Woman left deformed and unable to breathe after botched face surgery
A woman who underwent surgery to make her chin smaller was left disfigured after the surgeon reportedly moved it six times further than she intended and in the wrong direction
Xiaoyu says that she can’t breathe properly because of the botched surgery
A young woman who went into hospital for what she thought would be a tiny cosmetic tweak claims she was left permanently disfigured after surgeons shifted her jaw six times further than planned – and in the wrong direction.
The 24-year-old Chinese national, Xiaoyu, booked in for the supposedly minor operation after growing self-conscious of what she saw as a protruding chin, and hopes to have it pushed back 2mm. However, by some freak error the doctors did the total opposite, moving her jaw more than 13mm forward and leaving her face and head dramatically altered.
The operation is also said to have punctured a tooth root twisted her septum, making it difficult for her to breathe through her nose. Xiaoyu says specialists told her the surgery appeared to have been carried out in the opposite direction to what had originally been planned. Some reportedly questioned whether she had needed jaw surgery at all, saying her minor bite issue could have been treated with braces.
Xiaoyu says she felt self-conscious about her chin
In one of the case’s most controversial claims, Xiaoyu says the lead surgeon dismissed her concerns by telling her he liked her new appearance because it looked “more stylish” than before.
The woman said she paid around 80,000 yuan (£8,000/$11,000) for the operation, but experts believe correcting the damage could require years of reconstructive treatment costing several times that amount.
Photos shared by Chinese media show a dramatic change to Xiaoyu’s facial profile before and after the operation, with the case sparking outrage online.
Xiaoyu says that her chin was brought forward instead of back
Following the public backlash, Wuhan University Dental Hospital said it had refunded Xiaoyu’s surgical fees, suspended the surgeon involved from clinical duties and launched an internal investigation.
China’s health authorities are also investigating the case, which could now develop into a legal battle over the controversial procedure.
The case follows a similar incident in China, in which a woman was left unable to sleep or blink due to a botched eyelid surgery.
Wang Li was unable to blink properly post surgery(Image: WEIBO)
The woman, who has been named Wang Li by local media, says her “tear ducts were damaged” during a procedure known as an Asian blepharoplasty, designed to widen or enlarge the eyes.
The alleged rip in her tear ducts means that her eyelids are essentially being filled with fluid at a rate faster than it can be removed, meaning they have started to bulge and even flip in on themselves, according to a post by Wang Li on social media site Weibo.
She wrote: “I can’t close my eyes, and I sleep with my eyes open. My tear ducts are damaged, and tears drip uncontrollably.”
