Class action against celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer grows in Australia

A NSW mum has revealed how her cosmetic surgery allegedly went wrong as the class action against Dr Daniel Lanzer grows. Hear the audio.

Exclusive: As the number of plaintiffs in one of Australia’s biggest cosmetic surgery class actions looks set to hit 1000, the lawyer behind it says it’s just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Publicity around the case against celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer – and seven other defendants, one of whom Dr Daniel Darbyshire died last month – has encouraged other alleged victims of other clinics across the country to come forward.

Patients of Dr Lanzer and his associates allege their cosmetic procedures left them in extreme pain and with ongoing physical and psychological issues.

Lanzer and his associates deny any wrongdoing and are defending the case.

Dr Daniel Lanzer who is set to face legal action.

Madden Lawyers, the group bringing the class action against Dr Lanzer, has also commenced a class action investigation on behalf of patients of Cosmos Clinics, after 150 former patients came forward with their concerns.

The law group said it is advancing thousands of claims against Cosmos Clinics which are located across Australia including in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

Maddens Lawyers Class Action Principal Katheryn Emeny said they’ve been contacted by multiple complainants from around the country.

“We’ve had over 150 people inquire with our office after concerns following a procedure at those clinics,” Ms Emeny said. “And we’re actively advancing”.

Meanwhile, it’s also investigating six or seven other cosmetic surgery businesses on behalf of complainants.

Dr Daniel Lanzer and his wife Vivienne at the launch of The Cosmetic Surgery Show in Malvern. Picture: Supplied

On July 1 new rules came into force to help clean up the cosmetic surgery industry, but a leading expert says Australia’s legislation still lags way behind countries like the UK, France and Singapore.

Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) president Dr Tim Edwards said the government is letting Australians down.

He said the rules on advertising, psychological screening and where surgery is performed have all been tightened, but he said “patients are still being harmed”.

He said qualified surgeons like himself complete another eight to 10 years of training and study after their six years at medical school, whereas any doctor that finishes medical school can do a weekend course in procedures such as liposuction and start performing cosmetic surgery.

After surgery pics of Vicki McCallum from NSW who had 13.5l of fat removed from her arms in legs.

He said a push to protect the word ‘surgeon’ was recommended but has to be approved by each state and territory.

It is currently in front of the Queensland Parliament in what is being seen as a test case.

He blamed the public and medical regulators for seeing cosmetic surgery as “something that women do”, that’s “frivolous”.

However, he said it was blindingly obvious that some procedures involve major surgery and people are not being protected properly.

Ms Emeny also pointed out that a third of the 998 Lanzer class action patients were male and that there were also around a dozen children, most of whom underwent otoplasty, which is ear pinning procedures.

“That’s been particularly difficult to hear of, of the children’s experiences,” Ms Emeny said.

Daniella Scamante, 51 and she had cosmetic surgery with controversial Dr Daniel Lanzer. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“The Common issues with the otoplasty have been around ongoing pain, to the extent that people are unable to lie down to sleep properly. They can’t wear glasses, cut, brush their hair, wear hats, or play any contact sport either.”

Maddens Lawyers is seeking “compensation for pain and suffering, compensation for consequential losses such as expenses associated with after-care, rectification surgery or loss of income as well as interest and legal costs” for the patients of Dr Lanzer and his associates.

The group proceeding summary indicates that the doctors named in it are being pursued for surgeries they performed.

While a psychologist is being pursued in negligence relating to psychological assessments, according to the Judgement.

No defence has been filed at this stage.

Lawyers for Cosmos Clinics have previously said the claims made against them are “malicious lies”.

Dr Lanzer’s legal team said he would not be commenting.

MUM-OF-FOUR LEFT ‘TERRIBLE’ AFTER PROCEDURE

Mum of four Daniella Scamante was inspired to get a tummy tuck and liposuction after watching celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer on his social media channels.

The 51-year-old Melbourne aged care worker, who had multiple C-sections, had lost significant weight and wanted to get rid of the loose skin around her tummy, tighten the stomach muscles, as well as removing some of the fat from her back and thighs.

Daniella Scamante is part of a class action against Dr Daniel Lanzer.

After surgery pics of Daniella Scamante from Melbourne, who is part of a class action against Dr Daniel Lanzer.

As a single mum Ms Scamante didn’t have a lot of spare money and the procedures were expensive – $27,000.

So, she took the money out of her superannuation.

HEAR DANIELLA’S STORY:

She claims after the operation at Dr Lanzer’s Melbourne clinic, in December 2022, she was left with “terrible” bits of lumpy skin around her stomach, pains in her side, a divot on one thigh and numbness in the other.

She also claims she could not see any real difference in the size of her thighs or her back fat after the procedure.

“Once the bandages came off I kind of looked in the mirror and I went, ‘Hmm this doesn’t look right, like I had bits sticking out of the side – like extra skin,” Ms Scamante said of her stomach.

She alleges when she complained, Dr Lanzer said she should lose 10 kilos, even though she was only “60-something” kilos and felt she didn’t need to lose more weight.

Daniella Scamante, 51 had cosmetic surgery with controversial Dr Daniel Lanzer. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Ms Scamante said she thought she would have a bikini body after the procedures, but is now so embarrassed about what she looks like she wears shorts and a T-shirt when swimming. She claims she suffered depression following the operation, and subsequently split up with her partner.

Now she doesn’t like to go out as much, even with friends, and has given up on dating because she doesn’t want a man to see her body. “I haven’t had a relationship since I left my partner,” Ms Scamante said.

“I’ve met guys and as soon as they go, like touching me, I just freak out and I just can’t do it. “Like I feel embarrassed they’re gonna look at my scars and go, ‘Ooh, what’s that skin hanging out from you?’.

“It just puts me off.”

Mr Lanzer’s legal team from Kennedys said their client would not be commenting on Ms Scamante’s case.

NSW MUM: PROCEDURE WAS LIKE ‘RIPPING MY SKIN OFF”

An astonishing 13.5 litres of fat was sucked out of mum-of-four Vicki McCallum’s body during liposuction conducted by controversial cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer.

She knows because Dr Lanzer posted photos of the procedure on his Instagram stories.

One image shows 56-year-old Ms McCallum’s legs on the operating bed and a second picture reveals a row of containers of fat and fluids lined up on a table, with the text stating, ‘13.5 litres fat - stage 2 alone’.

Victoria Health’s guidelines for providers of liposuction states, “A maximum of five litres of fluid (including fat and other fluids) should be removed from the body in one procedure”.

Ms McCallum, who has a medical condition called lipodema - which is an abnormal fat buildup that can affect the limbs - claims she had the first procedure on her lower legs done without any anaesthesia, by another doctor at Dr Lanzer’s Sydney clinic.

During the hour-long procedure the Wagga Wagga mum said it “felt like they were ripping my skin off”.

Vicki has lipoedema and visited one of Dr Lanzer's clinics in Sydney for specialised liposuction to help with the condition. Pic Brad Newman

“My hands were gripping the bed because I was in so much pain,” Ms McCallum claimed.

She also had some of the fat removed, injected into her breasts.

After that experience, she decided to have the second stage of the liposuction in Melbourne under Dr Lanzer, who removed fat from her thighs and arms, under a general anaesthetic.

In total the procedures undertaken in 2020 cost her $38,000.

Despite feeling horrifically sick upon waking from the anaesthesia Ms McCallum alleges she was told to make her own way back to her motel, with the only help being her elderly mother.

Ms McCallum said nurses put steri strips on the incisions all over her legs and arms and then she just “pulled up her leggings and that was it”.

She claims she wasn’t bandaged, so she grabbed towels and pads from the clinic to wrap round her bleeding limbs so she didn’t bleed over the seats of the taxi and sick bags because she was vomiting.

Back at the motel she could not get out of bed for a couple of days, she felt so sick.

She was also badly bruised.

She claims since the first procedure she has suffered pains in her left breast.

Due to her medical condition a lot of the fat has built up again.

Ms McCallum claims she has been left psychologically damaged by the experience.

“I’m not the same person I was,” she said.

“I still feel traumatised about what I went through.”

Dr Lanzer’s legal team said he would not be commenting on the case.

Originally published as Class action against celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer grows in Australia