No Win, No FeeOver recent years, liposuction procedures have become a more and more popular way of removing unwanted body fat. While many people are more than happy with the outcome of their treatment, liposuction can go wrong. If you’ve suffered following a botched liposuction procedure, you may be entitled to compensation. Our guide on liposuction compensation claims will review your options and look at the types of mistakes that may allow you to claim.
Our team of specially trained advisors is on hand to offer a free initial consultation about your claim. They’ll assess whether you may be eligible to claim and provide no-obligation legal advice. If the claim is taken on by a medical negligence solicitor from our panel, you’ll be represented on a No Win, No Fee basis. That means you’ll only have to pay legal fees if compensation is awarded.
Please read on to find out more about liposuction compensation claims or call us on 0800 652 1345 to discuss your options.
What is liposuction?
Liposuction is a procedure where a surgeon removes excess fat to alter your body shape. Typically, liposuction is performed on the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, upper arms, neck and chin.
During liposuction, a cannula is used to suck out the excess fat from the chosen part of the body. In most cases, liposuction is performed for cosmetic reasons but the NHS does provide liposuction to treat certain conditions.
If you choose to have a liposuction procedure, you can check that the hospital or clinic is registered with Care Quality Commission.
What can go wrong with liposuction?
Generally, liposuction is regarded as a safe medical procedure. However, if liposuction goes wrong, it can cause serious problems for the patient. Some possible complications linked to liposuction include:
- Uneven skin contours. Your skin may appear wavy or bumpy after liposuction. This can be caused by poor skin elasticity or uneven fat removal.
- Numbness or nerve damage. It is possible to have temporary or permanent numbness in the area where the fat was removed.
- Infections. Poor aftercare can result in a skin infection which can cause life-threatening symptoms if not managed properly.
- Internal organ damage. It is possible that an internal organ could be punctured if the cannula used for liposuction is inserted too far.
- Seromas. This is where pockets of fluid can accumulate under the skin. Seromas will usually need to be drained with a needle or syringe.
- Embolisms. In rare cases, liposuction can cause pieces of fat to get trapped in a blood vessel. Embolisms that travel to the brain or lungs can be life-threatening.
- Heart and kidney problems. During liposuction, fluids are pumped into the body and sucked out. This can lead to an imbalance that may affect the heart or kidneys.
- Haematoma. Where there is bleeding under the skin following liposuction.
- Scarring. There is a risk, in some cases, that liposuction can result in temporary or permanent scarring.
- Reaction to the anaesthetic. While rare, some people may experience a negative reaction to the anaesthetic.
If your liposuction procedure went wrong, call us to see if you could claim compensation for your suffering.
Can I claim compensation for liposuction gone wrong?
To check if you could claim compensation for liposuction gone wrong, a medical negligence solicitor from our panel will want to see that there have been:
- A breach of duty (negligence). This is where the level of treatment provided fell below the level that you could reasonably expect from a competent medical professional.
- Causation. Where it can be demonstrated that you suffered in some way as a direct result of the medical professional’s negligence.
As you might imagine, proving medical negligence can be extremely difficult. That is one of the main reasons we suggest that you take on specialist legal representation. If you work with a medical negligence solicitor, they’ll use independent medical experts to review the treatment you received and how you’ve suffered.
In some cases, injuries caused by known risks associated with liposuction surgery are unavoidable. In these cases, it would not be possible to claim liposuction compensation. However, if the specialist proves that you received substandard treatment during a liposuction procedure, you could be entitled to compensation for any suffering caused.
Common causes of liposuction compensation claims
There are many reasons why you might be entitled to claim compensation following a botched liposuction. Some examples include:
- If the risks associated with liposuction were not explained before treatment.
- Where your medical history was not reviewed during your consultation.
- If you were promised an outcome that simply was not possible.
- If options other than liposuction were not considered as part of your consultation.
- Where the surgeon caused avoidable injuries because they used the wrong equipment or followed the wrong procedures.
- If you suffered a hospital infection because of poor hygiene standards.
- If you were given poor aftercare advice.
These are just some examples of the types of negligence that could allow you to claim liposuction compensation. Remember, any mistakes made during your treatment must’ve caused you to suffer in some way before you’ll be eligible to start a claim.
Can I make a liposuction compensation claim if I signed a waiver?
You may think that if you signed a consent form or waiver prior to liposuction, you can’t claim compensation if something went wrong. However, that’s not the case. Waivers are used to confirm that you are happy to be treated and you have been informed about any potential risks.
However, they do not stop you from claiming liposuction compensation if your injuries were caused by negligence. As part of our free consultation, we’ll review your consent form if you still have a copy.
How much compensation for a botched liposuction can I claim?
When assessing your liposuction compensation claim, your solicitor will try to determine how your injuries have affected you physically, emotionally and financially. It is important to get this claim right as you can only ask for compensation once.
If your claim is won, it could cover:
- Any physical discomfort, pain and suffering caused by the botched liposuction.
- Distress, depression or other psychological injuries.
- Loss of earnings linked to your injuries.
- Loss of enjoyment of your normal hobbies and activities.
- The cost of private remedial treatment.
- The time a loved one spent caring for you while you recovered.
- Travel expenses.
- Future loss of earnings for more serious liposuction injuries.
- Modifications to your home to help you cope if you’ve been left seriously injured.
If your claim is handled by a solicitor from our panel, they’ll go through everything with you in detail to make sure all aspects of your suffering are covered in your claim.
Providing proof for a liposuction compensation claim
In most cases, claims against private clinics will be forwarded to an insurance company. Before they’ll award compensation, they’ll want to see proof that shows why their client is to blame for your injuries and how you’ve been affected.
In liposuction compensation claims, the types of proof your solicitor may use includes:
- Your medical records. These can help to show any treatment you’ve needed to resolve your liposuction injuries.
- Photographs. You should provide before and after pictures to help prove the extent of your injuries or any negative outcomes.
- Witness statements. Your solicitor may ask anybody who was with you during your consultation about what was said. Your family may also be asked to provide a statement about how you’ve been affected by your injuries.
- Complaint responses. If you complained to the clinic that performed your liposuction treatment, any responses will be examined to see if they shed any light on what went wrong.
- Financial records. As you may be able to recoup any financial losses linked to a botched liposuction operation, you should retain any relevant receipts, payslips or bank statements.
Don’t worry if you don’t have all the evidence listed above when you call. If your claim is accepted, your solicitor will try to secure everything that’s needed to prove what went wrong.
Do I need a medical?
When making any type of cosmetic surgery claim, the extent of your injuries needs to be established. As such, you will be asked to attend a medical assessment during your claim. The meeting will usually be held locally with an independent specialist.
The specialist will examine your injuries and talk with you about how you’ve suffered. They’ll then write a report for all parties involved in your claim to explain your prognosis.
Once your solicitor receives your report, they’ll be able to calculate how much compensation you could receive if the claim is won.
No Win, No Fee claims
It is common for claimants in botched liposuction claims to be worried about the cost of hiring a medical negligence solicitor. But because we believe having specialist legal representation can improve your chances of winning your claim, our panel of medical negligence solicitors offer a No Win, No Fee service for all liposuction compensation claims they take on.
After your consultation, your solicitor will send you a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is the formal name for a No Win, No Fee agreement. It is the contract between you and your solicitor that sets out the work that will be carried out on your behalf.
Your CFA will show you that:
- There aren’t any upfront legal fees to pay.
- You don’t need to pay for your solicitor’s work if your claim is lost.
- A success fee (of up to 25% of any settlement) will be deducted from your compensation if your claim is won.
Once you have signed your agreement, your solicitor will start working on your claim. Their main goals will be to:
- Find out exactly how you’ve been affected by discussing the case with you in detail.
- Collect medical reports and proof to support your liposuction compensation claim.
- File the claim with the defendant.
- Keep you informed about how the claim is progressing.
- Use their legal skills to try and counter any arguments regarding liability.
- Attempt to win the highest level of compensation possible.
To see if you can make a liposuction compensation claim on a No Win, No Fee basis, please call today.
Do liposuction claims go to court?
As a solicitor will assess your chances of being compensated before taking on a claim, it is very rare for liposuction compensation claims to end up in court. In the vast majority of cases, claims are settled amicably with the defendant’s insurers.
Usually, the only times that a court date would be arranged is when liability for your injuries is not agreed upon or when a settlement amount is deemed to be too low. In either case, your solicitor will discuss your options with you before taking the claim to court.
Liposuction compensation claims time limits
Our panel of solicitors can only work on liposuction claims that are made within the 3-year time limit. Generally, the limitation period will begin from the date you realised something had gone wrong with your liposuction procedure.
Leaving your claim too long could mean you miss out on the compensation you might be entitled to claim. As such, we suggest that you contact our team sooner rather than later.
If you’re struggling financially because of your injuries, you could receive interim payments before your claim is settled. These could help you cope with a reduced income or to pay for remedial medical treatment.
To check how long you have left to claim, please get in touch.
Start a liposuction compensation claim today
We hope this guide about claiming liposuction compensation has been helpful. We’re here to help if you’d now like to discuss your options. You can call us on 0800 652 1345 for free legal advice and a no-obligation review of your claim.
Our panel of solicitors work on a No Win, No Fee basis which means if your claim is taken on, there won’t be any legal fees to pay unless you are awarded compensation. Knowing that will usually make the claims process a lot less stressful.
If would like to know anything else about liposuction compensation claims, please call or connect to our live chat service or arrange a free consultation here.
