Source : Perth Now news
A bargain body makeover in Thailand has left some Australian women with scars, infections and lasting trauma instead of the dream they were sold.
In a report by 60 Minutes, several Australian women accused a Bangkok medical tourism operator of luring them with cheap cosmetic surgery packages and glossy promises, only for some to return home disfigured, traumatised and needing further treatment in Australia.
For Melbourne grandmother Lynda Lazaridis, what began as a birthday present to herself became a nightmare she believes she will carry for life.
Ms Lazaridis told the program she travelled to Bangkok after losing 15 kilos, hoping to remove excess skin and reduce her breasts to relieve back pain.
The price was the drawcard. She told 60 Minutes the work would have cost more than $200,000 in Australia, while the Thailand package came in at a fraction of that.
But Ms Lazaridis alleged the operator also suggested she access her superannuation and provided guidance on how to frame the application, despite her acknowledging the surgery was not medically urgent.
She was booked in for multiple procedures in one trip at a Bangkok hospital, including thigh lifts, liposuction, arm surgery and breast surgery, with a surgeon.
Ms Lazaridis alleged her confidence in the surgeon vanished before she entered theatre, when he asked what breast size she wanted at the last moment. When she woke up, she discovered her breasts were gone.
“No breasts. They were gone, completely gone,” Ms Lazaridis told 60 Minutes.
She said her nipples had been repositioned so high she now struggles to wear ordinary clothing.
“It was right in my face and I was like, ‘What?’”
According to the report, the operator later offered her implants.
Ms Lazaridis alleged those implants became so painful after she returned to Australia that she ended up in hospital and had them removed.
“It’s just a mess, an absolute mess,” she said.
Perth plastic surgeon Dr Mark Duncan-Smith told the program the result was indefensible.
“She’s botched, she’s maimed, she’s got scars for life,” Dr Duncan-Smith said.
He described the nipple placement as “a bit of a rookie mistake” and warned it could not be corrected without creating more scarring.
Ms Lazaridis was not the only woman featured by 60 Minutes alleging serious harm after surgery arranged through the operator.
Sydney mother Angelina Rice told the program she travelled to Thailand in 2024 for breast implants and abdominal skin tightening, but woke with a wound on her thigh despite her lower body not being part of the planned surgery.
Ms Rice said the surgeon later acknowledged “there was a bit of a mistake” and told her she had a burn.
Dr Duncan-Smith told the program that if such a procedure occurred in Australia without consent, “that would be called assault”.
According to 60 Minutes, Ms Rice later underwent five additional surgeries to treat the injury. She described the recovery as “horrific”.
Another former patient, Sophie Tsivoglou, told the program she returned to the operator after a successful earlier experience, this time seeking a dramatic overhaul following major weight loss.
Ms Tsivoglou alleged she underwent surgery from “top to bottom” over a period of weeks, including work on her arms, legs, stomach, breasts and face.
She told the program the trouble began after a thigh lift and liposuction, when she felt pins and needles before losing feeling in her legs.
“I collapsed. My legs weren’t working,” Ms Tsivoglou said.
She also raised concerns about a mysterious scar on her side that was never properly explained.
Ms Tsivoglou indicated the damage to her body and confidence had been profound.
“Like I’ve been in a car accident and dogs have chewed me up, just taking chunks out of my body,” Ms Tsivoglou said.
The investigation also featured Sydney mother Emily Adams, who underwent a tummy tuck, breast surgery and liposuction through the operator with another surgeon.
According to the report, Ms Adams developed a severe infection after the operation and was later admitted to Campbelltown Hospital in Sydney.
The report also looked at Thailand’s booming cosmetic tourism trade, with Rachel Donegan, who runs Bangkok Makeovers, telling 60 Minutes the market had become dangerously crowded and competitive.
She argued patients seeking extensive work should be turned away or told to split procedures across multiple trips because “it’s just not worth the risk”, and questioned demands for large upfront payments before patients even arrive in Thailand.
According to the report, multiple women alleged the operator required substantial upfront payments and, in some cases, encouraged additional procedures or upgrades shortly before surgery.
Ms Tsivoglou alleged a nurse pushed her to pay an extra $750 before a facelift for more work under her eyes, with the EFTPOS machine already in hand.
Dr Duncan-Smith labelled that “completely unethical” and said it “smells of trying to make money”.
He also told the program he sees roughly half a dozen patients each year with complications from overseas cosmetic surgery, and estimated plastic surgeons across Australia could be treating 2000 to 3000 such patients annually.
The women also described threats and pressure after posting negative reviews.
Ms Adams told 60 Minutes she received a cease and desist letter and what she regarded as an offer to fix her breast if she removed her review, while Ms Rice alleged she was threatened with police action and arrest if she returned to Thailand.
When 60 Minutes approached the surgeon outside the clinic at the hospital, he argued infections can have “many factor(s)”, including patient and operational factors, and maintained he took care of patients while they remained in Thailand.
In a statement reported by 60 Minutes, the company maintained patient safety, appropriate treatment, support and quality of care took priority over patient volume, and that it was willing to discuss concerns and possible solutions directly with the women featured.
But for Ms Lazaridis, the damage is already done.
She told the program she now looks back on the body she once wanted to change with far more kindness.
“I would rather have lived with that than live with the one I have now,” she said.
