A general physician has been suspended in Singapore after he injected hazardous breast fillers into a patient, which caused her tremendous pain. Dr. Calvin Chan injected the patient with Aqualift Dermal Filler in August 2008, even after the Health Sciences Authority disapproved it and mentioned it could not be used here.
Chan, who is suspended for six months, was practising at Calvin Chan Aesthetic and Laser Clinic in Orchard Road. He also chose not to inform his patient that the fillers were unapproved and were not safe.
After the operation, the patient's right breast tissue became infected. Even without diagnosing the bacteria, Chan "inappropriately" used several classes of antibiotics to treat the problem.
The Singapore Medical Council's (SMC) disciplinary tribunal said this botched operation has caused the victim prolonged trouble and pain and even exposed her to possible multi-resistance of bacteria.
The doctor pleaded guilty to four charges. The fact that he failed to get consent was also taken into consideration during the hearing.
Though he was about to get a one-year suspension, his sentence was halved as the notice of inquiry took three years to come after the doctor was told of the complaint.
Breast surgeries, though very common, sometimes go horribly wrong. On January 8, reports were published about a mother-of-three who was unable to hug her children after a similar surgery. The 28-year-old woman had to survive on painkillers after hardened scar tissue left her breasts deformed.
Not only breasts, these cosmetics surgeries also prove detrimental when done on any other body parts. A 38-year-old Columbian woman died hours after undergoing a buttock enhancement surgery. According to reports, she was injected with some unidentified substance, after which she started to feel sick.
