A Scottish woman has been left severely disabled after a series of botched cosmetic surgeries performed by a surgeon who flew in from Italy. Catherine Roan, 41, from Thornton in Fife, underwent a rhinoplasty through Transform, a leading UK high street cosmetic surgery provider, which recommended Italian surgeon Antonio Ottaviani.
After the initial procedure and three revision surgeries over four years, Ms Roan's nose was left in what an expert described as looking like 'someone who had been in a bad car crash'. The final operation resulted in a 'big skin tag, a skin fold hanging down one side, it was squint, there was something wrong with the tip', she told BBC Disclosure.
Ms Roan eventually found a surgeon in England who corrected her nose using part of her rib and liquid from her scalp. She won a medical negligence case against Mr Ottaviani, but has only received 1% of the £100,000 awarded, as he has not paid. The BBC knows of at least six other women who have complained about his practices.
The Disclosure investigation found that Transform, which performs thousands of operations annually, uses doctors from abroad who fly in and out of the country, leaving patients exposed if complications arise. The Royal College of Surgeons said regulation of cosmetic surgery is too weak, and the NHS is often left to pick up the pieces.
Experts say the UK and Scottish governments have failed to act on key recommendations from the 2013 Keogh Review, which called for a compulsory register of cosmetic surgeons. Instead, a voluntary certification scheme has been introduced, with fewer than 30 surgeons signed up.
