A woman who underwent a tummy tuck operation five years ago won £22,000 in compensation after her belly button exploded on a flight home from holiday.
Patricia Jackson, of Bridlington initially underwent the operation after a bout of weight loss left her with a saggy stomach. After the operation, she noticed that her belly button had disappeared. When she queried the surgeon Edgardo Schiavone, he said that he had removed it altogether because there wasn't enough skin to make a new one.
Despite the surgeon's reassurances, the truth was that her belly button had been sewn up inside her and was "falling apart". Things came to a head on a flight home from Portugal when her belly exploded.
SEE ALSO:
Chinese Man Has 13Kg Tumour Removed From His Back In Nine-Hour Operation
Tanning Addict Scarred After Tumour Removed - She Used A Sunbed Everyday For Three Years
"Passengers complained about the smell as the contents of her stomach poured out," reported Metro. "After the cabin crew tried to patch her up as best they could during the flight, she was taken to an NHS hospital where staff managed to locate and reconstruct her ruined navel."
The Independent quoted Mrs Jackson, a former care home manager as saying: “For the first year after the operation, everything was fine and I went to work as normal. But I was due for a yearly check-up and the surgeon was concerned about the scarring because it looked quite bad.
Her lawyer, Jeanette Aspinall said: "Mrs Jackson had the operation to gain confidence and instead was subject to years of pain and embarrassment.
"This case highlights how easy it is for an everyday cosmetic surgery procedure to go wrong."
She added: "While Mrs Jackson is happy with the final result of the case after years of anger, she is now understandably fearful of undergoing any further surgery. She is now keen to put this incident behind her and highlight the problems of not receiving the proper aftercare."
Dr Schiavone, who settled out of court, declined to comment on the case.