"Hospital Introduced by Friend"... Chinese Actress with 'Nose Necrosis' Faces 'Plastic Surgery Nightmare'

Chinese actress Gao claimed that she suffered necrosis of the skin at the tip of her nose as a side effect of rhinoplasty surgery. Photo by Gao Liu Weibo capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Nana] A Chinese actress has sparked controversy by claiming that she suffered necrosis of the skin at the tip of her nose due to complications from rhinoplasty surgery.

According to Chinese media including Hongxing News on the 5th, Gao Liu (高溜) recently posted photos and messages on her Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) to reveal the damage caused by the cosmetic surgery.

Gao said, "A friend told me that everything about me was beautiful except my nose, which was a bit off, and recommended the procedure," and revealed that she underwent nose surgery at a hospital in Guangzhou (廣州), Guangdong Province, at the end of October last year.

Gao underwent rhinoplasty using rib cartilage and ear cartilage, but the results were not successful. She had previously experienced rejection reactions, inflammation, and necrosis, which led to two revision surgeries, but her condition did not improve.

As signs of skin necrosis appeared, with the tip of Gao’s nose turning increasingly black, the hospital eventually transferred her to another hospital for treatment in early November last year.

Gao later discovered that the place where she had the surgery was not a plastic surgery clinic but a medical device beauty clinic, which was not authorized to perform rhinoplasty using rib cartilage.

Gao stated, "I had contracts to appear in two dramas, but due to the surgery complications, they were canceled, causing me a loss of 400,000 yuan (approximately 69.43 million KRW) in appearance fees. I also have to pay a penalty of 2 million yuan (approximately 347.16 million KRW)." She added, "I have sued this clinic."

Local authorities in Guangzhou said they are closely monitoring and investigating the case.

The doctor currently treating Gao’s nasal necrosis told Hongxing News in an interview, "Infections generally occur when sterilization is not properly done during surgery," and regarding whether she can continue her acting career, said, "We need to observe the situation, but she is recovering better than expected."

Gao’s story has become a hot topic online in China, with posts tagged with her name on Weibo surpassing 130 million views.

Netizens commented, "If a celebrity suffers a medical accident and the hospital’s response is this poor, it would have been worse for ordinary people," and "The clinic must be severely punished and held accountable. People need to be cautious about the risks of plastic surgery."

According to the state-run Global Times, as of 2019, there were 10,000 licensed plastic surgery clinics across China, while unlicensed clinics exceeded 60,000. It is reported that about 40,000 medical accidents occur annually at unlicensed clinics, averaging 110 cases per day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.