An Aussie has shared her devastation after using her super to fund botched surgery in Thailand that left her with no breasts and nipples moved higher on her chest.
Melbourne grandmother Lynda Lazaridis said she wanted to treat herself to a body makeover with a cosmetic surgeon in Bangkok for her 60th birthday in 2022, after losing 15kg and being left with back pain and excess skin.
She told 60 Minutes her surgeon suggested thigh lifts, liposuction, arm surgery and breast surgery to ease her discomfort.
‘They recommended I have a butt lift, thigh lift inner and outer, liposuction, something called a reversed tummy tuck – I had no idea what that was – and arms,’ she said.
Ms Lazaridis said she chose the company because the procedures would be significantly cheaper than in Australia, where it would have cost more than $200,000.
While discussing payment plans, she claimed the company told her to consider accessing her superannuation by pretending the surgery was ‘treatment for a life threatening illness’ even though it wasn’t urgent.
Ms Lazaridis said alarm bells began ringing moments before she went under the knife and the surgeon asked what breast size she was after.
She said she told him she wanted C-cups, but when she woke up, she realised she had been given something that would affect her for the rest of her life.
Melbourne grandmother Lynda Lazaridis said she wanted to treat herself to a body makeover with a cosmetic surgeon in Bangkok for her 60th birthday in 2022
‘I woke up to no breasts. They were gone, completely gone,’ she said.
‘My nipple was up here (near my armpits), right in my face.
‘Looking at yourself in the mirror every day, and seeing all those scars, it’s overwhelming.’
Despite undergoing further surgeries and treatment, Ms Lazaridis still struggles to cover her nipples with normal bras and clothing.
Plastic surgeon and WA branch of the Australian Medical Association Chairman Dr Mark Duncan-Smith described the outcome as ‘indefensible’.
‘She’s botched, she’s maimed, she’s got scars for life,’ he said.
He also said the placement was ‘a rookie mistake’ and that fixing it would cause more scarring.
Ms Lazaridis’s botched job came after Sophie Tsivoglou also had a disastrous experience in 2022 despite a positive result with the company four years earlier.
Ms Lazaridis said she chose the company because the procedures would be significantly cheaper than in Australia, where it would have cost more than $200,000
Ms Tsivoglou claimed she was unable to feel her legs afterwards and was left with unexplained scarring in areas unrelated to her procedure.
‘I’ve always covered myself before getting in front of a mirror,’ she said.
‘It’s like I’ve been in a car accident and dogs have chewed me up, just taking chunks out of my body.
‘It’s just terrible.’
