Facial miscalculation: why patients lose arguments with plastic surgeons
There are more and more complaints about private medical centers in Russia. It is especially difficult for patients who are dissatisfied with the result of plastic surgery: the aesthetic effect is considered subjective, and there is no single standard for many interventions. The history of the Moscow Seline Clinic is significant in this sense: lawsuits, appeals to Roszdravnadzor, and even an investigation by the Investigative Committee after the patient fell into a coma while preparing for surgery. Izvestia investigated whether it was possible to defend their rights in such cases.
Complaints, lawsuits, and coma
Since the beginning of 2026, Roszdravnadzor has received six complaints about Seline Medical Group LLC, one of the legal entities of the Moscow multidisciplinary medical center Seline Clinic, specializing in cosmetology and plastic surgery.
"All citizens' appeals were considered within the competence of the department, the necessary response measures were taken within the framework of the legislation, in some cases information was transferred to law enforcement agencies, and responses were sent to the applicants," the department said.
At the same time, at least five patients filed lawsuits against the clinic for consumer protection, Izvestia found out. Most cases are handled in Moscow and involve operations that patients consider unsatisfactory.
In June 2026, one of Seline's patients fell into a coma while preparing for surgery. Roszdravnadzor conducted an investigation into the incident together with the Investigative Committee. She testified that the clinic did not have the necessary permits for plastic surgery.
"Celine Pharmaceutical LLC does not have licenses in the fields of "otorhinolaryngology", "ophthalmology", "obstetrics and gynecology" and "urology", which is a violation of the Procedure for providing medical care in the field of "plastic surgery" and non-compliance with the Procedure for providing medical care in anesthesiology and intensive care in terms of the formation and equipping of the pre-acute ward and chambers of awakening," Roszdravnadzor said in a Telegram channel message.
The Investigative Committee confirmed to Izvestia that verification measures were carried out at the clinic.
Representatives of the institution, in turn, stated that the specialists acted in accordance with the established requirements. "All actions were performed in strict accordance with medical protocols and algorithms for emergency care," the clinic stressed.
Izvestia sent a request to the Seline Clinic, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Patient stories
The editors contacted the plaintiffs, but not all agreed to speak publicly about the consequences of plastic surgery. At the same time, some of them are trying to initiate criminal proceedings and are waiting for the conclusion of a forensic medical examination.
Marina, one of the Seline Clinic's patients, applied there in 2024 after an unsuccessful labiaplasty. According to her, it was necessary to correct the consequences of the previous intervention. However, after the operation, the asymmetry remained, but the itching did not go away. In 2025, the same doctor operated on the woman again, this time at full cost. But even after repeated intervention, Marina claims, the desired result could not be achieved.
As follows from Marina's appeal to the Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko (Izvestia has it), during the last operation, the doctor removed more tissues than was agreed. According to the patient, this led to constant discomfort and painful sensations when walking, which she had not experienced before.
Marina was diagnosed with neurodermatitis (a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes severe itching. — Ed.), revealed problems with the pelvic floor. The diagnoses were confirmed by four Russian surgeons and one German. A specialist from Germany issued a report (available to Izvestia) documenting various defects and asymmetries.
"To date, none of the specialists in the Russian Federation is ready to correct the consequences of operations. The damage caused to health and appearance is irreversible," she said in her appeal.
At the clinic, according to the woman, she was offered to have another operation, already for free, but Marina refused and decided to turn to other specialists. She will need up to 3 million rubles to eliminate the consequences.
— Now I have constant itching and dryness, I wake up in the middle of the night. I can't wear trousers, tights, or leggings with seams, just loose clothes. Everything is rubbing, the doctor has bared the sensitive areas. Whether my sensitivity will decrease at all is a question," the patient told Izvestia.
After Marina left a review about the Seline Clinic doctor, a lawsuit was filed against her for the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation. She filed a counterclaim and is hesitating to undergo new operations until the court decides, so that she has the opportunity to conduct an examination.
Patients also share their negative experiences on social media. In April of this year, one of the women underwent a circular facelift and blepharoplasty (correction of the shape of the eyelids). According to her, after the intervention, asymmetry and inversion of the eyelids appeared, which caused constant pain in the eyes. The woman also complains of sleep problems and the inability to lead a normal lifestyle.
Another patient underwent blepharoplasty, after which, according to her, characteristic "dips" appeared. Doctors at other clinics suggested that too many fat bags had been removed during the operation.
According to the women, after complaining about the result, they are told that they themselves did not follow the postoperative recommendations.
Seline's story is not the first time that Russian plastic surgery centers have faced massive patient complaints. In 2024, Timur Khaidarov's IQ Plastique was searched after the death of a patient. Several women, including famous ones, also publicly spoke about the unsatisfactory results of operations and the complications that had arisen.
In 2025, the St. Petersburg clinic "Abrielle" was stripped of its license after the death of a patient who underwent 14 operations "in one anesthesia." This approach was considered a "feature" of this medical institution, although patients complained of complications after such extensive interventions.
Two Muscovites also had serious health problems after contacting the World of Hardware Cosmetology. Roszdravnadzor also conducted an inspection on this issue.
In 2019, Roszdravnadzor stated that almost 70% of plastic surgery clinics operate with disabilities. And in 2024, the number of complaints against private medical centers increased by 15% compared to 2023, the department estimated.
Why is it difficult to sue
At least seven cases in which Seline Clinic was the defendant have already been completed. In two cases, the parties entered into amicable agreements. In one of them, the clinic returned the money for the services rendered to the patient before the trial and compensated the costs of treatment in another institution. After the operation, the woman's eyelids swelled, hemorrhages appeared and her eyesight deteriorated. In court, the parties continued to argue only about the amount of compensation for moral damage.
The examination concluded that the clinic was not to blame for the complications. But the review of this conclusion pointed to mistakes in the choice of tactics of the operation. The court agreed with the first conclusion, and the appeal upheld the decision.
This case is no exception. In most cases where patients are not satisfied with the result of plastic surgery, the courts reject the claims. Experts say that there is no single standard for surgical rejuvenation of the face and neck, just as there is no standard for check-lifting. At the same time, the aesthetic effect for which the patient decides to undergo surgery is considered subjective and cannot in itself be the basis for claims.
But it's not just about beauty. Seline's patient Tatiana, whose nose on the left side stopped breathing after surgery, went to the Supreme Court and lost. According to her, she was not allowed to invite the experts who conducted the examination to the meeting.
"We didn't even compare the CT scans that were done before the operation, after the first operation, and after the second operation to understand what happened to the bones and why I lost my breath," she told Izvestia.
Russian legislation does not establish a single standard for plastic surgery, although the procedure for providing such care exists and is mandatory for all clinics. The choice of a specific technique remains with the doctor — and it is this discretion that becomes the main obstacle in court disputes, medical lawyers told Izvestia.
— In Russia, the key problem is that when assessing the provision of medical care in the field of plastic surgery, experts, even with formal documents on training in this specialty, do not always have specific techniques, — Ekaterina Baturina, lawyer and lawyer for medical affairs, told the editorial board.
According to her, this is one of the most difficult categories of cases: in 80% of cases, a general lawyer will not be able to cope. They should be conducted by a specialized specialist who is familiar with world practice.
— It is very difficult to prove defects, as the area is specific, — she emphasized.
A criminal case is possible only with proven harm to health. In other cases, the dispute is resolved in the civil law field, where the maximum compensation does not exceed three times the cost of the operation - for specialized clinics, this is usually not a critical amount, Ekaterina Baturina added.
— People often assume that if they go and submit an expert examination, the experts will figure it out on their own. This is a misconception. It is necessary to convey in great detail what the violations are, what complaints, what is happening to the patient," the lawyer said.
Moreover, all the symptoms, even seemingly insignificant ones, need to be documented, otherwise the case will not be won, the lawyer emphasized.
And Ivan Pecherey, an expert on the quality of medical care, a medical lawyer, and the head of Sudmedexpert LLC, noted that a person has the right to turn to independent doctors for a second opinion, but legally significant harm to health is determined solely through a forensic medical examination. According to him, asymmetry, bulky scars and other aesthetic aspects are not always considered harmful to health.
— The contractual order of relations between the clinic that performs such operations and patients is important here, and especially the paperwork, including informed voluntary consent. It plays a key role in plastic surgery," the lawyer said.
Medical lawyer Irina Hrytsenko agrees with this. According to her, such cases actually boil down to two questions: whether health was harmed and whether the promised result was achieved.
— The result must be recorded in the contract, in informed voluntary consent. The patient can also provide evidence of what the doctors promised him, including correspondence," she said.
At the same time, there are requirements for plastic surgery, but they mainly relate to medical indications and patient safety. But claims to an aesthetic result are much more difficult to substantiate.
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