MAN LEFT WITHOUT A NOSE AFTER PLASTIC SURGERY

An Oklahoma man who
underwent more than 20 nose
job procedures is now suing the
plastic surgeon who operated on
him, alleging the doctor left him
without a nose.
Vishal Thakkar decided to get a
nose job in 2006 and enlisted the
services of Dr. Lawrence Angelo
Cuzalina, a recognized Tulsa
plastic surgeon, according to Fox
affiliate KOKI. Thakkar allegedly
had difficulty breathing after the
first nose job, so he went back
for another surgery, then
another and another until the
number topped 21.
During one of the surgeries,
Thakker says Cuzalina cut off his
nose.
“He told me that there was an
infection in there and since I was
on the operating table and
unconscious he had to make the
decision,” he explained to KOKI.
Later adding, “By the time I am
able to breathe without pain and
have a human-looking nose, I
will have had 30 surgeries on
my face thanks to Angelo
Cuzalina.”
An outside expert in the field
told the plaintiff that the
defendants were “negligent in his
treatment and care,” the
complaint, obtained by The
Huffington Post, states.
“By the time that the defendants
were through mutilating the
plaintiff under the guise of
twenty-two plastic surgeries, Mr.
Thakkar was left grossly
deformed, with his nose
amputated, and breathing from a
straw in the middle of his face,
where his nose once was,” the
complaint states. “Plaintiff has
now undergone and will suffer
through many more future
reconstructive surgeries for the
purpose of nasal reconstruction,
and has suffered indescribable,
intolerable physical pain and
suffering.”
In the lawsuit filed in Tulsa
County Court against Tulsa
Surgical Arts and the Oklahoma
Cosmetic Surgery Center,
Thakker alleges Cuzalina tried to
intimidate and blackmail him
after realizing the mistakes he
made. He is now seeking damages
for medical malpractice,
malicious prosecution,
defamation, intentional
infliction of emotional distress,
conspiracy and fraud.
KOKI notes:
On August 31st, 2012 Cuzalina
sent Thakkar a form stating he
will no longer work on him, “…
you are considered medically
unstable. Because of your
ongoing threats and harassment
against my staff, my practice,
and me personally…” the
statement read.
A representative for the Tulsa
Surgical Arts Center told
HuffPost that she could not talk
about the case at the time, citing
a violation of the patient’s
protected health information.
Thakker, who told Tulsa ABC
affiliate KTUL that he trusted his
doctor’s medical opinion, is
currently not working because of
pain. He has had two
reconstructive surgeries on his
nose at another location since
severing ties with Cuzalina. He
wears a mask when he goes out
in public.
He wants to put the sought
payout toward his medical
expenses. He says he hopes his
case will prevent this from
happening to anyone else.
Cuzalina is president of the
American Board of Cosmetic
Surgery. He is a graduate of the
University of Alabama School of
Medicine and has no disciplinary
history, according to the
Oklahoma Medical Board. He has
performed over 10,000 cosmetic
procedures.