Rhinoplasty damages client's nose and affects her appearance

Our client underwent rhinoplasty under the care of an Austrian plastic surgeon through Surgicare in the UK. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsatisfactory, both aesthetically and because our client experienced problems with the sensation in the tip of her nose.

She could not tell when her nose was running and was frequently embarrassed. She raised her concerns, but felt that she was fobbed off and therefore sought legal advice.

We investigated the claim and obtained independent expert evidence. We established that the surgery had been badly performed and fell below an acceptable standard of care. The surgeon had removed excessive cartilage causing a collapse of our client’s airway. He had fitted a graft, but failed to fix it correctly so it displaced, causing a cosmetic deformity. Our client was left with asymmetry of her nostrils and an irregular bridge line to her nose. She needed corrective surgery and was keen to be able to undergo this with the surgeon of her choice, the costs of which we sought to claim on her behalf.

Tracking down and liaising with the defendant surgeon was not easy, but with perseverance we were eventually able to establish he had professional indemnity insurance and then to liaise directly with his insurers. We then opened settlement negotiations and the claim settled for £20,000 plus costs. The claim was funded on a conditional fee basis.

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