Mother who won £150k after bad tummy tuck says cosmetic surgery has ruined her life

A mother who nearly died from an aggressive infection following cosmetic surgery has won a six-figure pay out.

Debra Dawson was left horrifically scarred for life after a tummy tuck she booked with The Hospital Group went horribly wrong.

Ms Dawson, 54, required six further emergency operations to remove necrotic flesh from her stomach which left her with an open wound that refused to close.

She was later shocked to learn she had contracted the infection from a contaminated water supply and that her surgeon was not correctly insured to work in the UK.

Following a long legal battle with the Hospital Group, it admitted primary liability and Ms Dawson was paid £150,000 in a settlement.

But she says the money has done nothing to improve her confidence and wants to warn other women of the risks of going under the knife.

Debra Dawson, 54, (left) was left horrifically scarred for life after a tummy tuck went horribly wrong (right)

She now wants to warn other women of the risks of going under the knife. She said: ‘I looked better before. The scarring is horrendous. It looks like the outline of a saggy bottom on my stomach and it’s ruined my life’

She said: ‘ I just wanted a flatter tummy after having children but it has ruined my life.

‘I looked better before. The scarring is horrendous. It looks like the outline of a saggy bottom on my stomach. It has ruined my life.

‘I would strongly urge any women considering cosmetic surgery to read my story and think again.’

Ms Dawson, a former PA, from Wirral, Merseyside, waited until her children were aged 18 and 22 before booking the tummy tuck.

She was single and hoped it might help improve her confidence. 

Aged 46 at the time, she decided against going abroad for cheaper surgery, believing it would be safer in the UK.

• Is this the grossest thing you’ve seen all day? Woman who…

  ‘Women should wash their hands BEFORE going to the loo’:…

  Why broccoli really IS a superfood: Compounds in the veg…

  Want to lose weight? Count bites not calories! Method helps…

Her tummy tuck was booked with The Hospital Group and took place at the Dolan Park Hospital in Birmingham, in March 2008.

Initially Ms Dawson thought the surgery had gone well. 

But four days after the operation she was visited at home by a district nurse who became concerned.

Ms Dawson said: ‘The skin around the plaster was red and sore and she wanted to take it off to look at the wound.

‘When she peeled it back the smell was awful, the skin looked black in patches and there was an awful thick pus.’

The nurse called Ms Dawson’s GP who confirmed the skin was infected and necrotic. He prescribed the antibiotics that Ms Dawson feels saved her life.

A week later she went back to her surgeon and had a now larger patch of necrotic skin removed.

‘I was literally rotting away and absolutely terrified,’ she said. 

But the wound refused to heal and surgeons at Dolan Park performed five more procedures to remove the rotting flesh.

She was later shocked to learn she had contracted the infection from a contaminated water supply and that her surgeon was not  insured to work in the UK. Following a long legal battle she was awarded £150,000

She was eventually discharged but days after returning home her stomach wound opened again – forcing her son to rush her to their nearest NHS hospital, the Countess of Chester.

There, to her horror, doctors revealed the infection had spread and her life was now at risk. 

Furthermore, she would need more surgery to remove necrotic skin.

But with so little tissue left from the previous operations, she was warned her stomach would end up a mess.

She said: ‘I didn’t care at that point, I just wanted to live.’

Eventually, weeks after the tummy tuck, her stomach wound began to heal.

But the skin had been gathered so much the scarring resembled the outline of a saggy bottom. She had also lost her belly button.

Ms Dawson required six further emergency operations to remove necrotic flesh from her stomach which left her with an open would that refused to close

Ms Dawson said: ‘I hid in baggy clothing – it looked 100 times worse than the stomach I had before.’

The stress and pain caused by her ordeal forced her to quit her job as a PA and she began legal action against The Hospital Group. 

Last year it admitted liability and Ms Dawson received a £150,000 settlement.

Court papers state the Hospital Group admitted negligent failure to prevent the spread of infection within its operating theatre and elsewhere in the hospital. 

However the sum she actually received was far lower, as she had to repay the benefits that she had lived on since the operation.

Mr Antonio Araco, the surgeon who operated on Ms Dawson, was struck of by the General Medical Council as he was not correctly insured to work in the UK.

Ms Dawson still suffers pain and weakness and says her confidence is too low to even consider a relationship.

She said: ‘It has no doubt ruined my life. I know all surgery comes with a risk but I thought staying in the UK was the safer option.

‘Of course I regret having surgery at all, but ultimately I was let down by standards at Dolan Park Hospital and I hold The Hospital Group firmly accountable for what happened to me.’

The Hospital Group said: ‘We are unable to address the allegations put to us for reasons of patient confidentiality.

‘The preservation and protection of such confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us, as is the safety and care we deliver to patients who undergo medical procedures in our facilities every day.’