Mum, 30, sues cosmetic surgery firm after tummy tuck gave her flesh eating disease

Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery

Source: metro.co.uk

Mikayla Whitworth says she began vomiting and was diagnosed with sepsis and the life-threatening flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis after returning to the UK after the procedure in 2015.

The 30-year-old says that upon her return, doctors were forced to cut out a 2.4in-deep, foot-wide slab of infected flesh from her stomach, MailOnline reported.

She claims that the horrific ordeal caused the breakdown of her marriage and even left her unable to play with her young son properly.

Mikayla from Ashington, Northumberland, also fears it may mean she cannot have more children.

She has begun a £100,000 legal action against the Czech firm, Perfect Clinic, and Prague Beauty, the travel agency in Mayfair, west London, where she booked the all-inclusive trip.

She decided to fork out £3,250 for a tummy tuck, liposuction, flights and accommodation after ‘ballooning’ to a size 20 after her pregnancy.

After trying ‘every weight loss program she could’, Mikayla decided to opt for cosmetic surgery.

Unable to afford the prices advertised by private clinics in the UK, she decided to travel to Prague because it offered ‘the right price, with the best reviews’.

Had she paid for a similar procedure in the UK, it would’ve cost around £10,000.

In court documents filed at Central London County Court, Mrs Whitworth claims she was told the quality of surgery and care at the clinic were ‘the same or better’ than in Britain.

However, she began to develop a fever, headache, a rash and a swollen stomach following the operation.

She says that she raised her fears about the wound being infected with Czech medics, but was dismissed and simply told to ‘eat biscuits and drink sweet tea’.

As her symptoms gradually worsened, she says she contacted the clinic once more, but received no reply.

After her return to the UK, Mikayla had to spend 6 weeks in hospital.

The mother of one says she has had to undergo four reconstructive operations and also suffers from nightmares and panic attacks.

Roman Kufa, owner of Perfect Clinic, told the Mail it was ‘normal’ for complications to happen after cosmetic surgery, however he went on to add that they affected only a very small percentage of patients.

He also said that it was more likely that Mikayla’s symptoms were a result of her failure to follow the post-surgery care plan.

Dr Kufa said: ‘I do 800 operations to 900 per year. Some people, of course, they have complications – it’s normal. If they don’t do everything correctly after the operation, it’s a very big problem.

‘If complications happen our clinic offers everything free.’

The agency and the clinic have been given more time by the court to formally respond to the legal claim.