An Orlando woman has been arrested after allegedly performing laser surgery without a medical licence, leaving a patient's chin with necrosis and painful blistering.
Gabriela Pereira, 29, was taken into custody following the procedure at Tonya Beauty on April 16, 2024. According to investigators, patient Kelly Coelho had visited the spa for Botox but could not afford the £700 laser treatment. Pereira is said to have offered the procedure free of charge in exchange for Coelho allowing her photos to be used on the clinic's Instagram account, which has more than four million followers.
Police allege that Pereira posed as a technician with a medical licence. After the laser was left on Coelho's chin for too long, she suffered burns that led to necrosis. Coelho reportedly returned to the clinic eight times in an attempt to correct the botched procedure.
An arrest warrant for Pereira was filed on July 29. She faces nine counts of practising medicine without a licence, nine counts of practising a health care profession without a valid licence, and two counts of dispensing medical drugs without a licence. Her lawyer Felipe Mavromatis said Coelho went to the clinic trusting they would do a good job.
Tonya Beauty responded on Instagram, insisting it holds all necessary licences and has built a reputation based on trust and professionalism. The incident follows a separate case in New York where a woman died after undergoing surgery by a man who allegedly posed as a plastic surgeon on TikTok.
