Quebecers who pay thousands of dollars privately for cosmetic surgery see their dream turn into a nightmare, and sometimes have to undergo several costly operations to repair the damage.
• Read also: Difficult to win in court for “botched” surgery
“Cosmetic surgery can turn into a nightmare, admits Dr. Joseph Bou-Merhi, plastic surgeon who practices privately in Verdun. When it’s been two, three, four times that you go under the knife, that it doesn’t work, it becomes draining for the pocket, and for the mind! It’s like a nightmare that never ends! »
For years, doctors have been recommending Quebecers not to go abroad for aesthetic medicine, in particular because medical standards are not as strict there, and the risks of surgery can be significant.
But even though clients pay dearly for cosmetic surgery here (often more than $15,000), some experience complications from the operation or end up with a downright botched surgery, found The newspaper by following discussion groups on social networks.
Photo the Journal de Montreal, Chantal Poirier
This 40-something woman believed she died last September, weeks after she developed an infection after cosmetic surgery. Here is one of the post-operative scars.
“It’s a Jungle”
“When it’s going well, it’s going well. But otherwise, there is no one to take care of you”, noted a patient who almost died.
Examples of problems: asymmetrical breasts or droopy implants, prominent scars, pain or loss of sensation. In the worst cases, patients develop serious infections and need to be hospitalized. Injecting fillers can also be risky.
“Right now it’s a jungle. You have to get informed, ”warns Stéphanie Léonard, a psychologist specializing in body image issues.
Many clients in reflection seek advice on social networks, and rely on other clients to see more clearly (which surgeon to choose and avoid). the Journal found that some Quebec doctors have a very bad reputation.
During post-operative follow-up, patients also said they were unable to reach their surgeon to correct an error, or had to pay again. Others no longer had confidence and preferred to look elsewhere. Be paid.
Le Journal presents several testimonials from women who have experienced horror after cosmetic surgery. All testify anonymously either because they are ashamed, are in post-operative follow-up, or fear legal reprisals.
Moreover, Quebec surgeons devote a third of their practice to repairing failed surgeries.
When money leads
“The day a plastic surgeon thinks more about his pocket than the well-being of his patients, he is no longer a doctor,” thinks Dr. Perry Gdalevitch, a specialist in this field.
Normally, all the risks of the surgery must be well explained. However, many customers are misinformed and in a hurry to sign the contract after a few minutes.
“Many are good salespeople. They do not insist too much on the side effects, one tends to minimize them. But the truth is that there are always possible complications,” says Me Jean-François Leroux, health specialist.
Since the pandemic, cosmetic surgery has increased by at least 20% in Quebec, estimates the Association of Specialists in Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeons of Quebec. According to President Dr Éric Bensimon, the majority of clients are happy with the result, and it is the dissatisfied people “who are the most vocal”.