Cosmetic surgery patients have reason to be wary in Florida

Florida has been reeling in recent months over the revelations about flaws in the medical system that have allowed disreputable plastic surgeons to operate — and keep on operating long after they should have been stopped.

For example, two plastic surgeons who are responsible for botching the surgeries on at least 290 female patients are still practicing four years after their malpractice issues came to light.

More lawsuits are still rolling in from victims who were left with disfigured, painful breasts after their substandard medical treatment. Patients have complained that they were given implants far larger than they wanted and implants that hardened. Others say they were left with breasts that were uneven or misshapen. Some say they suffered pain during surgeries due to improper anesthesia that left them conscious on the operating table.

How have surgeons like this stayed in practice? Sometimes they just shut down their practice and open a new one. Other times, they change the name of their practice — several times over — in an effort to evade detection. Patients who try to research a plastic surgery clinic or doctor online through Healthgrades.com or similar sites are then misled into believing that they’re choosing a surgeon with a decent reputation.

One plastic surgeon in Florida had eight women die under his care in a six-year period. He changed the name of his business three times to make it difficult for new patients to connect him to the problems he’d had and kept right on practicing.

Florida’s government is hoping to change things. Recently, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 732 into law. It is meant to stop some of the worst abuses among plastic surgery clinics. The law will require doctors to register with the Department of Health. Further, any practice that is shut down for malpractice would be prohibited from resuming operations under any name for up to five years.

Patients still need to exercise caution when they’re seeking a plastic surgeon — and not hesitate to walk away if a practice doesn’t make you feel comfortable.

If you’ve been injured due to the incompetence or negligence of a plastic surgeon, find out more about your legal options today.