are all keen to look good as we come under closer scrutiny in online meetings and virtual dates and facelifts, dermal fillers and breast augmentation are more normalised than they once were, but with these procedures come risks. These can range from complications during surgery to botched botulinum toxin injections. In the UK practitioners who administer non-surgical cosmetic treatments aren’t legally required to have any qualifications, so procedures such as Botox injections, chemical peels, and laser hair removal can legally be performed by anyone, whatever their level of training, medical or otherwise. Unfortunately, that means things can go wrong. You may be left disfigured, mentally and physically scarred and possibly feeling that it’s all your fault. But so often this is not the case and it is possible to take legal action against a cosmetic provider whose substandard care has resulted in harm or complications.

Essentially, plastic surgery negligence differs very little from ordinary medical negligence.

Basically, it happens when an individual is given incorrect treatment, delayed treatment or substandard treatment by a surgeon or other medical professional.

Here are some examples where you might be able to claim compensation:

Breast op

The most popular type of cosmetic surgery is breast augmentation with around 30,000 people, mostly women undergoing the op annually and while the majority will be happy with the results, mistakes can be made. Surgical negligence can occur either before, during, or after a procedure. Before the operation a patient may not have been assessed properly for their suitability for surgery, or post op may not receive the required level of care. 

You might suffer post op complications including:

• Unnecessary scarring
• Blood clotting
• Hardening of breast implants
• Nerve damage
• Infection
• Loss of sensation in nipples
• Ruptured implants

Lip fillers

Dermal lip fillers are used to augment the lips and are another procedure that can give rise to problems if they are injected wrongly. There are plenty of unregulated practitioners out there who have little if no training and this can result in a host of problems including

• Scarring, ulceration
• Excessive swelling or bruising
• Uneven lips – ie one part of the lip is different size to the other
• Injection into a blood vessel
• Infection

Chemical peels

Chemical peels are used to remove the outlet payers of the skin to improve its texture and eliminate imperfections but if the treatment was administered incorrectly, or the wrong chemicals were use then you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a procedure where fat is sucked out of targeted areas of the body, and it needs to be performed by someone who knows what they are doing. If they don’t the consequences can be serious resulting in: 

• Severe damage to internal organs
• Bleeding under the skin where the procedure was administered
• Discolouration of the skin
• Blood clots forming in the lungs.
• Infections where the procedure was carried out
• Excessive scarring
• Bumpy skin where the lipo took place
• Poor body shape or contour deformity

Laser treatments

Lasers are used in a number of treatments such as laser hair removal, skin resurfacing and laser vein removal.

While laser hair removal can be highly effective in removing unwanted hair it can result in injury.

 The outcome of laser hair removal gone wrong includes:

• Excess swelling and redness after the treatment
• Scarring
• Burns post treatment
• Discolouration of the skin

Laser skin resurfacing can result in:

• Burns
• Permanent changes to skin pigment
• Inappropriate scarring
• Excessive scarring

Laser vein removal can cause:

• Vein damage
• Inappropriate scars
• Skin burns

Hair transplant

Hair transplants are becoming increasingly popular thanks to their increasing success but there are areas where negligence may occur. This may cause a number of problems such as rashes and swelling, numbness and infection.

Also…

As well as claiming for actual physical injury you may also be able to claim for the psychological damage that you have suffered. The surgeon’s negligence may have resulted in you suffering from low self esteem and lack of confidence that has impacted on your life.

You may also want to claim for any corrective procedures necessary to get you back on track.

When compensation for cosmetic surgery negligence is assessed, various factors will be taken into account, such as your personal circumstances and the extent of your injuries, also other potential losses you might experience such as loss of income.

You might be entitled to general damages, which will cover the cost of the fallout from the procedure including any distress you might experience and how your quality of life has been affected. Then there are special damages, which are to do with getting you back to the financial position you were in before you had the cosmetic surgery. You will have to ensure you’ve taken certain steps to mitigate your losses, but this is where your specialist solicitor will be able to advise you.

At Wafer Philips we understand completely how distressing it can be when cosmetic surgery goes wrong. After all, when we put ourselves in the hands of the cosmetic surgeon or beauty practitioner we do so because we want them to make us look and feel good. If the opposite happens it can be devastating for all sorts of reasons, and you may not know which way to turn.

If you have undergone a cosmetic procedure that has gone wrong, then why not talk to one of our expert medical solicitors? We will deal with your enquiry with the utmost discretion and sensitivity.