After drama in Vienna

Beauty business: Beware, danger to life!

The business of beauty. A patient was critically injured in a Viennese backyard orgy.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Martin Jöchl Stock Adobe)

Full lips, plump breasts, a flat stomach - the beauty business is booming. More and more women are going under the knife to chase after an artificially created image of beauty. Local doctors are sounding the alarm: cases of high-risk medical malpractice in backstreet surgeries are on the rise.

Whether injections, liposuction or cutting, the procedures are expensive. An estimated 100,000 treatments and even operations are carried out across Austria every year. There is a great temptation to take advantage of cheaper offers at home and abroad. And you don't always have to go abroad - domestic providers are increasingly getting involved in the illegal business.

Fatal offer from "Instagram beautician"
 With fatal consequences for customers who want to fulfill their dream of looking like a supermodel or influencer. However, their pictures on social media are actually edited with great effort. For example, a 28-year-old Viennese woman could not resist the advertising of an "Instagram beautician". 14 days after the lip injections, the young mother died - as reported - after being turned down in several Viennese hospitals despite suffering from acute symptoms.

The widower has been fighting for compensation from the city for more than a year. The beautician has long since gone into hiding.

Death drama surrounding Dilber. She was turned away from hospital despite being in pain.

(Bild: Anja Richter)

Patient critically injured
Now the latest shocking case: a 58-year-old woman who suffered life-threatening facial and neck injuries at a Georgian "doctor" in a backyard practice in Vienna-Landstraße had to be rescued with emergency surgery. In any case, the Georgian was not licensed to practice in Austria. He is currently in custody.

The number of cases of botched operations is increasing, particularly in the east of the country. Dr. Johannes Matiasek also has desperate patients knocking on his door. For example, the experienced plastic surgeon had to treat a Viennese woman who had undergone a tummy tuck in Turkey. She had been told on the phone that she should fly there.

Surgeries abroad are often much cheaper. With the risk of having no contact person after the operation. This makes the ordeal longer.

Dozent Dr. Johannes Matiasek, plastischer Chirurg

Bild: Matiasek

"The patient has a cut in her pubic area. The scar has become infected. At first, we treated the wound without surgery. The scar was later corrected. In total, the patient paid more," explains Matiasek. The doctor points out that major procedures should only be carried out by plastic surgeons with experience. Smaller procedures can be carried out by a dermatologist. But never in a beauty salon, unless a doctor has his practice there!

Dozens of victims complain to
Investigations by the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office and the State Office of Criminal Investigation into another spectacular case of alleged cosmetic malpractice have been going on for more than a year and a half. It concerns a "beauty clinic" in a prime location in the heart of the city that has long since slipped into insolvency. Dozens of victims complain.

The alleged "botched patient" complained to the "Krone" with lawyer Dr. Boran about her suffering after a nose correction.

(Bild: Tomschi Peter)

Unspeakable pain
Just like nurse Snezana T., who has been waiting for justice since 2023. During a "correction" of her nose, the 49-year-old's olfactory organ was practically completely destroyed. Since then, the woman has been plagued by "unspeakable pain", as she described in several "Krone" interviews. And another young customer is said to have had her lips completely disfigured during the injections.

Architect as "beauty doctor"
 Behind the institute, which once promised "affordable beauty for everyone" on glossy brochures, are two beautiful sisters with Persian and Iranian roots. The boss herself is actually a trained architect and not a "beauty doctor". She offered major procedures such as breast augmentation (3500 euros) or liposuction (1600 euros) and even hyaluronic acid therapy against wrinkles (169 euros).

The accusations made by the judiciary are serious: serious commercial fraud, embezzlement and social security fraud and, in connection with allegedly improperly performed skin treatments, also medical malpractice and negligent bodily harm.

Both accused women are also incriminated by a former managing director of the bankrupt clinic, who is himself a dentist, in the interrogations on the case at the economic police: "After several procedures without my approval, I resigned."

The main suspect - represented by top lawyer Rudolf Mayer - and her sister categorically deny everything. The presumption of innocence applies.

Mayer assumes that the case will be dropped.