Chinese media recently reported the shocking case of a 24-year-old woman who went to the Wuhan University Dental Hospital in Wuhan, China, to have a very minor jaw protrusion corrected, only to end up with serious facial deformation that will take several cosmetic surgeries to correct.
The woman, referred to as ‘Victim A’ by the press, reportedly told doctors that she wanted a 2mm micro-correction of the jaw, but after the procedure, her jaw was instead pushed outward by 13mm, resulting in severe facial deformation. To make matters worse, during the procedure, a tooth root was punctured by a metal needle, and the nasal septum was twisted, which made breathing through the nose difficult.
Although experts agreed that, instead of a ‘2mm retraction of the mandible,’ a complete reverse procedure was performed, pushing the mandible outward by more than 13mm, the lead surgeon who performed the surgery claimed that the woman’s face had “become more Western and stylish than before.”
Victim A reportedly paid over $55,000 for the botched cosmetic surgery, but experts estimate that fixing her jaw will take at least five years and cost over $200,000. They also pointed out that this incident goes beyond a simple surgical error, as the woman’s minor defect could have easily been resolved with orthodontic therapy alone.
After Victim A’s story went viral, the hospital where the cosmetic procedure was carried out agreed to refund the cost of the surgery, but the relevant health authorities have since launched an investigation, and the situation is expected to escalate into a legal battle.
