Plastic surgeries left scar, dents in leg, says Winnipeg woman

A Winnipeg woman says she spent more than $8,000 on plastic surgery to shape up her body after giving birth, but now feels too embarrassed to wear a bathing suit.

Jessica Peterson, 27, says she decided to have plastic surgery after giving birth to two children.

"I had gained a lot of weight and I just wanted to take it off fast instead of doing the exercise and dieting," she said.

Peterson, who works in a hair salon, said she called a doctor after speaking with friends.

"I had friends who had surgery and loved it. It's a quick fix," she said.

Peterson said her plastic surgeon advised her to get breast implants because he believed a lift would cause too much scarring. She also agreed to thigh liposuction.

Following her surgery there were complications, Peterson said, including numb and sore nipples, uneven breasts and dents in her legs. She had corrective surgery a year later, but that made the problems worse, she said. "More dents in my body, you could see them more clearly."

She also received a burn on her right thigh that became infected and left a scar.

The surgeries cost about $8,000, and Peterson said she wishes she hadn't undergone any of them.

Dr. Manfred Ziesmann, a Winnipeg plastic surgeon who has practised for 20 years in the city, performed Peterson's surgeries.

While he declined to discuss specific cases, Ziesmann did look at pictures of Peterson's burn scar. He said such burns are rare but can happen.

"It's an unexpected result," he said. "Sometimes things happen in operating rooms that are unintended."

Ziesmann said dents or uneven skin are a common side-effect after liposuction surgery, but can be corrected with newer techniques. Numbness in the nipples is extremely rare, he said, adding that about one per cent of patients experience the symptom after getting implants.

Ziesmann said he informs all his patients about the risks with any surgery.

"Sometimes patients' expectations are inappropriate," he said. "The thing you have to keep in mind that sometimes — we have an expression — the enemy of good is great. So if someone has a good result, they're aiming for a great result. Maybe they'll end up with a worse result than they bargained for."

Peterson said she didn't bargain for her results and has no plans for future surgery.

"I will never go out in a bikini or a swimsuit to the beach, that's for sure," she said. "I wear skirts and people look at my leg and ask me about it all the time."