You can't get up to prick: a woman died during a skin lift in Moscow
In Moscow, a 39-year-old woman died during a skin tightening procedure on her hands, a law enforcement source told Izvestia. This happened after the use of lidocaine, a drug for local anesthesia. The master, who calls herself a cosmetologist and plastic surgeon on social media, is not licensed, the prosecutor's office said. A criminal case has been opened under the article on the illegal conduct of medical activities that caused the death of a person. Who will be responsible and the reasons for what happened are in the Izvestia article.
Under what circumstances did the woman die?
A woman has died in a beauty co-working space where private doctors and cosmetologists can rent an office. This happened during a "hand lift" operation, a source told Izvestia. The specialist rented an office there and performed procedures that, by law, can only be performed in licensed clinics.
The deceased Elizabeth K. wanted to remove "excess skin" from her hands, which had sagged after losing weight. Inna, the mother of the deceased, said: her daughter consulted with several cosmetologists in Tula and Moscow, eventually found a cosmetologist through social networks and attended her consultation in Kolomna, Moscow region.
— Then they called each other, set a date and time. My daughter had low hemoglobin, and she was increasing it. They postponed the operation at first, and then scheduled it for the 12th," she said.
Elizabeth had previously treated her teeth under anesthesia, but she did not have a reaction to lidocaine, her mother claims. Moreover, during the procedure, she wrote to Inna that "everything is fine" with one hand, they will do the other.
— I didn't take anesthesia. When they started doing anesthesia on the other hand, maybe it was too much. She stretched out first, and then began to beat with her hands. It must have been anaphylactic shock," Inna said.
How was the operation performed
The woman who performed the procedure did not have a license for this type of activity, the Moscow prosecutor's office said.
Upon the death of the patient, a criminal case has been opened under the article on the illegal conduct of medical activities that negligently caused the death of a person.
Izvestia got acquainted with the social networks of the master who performed the procedure. She calls herself a cosmetologist, plastic and maxillofacial surgeon. She claims that her experience in injection and hardware cosmetology is 12 years and that she has completed internships in Germany and Spain.
Patients speak positively about her: "a master of his craft with golden hands," "an excellent specialist and a sincere person."
"The procedures are as non—traumatic as possible and give a very good result," says one of the reviews.
"A highly qualified specialist in her field, who prioritizes the naturalness of women in her work, emphasizing and improving, making their natural beauty more perfect!" — it is written in another.
At the same time, one of the reviews dated March 12, 2025 says that this cosmetologist does not have a license to perform cosmetic procedures.
"I got to her by acquaintance, <...> without checking. <...> She doesn't even have a license to provide cosmetic services," said one of the patients. — She injected me with a drug in my face, which, as far as I know, has long been banned in Russia. <...> The next day, I started having terrible fibrosis."
According to the girl, the cosmetologist asked not to sue her and promised to pay for the treatment. However, she eventually blocked the patient and her relatives. The patient also wrote that she has been undergoing treatment for a year.
There is a response to this review, but the user who left it did not introduce himself. He pointed out that the patient hid information from the doctor that she was allergic, and the next day after the procedure she consumed alcohol.
The death in the cabin is not the first such case this year. So, in the capital's cosmetology salon on March 31, a patient died during the administration of a drug for anesthesia. The preliminary cause of death is considered to be an acute allergic reaction to the administered drug.
Allergies have also caused the death of other cosmetology patients: in January 2025, a 40-year-old woman who wanted to lose weight through cosmetic procedures died in Moscow. In January 2026, a 38-year-old woman also developed anaphylactic shock as she underwent buttock correction injections.
Who will be responsible
In such a situation, the cosmetologist is responsible, says Alexey Kurinny, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection. According to him, it is difficult to ban such beauty coworking and there is no legal liability for them.
— Today, in fact, the one who rents does not bear any responsibility for what they do, how they do it, — he said. — And in this case, only the specialist who performed the procedure can be punished.
Any surgery, even under local anesthesia, should be performed in clinics that meet the standards, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection Tatyana Solomatina told Izvestia. She advised Russians not to pursue cheap procedures and check where they are going.
—Any injection can be accompanied by anaphylactic shock, or anything else that can lead to irreversible consequences," she stressed. — If you follow all the requirements prescribed by the Ministry of Health and Roszdravnadzor today, then this doctor probably would not have performed this manipulation in an ordinary office.
Moreover, low hemoglobin is a contraindication to any intervention, Tatiana Solomatina emphasized. In this case, the person needs to be examined and the reasons understood.
If charged, the cosmetologist could face up to six years in prison, lawyer Vadim Bagaturia believes.
"It is illegal to provide such cosmetic procedures in any room without a license: even a garage, even a coworking space, even an apartment," he explained.
Any injections clearly relate to medical services, and they can only be provided by a legal entity, Irina Gritsenko, a lawyer in the field of medical law, told Izvestia.
To obtain a license, a specialist must have a room that meets the standards, staff and equipment, Irina Hrytsenko added. Working in a coworking space, it is impossible to obtain such a document, she stressed.
— The medical facility will not consist of one room. There are strict requirements: the reception is set up, where the administrators are located, there are toilets, storerooms, treatment rooms," the lawyer said.
The clinic's license can be checked on the Roszdravnadzor website, Irina Gritsenko emphasized.
— The cosmetologist did not have the key permission to provide medical services, so what happened is a crime, — the expert explained.
You should not go for such procedures if they take place in coworking spaces, warned internist and immunologist Irina Yartseva.
— There is one rule: any surgical procedures should be performed in a place where there is intensive care and where there is serious medicine. Then the risks will be minimized," she stressed. — And lidocaine, the higher the dose, the higher the risk of cardiac arrest.
According to her, lidocaine is practically not used now, as there are modern drugs for local anesthesia that are less likely to cause cardiac arrest. And Evgeny Prokhoda, a plastic surgeon at the Institute of Plastic Surgery and Cosmetology, drew attention to the fact that there are special allergy tests, including lidocaine, to determine sensitivity to a particular drug.
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