Featured Image Credit: Bergamoplast/ olivier-gerbault/ Getty Images/Dougal Waters
Topics: Beauty, France, Health, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Beauty, France, Health, World News
A French plastic surgeon has been accused of practising illegally after being hit with a two-year ban.
Olivier Gerbault - nicknamed the 'nose maestro' - is a plastic surgeon who works in France.
However, the plastic surgeon may not be known as the maestro of noses for much longer, with alleged patients of the doctor having been coming forward claiming they'd been left 'mutilated' by the 58-year-old.
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An alleged patient of the surgeon, named as Elisa, reportedly went for rhinoplasty surgery with Gerbault in August 2020.
Rhinoplasty is 'is surgery that changes the shape of the nose,' Mayo Clinic explains. "The reason for rhinoplasty may be to change the appearance of the nose, improve breathing or both," it adds.
However, after reportedly undergoing the surgery, Elisa complained of a negatively altered appearance to her nose alongside negative impacts on her breathing.
She said: "My nose was long, crooked, thick, it looked like a potato. My left nostril was sagging, the air was no longer passing.
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"When I drank water, my nose touched the glass. I could no longer blow my nose, I had to use cotton swabs."
A patient called Chloé also came forward saying her rhinoplasty in 2020 left her with 'a lump, a big potato' for a nose.
She claims she ended up with 'a strange white spot on my nose' which turned out to be 'a piece of cartilage sticking out' and accuses the surgeon of having 'massacred' her.
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Another alleged victim named Alix reportedly underwent surgery on her chin and when she woke up, she had 'a Bogdanoff chin and an asymmetrical nose' and felt like she'd been 'mutilated'.
She said: "When I woke up, I vomited liters of blood. The doctor had to go over it with a trowel. Since then, I've had a horrible burning sensation, the air rushes in too hard and gets on my nerves. Gerbault ruined my life!"
After multiple complains were filed against the surgeon, Gerbault was slapped with a two-year ban on performing surgeries in November 2023.
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The National Order of Physicians confirmed to Le Parisien he was 'administratively struck off' however reports allege Gerbault has been continuing to perform surgeries anyway, the French General Medical Council subsequently filing a complaint against the surgeon.
The local media outlet reports Gerbault has been under investigation by the Brigade of the Repression of Crimes Against the Person (BRDP) since February.
If it's proven Gerbault has been illegally practising medicine, he could face not only a fine of €30,000 ($31,000), but also potentially two years in prison.
Gerbault said in a statement he 'ceased all surgical activity' since the beginning of the year and referred any patients to a colleague.
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Instead, he believes the accounts are all part of an attempt by a colleague to ruin his reputation.
He said: "These patients are all connected and the grievances are strictly the same, sometimes word for word. (…) It is obvious that they are being helped by a colleague, which is particularly serious and not fraternal."
UNILAD has contacted the French General Medical Council and Gerbault for comment.