Tag Archives: duncan smith

Medics botch cosmetic operations

WA doctors with no plastic surgery training are performing boob jobs, tummy tucks and other procedures and in some cases botching the operations.

To contact the reporter: cannl@pst.newsltd.com.au

While the risks of overseas surgery are well-known, plastic surgeons say patients are oblivious to the dangers in WA, where doctors who call themselves cosmetic surgeons are duping hundreds of patients a year.

Plastic surgeons are recognised by the Medical Board of Australia after approved training, but there is no government-0recognised specialty of cosmetic surgery.

The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons has spoken out after a surge in patients seeking help.

WA president and head of plastic surgery at Royal Perth Hospital, mark Duncan-Smith, said he regularly treated patients whose operations had been botched by doctors without surgical qualifications

"Patients come to me and other plastic surgeons with things like dead nipples because their operating doctor cut off the blood flow to the areola after breast reduction," Dr Duncan Smith said.

"So the tissue dies and the nipples have to be removed and reconstructed or tattooed on."

"if a doctor only has basic medical school training, it means they were basically experimenting on the first patients they did cosmetic surgery on. "Real plastic surgeons spend at least five years training, doing breast surgery for example, with senior surgeons teaching them, on top of seven years of medical school."

Dr Duncan-Smith said a surgeon should have a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in plastic, abbreviated to FRACS (Plas).

Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery president Colin Moore said surgical fellows of ACCS had better cosmetic skills than plastic surgeons.

Australian Medical Association president Richard Choong said it was important that surgeons’ work was reviewed by other doctors to ensure patient safety.

Perth women victims of cosmetic surgery mistakesA PERTH mother-of-one lost her left breast and right nipple after a WA surgeon botched her breast reduction surgery.the 44-year-old woman, who did not want her name published, made a legal claim through Julian Johnson Lawyers against the ear, nose and throat surgeon after plastic surgeons said he performed the wrong type of surgery.the woman first had breast reduction surgery as an 18-year-old, but during and after pregnancy her breasts enlarged again so she engaged the doctor to do a reduction in 2007.Within two weeks, the nipple area had gone black and necrosis had set in, but her doctor had gone on holiday so she saw a plastic surgeon who removed the dead tissue in order to save her life.“it was horrible,” the woman said. “I just cried and cried. I’m too scared to have more surgery now, to have my breast reconstructed.“the plastic surgeon explained that because it was my second reduction, (the first surgeon) should have done a different operation, but because he wasn’t a plastic surgeon, he didn’t know that.“I absolutely believed that he was properly qualified and that these surgeries were his specialties. if I’d known he wasn’t a plastic surgeon, I never would have had the surgery with him.“He also said he would do liposuction under my chin for a cheaper price, but it didn’t work and now I have an even bigger double chin.“the irony is when I went to Bali, the woman in the hotel room next to us had been to Singapore to have a tummy tuck and a breast implant and liposuction and hers was perfect. I had mine done in Perth by a supposedly reputable doctor and I lost my breast and nipple. I just can’t fathom how that happens. We should be concentrating more on the doctors here and sort this out.”

Another Perth woman who had a tummy tuck done by a surgeon without plastic surgery training was left with an unsightly lump of flesh sticking out and needed another operation by a plastic surgeon to fix up the mess.the 62-year-old woman had a gastric sleeve operation by a bariatric surgeon, who then said he was qualified to do a tummy tuck on her after she lost more than 30kg.“I went back to him after the operation and I said I don’t like this podge here and he said: `That’s a pillow for your husband’s head’,” the woman said. “I said: `I don’t think it’s a pillow, it’s more like a king size mattress.“That’s when I went to mark Duncan-Smith, who’s a real plastic surgeon to have it all fixed up.” 

To contact the reporter: cannl@pst.newsltd.com.au

Medics botch cosmetic operations

Glassing ‘worse than knifing’

A prominent Perth plastic surgeon has described the lasting impact of glassings on victims, saying such attacks were often worse than “shoving a knife in someone’s face”.

Royal Perth Hospital head of plastic surgery Mark Duncan-Smith spoke yesterday after a weekend of violence where glass was used as a weapon in four incidents across Perth.

One victim, Warnbro father Terry O’Brien, left Royal Perth Hospital late yesterday following surgery for wounds after a would-be burglar struck Mr O’Brien’s head with a glass bottle while breaking into the 48-year-old’s Currie Street home.

Mr Duncan-Smith said glassing wounds were often curved, which could result in scars which were puckered, uneven or even cause a pin-cushioning effect where there were irregularities in the surface of the skin.

“It’s not like a knife that cuts a straight wound,” he said.

“With damage to the deep structures, particularly to branches of facial nerves, it can result in uneven smiles, eyebrows drooping, corner of the mouth drooping, and those effects, especially nerve injuries, can be permanent.

“Obviously the scarring is permanent as well and depending on how bad the scarring is, if it’s not too obvious it may get better with time, but still will be present. But if the scarring is extensive . . . it’s really there for the rest of their lives.”

Mr Duncan-Smith said initial operations could take hours, post-surgery care could last much longer and secondary surgery might be necessary depending on the development of the scar.

“From a psychological point of view, it’s something that is a constant reminder to them every time they look in the mirror to what is typically going to have been an unsavoury event,” he said.

“To me it is brainless that someone would shove a glass in someone’s face, and it’s typically someone who wouldn’t normally shove a knife in someone’s face but that is really effectively what they are doing.

“There should be a much greater awareness out there in the community that effectively a glassing injury in terms of what we have to do to fix it up, it’s actually worse that shoving a knife in someone’s face.”

Yesterday, Mr O’Brien said early signs were that he would have a scar and possibly loss of sensation to part of his scalp, but the lacerations had not damaged nerves or tear ducts in his face. “Luckily it didn’t do any serious damage to the eye, very lucky at the end of the day really,” he said.

Police are appealing for anyone with information about the attack on Mr O’Brien to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Glassing ‘worse than knifing’

WA men suffer burns in Jack Daniels promotion

PAINFUL DECISION: a Jack Daniels branding Iron that was a part of a recent Jack Daniels promotion. Picture: Internet Source: Supplied

THREE WA men suffered horrific burns after branding themselves with novelty branding irons given away as part of a Jack Daniel's promotion.

Health advocates are now demanding legislation that stops "reckless" alcohol marketing.

The men, aged in their 20s and 30s including one who branded his backside were admitted to Royal Perth Hospital for surgery and emergency skin grafts. The last one was operated on earlier this month.

The others chose to plunge the hot metal rod with the words "Old No.7 Brand", in reference to the Tennessee bourbon, on the back of a hand and a leg. The irons were part of a barbecue pack promotion offered with bottles of Jack Daniel’s.

RPH head of plastic surgery and burns surgeon mark Duncan-Smith branded the gimmick "an irresponsible cocktail for disaster".

"you can’t stop everyone from doing something silly, but when you are actually providing a method for people to injure themselves, even though it is still their responsibility, it is providing fuel in one hand and a lighter in the other," he said.

"it is a devastating mix. The combination of alcohol and a branding iron is just crazy. it is a cocktail of diminished capacity and a mechanism to inflict serious damage. I personally think this is madness."

Dr Duncan-Smith said the patients sought emergency treatment days after realising they were badly injured.

He had concerns that a video posted on YouTube of a young man being branded with one of the irons could trigger a dangerous trend.

"there could be an element of copycat, like the recent planking craze that was all over the internet," he said.

McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth director Mike Daube said there was a "glaring gap in curbs on alcohol promotion".

"These are entirely predictable outcomes from an outrageously irresponsible promotion," Prof Daube said. "if you put together young men, spirits and a branding iron, you can hardly be surprised if they get drunk and damage themselves and others.

"there are no controls whatever none on alcohol promotions of this kind." He said he would write to the federal and state governments calling for measures to halt irresponsible alcohol promotions.

But Jack Daniel’s brand owner Brown-Forman Australia says it has done nothing wrong because the product comes with a warning.

"we are confident this promotional item was offered with the appropriate statement of warning and we are sorry to learn that a few individuals may have harmed themselves through use other than advised," Brown-Forman managing director Marshall Farrer said.

Mr Farrer said it was a "one off" Australia-only promotion that ended in August, but the branding irons were still being offered for sale on the internet this week by other parties, such as auction website eBay.

He said the only injury complaints he had received nationally were from Dr Duncan-Smith in WA.

State Mental Health Minister Helen Morton, who is also responsible for drug and alcohol issues, supported regulation changes on alcohol promotions, but said it was a federal matter.

"However, at the end of the day, how can we legislate against that level of stupidity," she said.

WHAT THE BRANDING IRON WARNING STICKER SAYS

  • This branding iron can cause serious skin burns.
  • Do not touch metal parts with fingers, skin or any flammable material.
  • Branding iron will remain hot long after being heated. Remove this label before first use.

<a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/bourbon-branding-brain-snap/story-e6frg153-1226224707250tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/bourbon-branding-brain-snap/story-e6frg153-1226224707250Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:13:53 GMT”>WA men suffer burns in Jack Daniels promotion