2023 Gangnam Plastic Surgery Clinic - Multiple Serious Complications

Incident Overview

In 2023, a well-known Gangnam plastic surgery clinic was involved in multiple serious medical incidents including blindness and facial paralysis.

Case 1: 50-Year-Old Male - Blindness (May 2023)

  • Patient: Male, 50 years old
  • Procedure: Under-eye fat repositioning surgery
  • Complication: Optic nerve damage
  • Outcome: Complete loss of vision in right eye

Case 2: 20s Female - Facial Paralysis (2021 surgery, reported 2023)

  • Patient: Kim (surname), female, in her 20s
  • Procedures: Facial contouring surgery (안면윤곽술) and double jaw surgery (양악수술)
  • Complications:
    • Nerve damage to eyes, mouth, and forehead
    • Facial paralysis - one eye does not close properly
    • Asymmetrical smile - only one corner of mouth moves
  • Post-surgery events:
    • Hospital initially said "everything will return to normal"
    • One month later, patient was rushed to university hospital emergency room
    • Patient reported "black blood continuously flowing from nose and mouth"
    • Woke up in ICU
  • University hospital diagnosis: Nerve damage from double jaw surgery caused facial paralysis

Hospital Response

  • Hospital initially offered only 3.3 million won as "moral support" treatment cost
  • When patient requested 30 million won (university hospital surgery estimate), hospital refused
  • Hospital advised patient to file lawsuit
  • In court, hospital claimed pre-surgery explanations covered potential complications and denied liability

Impact on Patient

The patient reported losing her job after the surgery and developing severe social anxiety. She stated: "I cannot look at other people. I developed fear of people. I just want to die."

Important Disclaimer

This information is based on news reports from October 2023. The specific clinic name was not disclosed in the news reports. Legal proceedings may be ongoing.

Sources

  • 서울경제 (sedaily.com) - "강남 한 성형외과서 또 의료 사고"
  • 뉴스1 (news1.kr) - "실명 사고 강남 성형외과, 이번엔 20대 안면마비"
  • 세계일보 (segye.com) - Related coverage
  • 파이낸셜뉴스 (fnnews.com) - Related coverage