GP let disgraced ex-cosmetic surgeon work on her patients, tribunal finds
A Melbourne GP allowed an unregistered former celebrity plastic surgeon to perform skin cancer operations on patients in a medical breach a tribunal has ruled “beggars belief”.
A Melbourne GP allowed a disgraced, unregistered ex-cosmetic surgeon to work on several patients, including one with skin cancer, a tribunal has found.
Former celebrity plastic surgeon Cynthia Weinstein, who went by ‘Dr Skin’, surrendered her medical registration in 2010 after years of complaints of botched treatments and headlines.
She pleaded guilty in court in 2016 to holding herself out to be a medical professional after she continued to see patients while unregistered.
But, despite this, VCAT documents show Dr Galina Shvetsova — who was aware of Ms Weinstein’s unregistered status — let her perform surgical procedures on four patients in 2017 and 2018.
These included removing a “suspected Melanoma” from one patient and removing a basal cell carcinoma — another type of skin cancer — from another.
The patients all attended the CDC clinic in Armadale, which Ms Weinstein owned.
Tribunal members Ian Proctor, Dr Patricia Molloy and Dr Angela Sungaila slammed her behaviour in a ruling published this week and reprimanded her.
“It’s ‘beggars belief’ that Dr Shvetsova permitted Ms Weinstein anywhere near the surgical procedures,” tribunal documents said.
They said this was partly because she had been cautioned previously, in 2015, after she relied on advice from Ms Weinstein to issue a prescription to a patient she herself did not see.
The tribunal also found the GP failed to keep “adequate” medical records for the four patients.
A witness statement, submitted to the tribunal, from one of the four patients said they felt “overwhelmed, angry and cheated”.
“She [Dr Shvetsova] said words to the effect that she highly recommended Cynthia who had over 20 years’ experience in dermatology and cosmetic procedures,” they said.
“I never would have agreed to Cynthia removing the melanoma if I had known she was not a registered medical practitioner.”
The Medical Board of Australia told the tribunal Dr Shvetsova should be suspended for six months and her behaviour “carried a real risk of harm”.
“It denied the patients the opportunity to give informed consent and, in at least one case, obtained that consent by straight-up dishonesty as to Ms Weinstein’s involvement in the procedure,” the Board said.
Dr Shvetsova said no suspension was warranted given factors including “her remorse and insight into her failings” and her professional conduct in the almost seven years since.
In a 2023 letter to the Board, she said “I am not the same practitioner that I was when this investigation began”.
The ruling criticised the case’s lengthy delay, and noted that Dr Shvetsova has worked as a GP — bar an “effective six-month suspension” under interim orders in 2018 — throughout most of this time. She had conditions on her registration until 2022.
The board acknowledged the lengthy delay but said it was “in part” due to Dr Shvetsova’s “initial dishonesty” about the case.
The tribunal ultimately ruled a suspension was not necessary, citing the delay, and said Dr Shvetsova had “responsibly engaged in education and reform”.
After leaving CDC clinic in 2018, Dr Shvetsova worked at Sandy Hill Medical Centre in Sandringham and St Kilda Superclinic until last year.
She moved to Brisbane and began working at Kenmore General Clinic in April 2024.
More Coverage
Originally published as GP let disgraced ex-cosmetic surgeon work on her patients, tribunal finds
