Influencer sues plastic surgeon for $2,200,000 claiming 'overly large' breasts have ruined her career
An influencer has claimed she lost her ‘successful social media career’ after undergoing an allegedly botched breast augmentation - and now she’s suing the doctor behind the surgery for a seven-figure sum.
Before going under the knife, Danielle Mansutti, 30, had a thriving online presence, sharing fashion, lifestyle and beauty videos for her ‘significant’ social media fans.
However, she claims her career was ‘ruined’ after she had ‘overly large’ breast implants surgically inserted in December 2020.
Due to allegedly having ‘asymmetry between the breasts’, Mansutti underwent corrective surgeries before eventually fleeing Britain. She now works a ‘more conventional’ job in Australia.
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Mansutti claims in documents submitted to the court that her original surgeon, Dr Domenico Mileto, recommended she choose ‘oversized’ implants for her frame which have left her ‘disfigured’.
The former content creator is suing the Harley Street plastic surgeon for £1.7 million ($2,240,000), alleging she’s been left in ‘pain’ and disability caused by pectoral muscle damage.
The cosmetic expert has since denied claims, refuting that he put bigger implants into the ex-influencer than she requested while insisting there was nothing wrong with the surgery.
Danielle Mansutti goes under the knife in December 2020
Mansutti, who previously lived in Brighton, launched her YouTube channel in January 2011.
During her time on the video-sharing platform, the star amassed a whopping 1.6 million followers, and would regularly post makeup tutorials, vlogs and travel videos on her self-titled channel.
Around two months before she quit posting online, Mansutti met with plastic surgeon Dr Mileto.
According to court documents, Mansutti initially met with the practitioner in November 2020 where she admitted she wanted to enlarge her 34B breasts to a ‘C/D’ cup.
“The claimant explained to Dr Mileto that she wanted a natural breast appearance, She was a size eight dress size and was sure she did not want the appearance of obviously augmented breasts,” barrister Caroline Hallissey said in lodged documents.
“She was given two or three implants to try, in the range 350-400cc, which were inserted into a sports bra provided by the clinic... when she expressed a preference for the smaller implant, Dr Mileto advised her to go for the larger implant as he said the implant would 'drop' and 'shrink' in time.”
According to the lawsuit, Mansutti believed that Dr Mileto was the ‘expert’ and that if he thought a 400cc implant was required to achieve the ‘natural look’ she wanted, he ‘must be right’.
It’s also understood the former video maker was ‘not advised of any specific risks pertaining to the size of the implant that Dr Mileto had selected for her’, as per the filing.
“She was not advised that 400cc implants, in the context of her small frame, had potential adverse implications for the soft tissue and skin of the breasts or her pectoral muscles (or that) corrective surgery might be required if such large implants were used,” it adds.
Mansutti undergoes further surgeries
A month after her operation in January 2021, it was said that Mansutti had an appointment with a nurse at the clinic.
It was during this meeting that she first expressed concerns that her left breast was ‘dropping’, causing her nipple to ‘point outwards’.
This meeting led to her first revisionary surgery.
Although ‘short-term relief of the pain’ was achieved, the woman’s breast continued to ‘descend lower on the chest wall’.
After a second opinion with a third practitioner, the former UK resident was finally told the 400cc implants were too big for her size eight frame, as per the documents.
A third surgery in May 2021 saw Mansutti’s implants being removed, leaving her with a ‘visual deformity’ caused by muscle damage and stretch marks.
The third surgeon's note ‘records that the pectoral muscle on the left side had become detached from the sternal bone,’ the barrister said.
“The appearance of her breasts is disfigured and pain and muscle damage have had a significant effect on her quality of life and ability to work.”
As a result of the three surgeries, Mansutti headed to Australia to be with her family so she could access their ‘support and care’.
Mansutti is now suing her plastic surgeon
As a result of undergoing the original surgery and two corrective procedures, Mansutti has been left with a ‘very poor appearance’, the filing reads.
Due to the physical and mental impact of her ordeal, she’s stopped operating as an influencer, losing her ‘social media career’ and is accusing Dr Mileto of damaging her chest muscles.
“The claimant was a suitable candidate for breast augmentation with an appropriately-sized implant in the region of 250cc,” the barrister said in court documents.
“Implants of this size would have achieved a C/D cup size without the need for further intervention. The surgery would have been straightforward, achieved a good cosmetic result and would not have required correction.”
Mansutti claims Dr Mileto failed to ‘recommend and insert an appropriate implant size and shape’ and instead inserted ‘overly large implants’, causing her ‘extensive scarring to her breasts’.
“The cosmetic appearance of her breasts is poor. She has sustained a significant adjustment reaction to the failed surgery,” the lawsuit reads.
The woman is now seeking $2.2 million in compensation, with the court hearing that experts could potentially be brought in to perform an ‘investigation of income streams’.
This would be used to figure out how much money Mansutti has apparently lost since closing down her online business.
A psychiatric expert and breast surgery expert could also be called upon, the court heard last week.
“Liability is in dispute in regard to everything: the consent, the examination, the size of the implants,” the judge was told.
Dr Mileto denies putting ‘overly large’ breast implants into his client
In retaliation to the filed claims, Dr Mileto’s attorney, Matthew Barnes, has claimed his client allowed Manustti try ‘several implant sizes’ to consider before going under the knife.
“The claimant showed... a photograph of how she wanted to look, and whilst he did not keep a copy, it was consistent with 400cc implants,” he said.
“He gave the claimant the opportunity to try several implant sizes and take photographs so that she could consider her options after the appointment.
“He advised the claimant that she could have a second appointment if she was uncertain about the size.”
Barnes however has admitted that the plastic surgeon ‘did not advise the claimant that in the context of her small frame [the implants] had potential adverse implications for… her pectoral muscles’.
“It is averred that the extent of the dissection was appropriate for the 400cc implant,” he added.
It’s understood Mansutti vs Dr Mileto will return to court for a five-day trial at a later date.
Ella Scott