They bring beauty: how cosmetic procedures result in loss of health for Muscovites
Two residents of Moscow received serious complications after contacting one of the capital's cosmetology centers. One of them developed ulcers after surgery, her neck lost its mobility, and the second lost her eyesight. The women filed complaints with the prosecutor's office, Roszdravnadzor, Rospotrebnadzor and the Moscow Department of Health, and also contacted the police. How to act in case of an unsuccessful procedure is described in the Izvestia article.
What happened at the cosmetology center
At least two residents of Moscow, whose health deteriorated significantly after cosmetic procedures, complained about the clinic "World of hardware Cosmetology" ("MAC") and the plastic surgeon of this organization Daria Naumenkova. The woman's appeals were sent to the Moscow Department of Health, the prosecutor's office, Rospotrebnadzor, Roszdravnadzor, and also contacted the police. The complaints are at the disposal of Izvestia.
According to the documents, the clinic's visitors experienced serious complications after the procedures. So, after liposuction of the lower third of the face and neck, Evgenia Shomova, one of the clients of the MAC center, had skin flaps on her face and neck incorrectly fused. The woman can't turn her head now.
"I was not warned about any possible consequences, risks or complications," the client added. — On the contrary, Daria promised that in two weeks I would be a "doll", and the proof of this is her number of subscribers and photos "Before/After" on social media.
But on the second day after the operation, when changing the bandage, the client discovered that pus and pronounced deformational changes appeared in the area of surgery.
— Being scared, I immediately turned to Daria. But she informed me that such defects are the norm and they do not require additional intervention," she said. — And then the doctor blamed me for the defects after the operation. She said that I was holding my head in the wrong position, so everything had gone awry.
Then, according to the victim, her condition worsened even more: in addition to the fact that scars formed on her face and neck, the skin on her neck became very thin, and the mobility of her neck was disrupted.
"Even simple head movements have become difficult, which makes it difficult to do ordinary household chores and work," she stressed.
Evgenia Shomova said that she found information about Daria Naumenkova on social networks.
— After reviewing the specialist's work and the positive reviews under them, I decided to make an appointment with her for a consultation and find out information about liposuction of the lower third of the face and neck, — she said. — Initially, I only planned to consult a doctor. But they persuaded me to start the procedure right away. In addition, the doctor said that in addition to liposuction, I need to remove Bichat lumps (accumulations of fatty tissue in the cheeks below the zygomatic arch. — Ed.).
The procedures cost Shomova 170 thousand rubles.
"I borrowed the funds for them from my grandmother," she added.
License for ugliness
The second victim said on condition of anonymity that she had paid for botox and liposuction of the lower third of her face and neck. But, according to her, Daria Naumenkova injected another filler into her nose, the woman said. This procedure caused a complication for the client, she claims.
"I had severe swelling of my eyes and face, and then it subsided and I found that my eyesight had dropped significantly," she added.
The woman said that she turned to a plastic surgeon at the MAC center on the recommendation of a colleague.
"I was led by the positive feedback about the specialist's work and signed up for several procedures at once — botox and liposuction of the lower third of the face and neck," she clarified. — But before the procedures, the specialist did not take any tests from me. This alerted me for a moment, but it was too late, the doctor began her manipulations.
Both victims claim that Daria Naumenkova performed cosmetic and surgical operations in Moscow without medical education. Information about his presence is also missing from her social networks, Izvestia found out — the doctor has pages where she posts photos before and after her procedures, but there is no information about her diplomas.
Izvestia also contacted Daria Naumenkova and asked her to comment on the harassment of her clients.
"I am Daria Naumenkova, a correspondent for Storm TV, a volunteer helping the front. I am currently carrying out a humanitarian mission in the DPR. I have certificates of appreciation and medals from the Ministry of Defense," the message from the doctor says.
She admitted that she had received complaints from a client. However, according to her, "not only the claim, but also the threats."
"I also wrote a statement to the police about extortion," Daria Naumenkova said. — She (the victim. She did the procedure for me, and a few days later she started extorting 1 million rubles, threatening to damage her reputation and harass me on social networks. I do not plan to respond to the actions of this person, I have passed all the information to law enforcement agencies."
However, Evgenia Shomova also told Izvestia that the doctor had threatened her.
According to the Rusprofile verification and analysis service for Russian legal entities and entrepreneurs, the MAC organization was founded in August 2016 in Moscow. The company operates in the field of medical activity, specializing in hardware cosmetology. The clinic has licenses for all necessary activities.
One of the clinic's clients told Izvestia that there were other victims, but they were allegedly not ready to file complaints with law enforcement agencies.
Also, both clients, according to them, did not receive and, accordingly, did not sign the contract, as well as checks. The women said that they partially paid in cash, and another part was transferred to the doctor's card.
However, both women admit, they were not too alarmed by this situation — until complications appeared after the operations. When they informed the doctor about this and demanded compensation and funds for treatment, she stopped contacting them.
The victims sent complaints to the cosmetology center, but they did not receive a response. Izvestia also asked the center to confirm receipt of the claims. No response was received.
What is the danger of cosmetic procedures?
The face is an area with a complex system of blood vessels, plastic surgeon Sergey Karpovich told Izvestia. He noted that it is not a filler that is dangerous, but an unprofessional cosmetologist with poor knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
"If the drug had entered the lumen of an artery or severely squeezed a vessel, the patient could have started necrosis (tissue death) or complete blindness," he said.
Both patients are currently undergoing expensive treatment at other clinics at their own expense.
A criminal case is unlikely to be initiated against Daria Naumenkova, says Irina Gritsenko, a lawyer in the field of medical law.
— Skin detachment, limited neck mobility, or pronounced cosmetic defects are not always recognized as even minor harm to health. This means that there are no grounds for initiating a criminal case and either minimal or no moral compensation," she explained.
But if it is proved that Daria Naumenkova really carried out her activities without medical education and the necessary licenses and a causal relationship is established between the operations and harm to the health of the patients, she may face up to five years in prison, medical lawyer Lyudmila Matvienko objected.
— But for this it will be necessary to prove that moderate harm has been caused to the health of the victims, — she specified.
If it is established that the specialist carried out her activities lawfully, she may face imprisonment for up to a year and a ban on holding certain positions for up to three years, the expert added.
Indeed, the court does not always side with the victims. For example, in Bashkiria in 2025, the Investigative Committee dropped the case against Liya Miftakhova, a cosmetologist from Ufa, who was accused by one of her clients in 2024 of providing substandard services.
How to protect yourself from false specialists
It is possible to stop the activities of specialists without specialized education and a license to conduct a particular medical activity only by improving the legal literacy of patients, says Irina Gritsenko, a lawyer in the field of medical law.
— Today, the key problem is not the lack of legislation, but the behavior of consumers themselves. I still encounter situations where young women go for injections in basements, invite "specialists" to their homes, or trust people solely because of beautiful stories on social media," the expert noted.
According to the law "On Licensing of certain types of activities," the administration of injections, drugs and other manipulations with cosmetic devices is subject to licensing, Irina Hrytsenko recalled.
Federal Laws No. 323-FZ "On the basics of public Health protection in the Russian Federation" and No. 99 "On licensing certain types of activities," according to the lawyer, are structured logically and in detail.
— These laws provide sufficient legal regulation in the field of medical services. But the problem is that people are trying to save money and consciously go into the gray zone," she said.
Roszdravnadzor should monitor the cosmetology sector, Irina Gritsenko noted.
"But as a practicing lawyer, I can say that in my entire professional career, I have seen only one case of a large—scale inspection that resulted in the suspension of the clinic's activities for 90 days," she stressed.
The popularity and widespread use of pseudocosmetologists' services is explained by the legal illiteracy of patients, agreed medical lawyer Lyudmila Matvienko. And also, according to her, people fall for pseudo-specialists because of the relative cheapness of their services and their aggressive marketing on social networks.
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