Last week I wrote about a poor, young girl who died following a dental procedure under general anesthesia. As tragic as her case was, at least the dentist who performed the procedure was a licensed, trained professional. That is not always the case. People who claim to be cosmetic surgeons or other licensed health care providers are all over social media encouraging the gullible, and maybe even the not-so-gullible, to come in for treatment. Cosmetic procedures are one of the hottest areas for these fraudsters as we all want to be young and beautiful forever.
You don’t have to look too far on either social media or your news feed to find these fake cosmetic surgeons. Their pitches are eerily similar. “Come in for our Botox party with special discounts.” “Get your butt lifted.” “We can take inches off your waist and reshape your body.” “Safe and painless.” “Be the beautiful person you always wanted to be.” “Body sculpting.” These come-ons are often accompanied by pictures of beautiful young women with flawless skin. Sadly, that is never going to be you.
These fraudsters are found in every part of the country but cities are their favored hunting grounds. Arizona is not immune.
A man operated a Tempe cosmetic procedure clinic where he injected Botox and performed laser procedures. At least he used real Botox that he purchased using an identity he stole from an actual doctor. Many of these fake cosmetic surgeons use counterfeit Botox or Botox they purchased on the black market that may contain who knows what in addition to or in place of actual Botox. He got away with it for two years before the authorities caught him. He had been found impersonating a cosmetic surgeon in the past as well, but had not been prosecuted.
A Tucson man posing as a cosmetic surgeon performed liposuction procedures for years before being discovered. Some of his patients had to be hospitalized with terrible infections following their procedures. One nearly died due to anesthesia complications. The fake doctor waited over an hour to get assistance for her while she experienced seizures due to insufficient oxygen going to her brain. She was in a coma for six weeks and suffered permanent brain damage.
A surgical assistant from Mexico posed as a cosmetic surgeon in Denver and preyed upon the immigrant community there. He performed a wide variety of procedures, including nose jobs, implants, face lifts, and liposuction. Many of his patients were left disfigured as a result of his incompetence.
A woman who claimed to be a licensed psychiatrist saw patients in Phoenix for almost a year before it was discovered that she was using the identity of another practitioner from the other side of the country. The woman wrote prescriptions and counseled patients, many of whom were in dire need of proper counseling and care. It was not the woman’s first go around. It was not even her first go around in Phoenix. She was a repeat criminal with nine prior felony convictions. The failure of the system to recognize her fraud was so profound that a major hospital referred a suicidal patient to her for treatment after the patient was discharged from acute care.
Recently a New York man was running a fake cosmetic surgery clinic and performing procedures when one of his patients went into cardiac arrest following the injection of too much local anesthetic. Instead of summoning help for her, he hopped in his car and headed for the airport. Police apprehended him as he was waiting to board a plane in an attempt to flee the country. Had the patient’s friend not stopped by to take her home, the fake doctor might have made it out of the country and his patient might have died.
Other unlicensed fake doctors performing butt lift procedures in New York City were convicted of manslaughter when their patients died during the operations.
An Orange County, California man posed as a cosmetic surgeon and performed all sorts of cosmetic procedures over a three year period. He mostly operated on members of the Hispanic community. When finally caught, he was charged with multiple felonies.
A Los Angeles man had thousands of followers on his Instagram account where he offered advice on facial procedures. He claimed to be a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon but actually had no such training. As to be expected, many of his patients suffered severe complications from his procedures.
The takeaway from these cautionary tales is that you must be careful when encountering a new health care provider. Don’t just rely on word of mouth and certainly don’t rely on social media when choosing a doctor or other provider. Check credentials with the appropriate licensing board. Watch out for red flags, such as storefront clinics or dirty treatment spaces. In medicine, cleanliness is indeed next to godliness. Don’t let yourself become a victim.
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