The Sydney Morning Herald, together withThe Age and ABC’sFour Corners,decided to investigate the sector,particularly the country’s most famous cosmetic surgeon,Dr Daniel Lanzer,after a number of ex-staff and other sources came forward withsome shocking revelations.
Dr Lanzer found out and sent a threatening letter to plastic surgeons telling them not to speak. Some of his staff pointed fingers at two former employees as being the whistleblowers.
This triggered a flood of even more information from patients,other ex-staff and contractors.
Two consumer research advocates audited the social media aspect of Dr Lanzer and his doctors,some of which included inappropriate lyrics and the trivialisation of the surgery.
Then there was a big breakthrough:a mystery USB in an unidentified package was sent,which included some damning videos,audios and communications that gave a further glimpse into the inner workings of Dr Lanzer’s clinics.
Videos showed doctors dancing and laughing as they performed liposuction on an unconscious patient while holding a long stainless-steel cannula. Besides being disrespectful to the patient,it is dangerous because the cannula can pierce an organ. There were audio recordings of Dr Lanzer telling staff to never admit there has been a mistake,never own up to anything,or never tell a patient to go to a GP or hospital.
Other material brings into question hygiene and sterility. There were photos of human fat stored in fridges and freezers,photos of decanted syringes of filler with masking tape,and internal messages suggesting nurses use expired medication and fill in blank signed prescriptions. There were photos of staples used in the front of the ear on a facelift and video indicating a dangerous lack of care while performing liposuction. There was also evidence that Google reviews might not be all they seem with some five-star reviews written by staff and an unhappy patient paid to replace a negative online review.