Can I Sue a Plastic Surgeon for Nerve Damage?

If you get nerve damage after having surgery, you may be able to sue your plastic surgeon for negligence. Nerve damage can affect your daily life and can cause pain and difficulty moving a certain part of your body. As a plastic surgeon has a duty of care, this could be classed as medical negligence.

You can speak to a cosmetic surgery solicitor who can support you in building a case against your plastic surgeon. Below we look at the answers to the question: Can I sue a plastic surgeon for nerve damage?

What are nerves and what happens when they become damaged?

Nerve damage is any damage that occurs when a plastic surgeon does not detect a nerve during the operation, causing damage that could lead to serious consequences. Your nerves are a network within your body that send electrical signals to muscles, cells, and glands in your body. They can tell you if something is too hot or too cold. Nerves also help with breathing, waking up, remembering, feeling, and thinking.

When your nerves are damaged, this could cause a number of symptoms, depending on which nerves were damaged during your surgery. Your body can no longer work as it did before and this can prevent your nerves from sending the correct signals to your brain or muscles. This is known as peripheral neuropathy.

• The most common symptoms of nerve damage include:
• Loss of feeling
• Strange sensations near the damaged nerve area, such as burning, tingling, or numbness
• Loss of sight
• Unexplained pains near the area that was not present before the surgery
• Twitching
• Inability to grab and hold items with your hands (if the nerve damage is in your hands)
• Paralysis
• Limbs feeling heavy
• Difficulty lifting certain parts of your body
• Problems with your bladder and control
• Weakness in the muscles

How do nerves become damaged during surgery?

Nerve damage during surgery could happen for a number of reasons. One of the most common causes is that a plastic surgeon cuts through a nerve during the surgery. If a plastic surgeon or other medical professional wrongly administers an injection during, before or after your surgery, this could also cause nerve damage.

Sometimes, a plastic surgeon can incorrectly use medical tools. The nerve damage could become apparent after your surgery if the area becomes inflamed or infected. If you were not positioned correctly during surgery, this could also cause damage.

Should I sue a plastic surgeon for nerve damage?

Nerve damage can affect your whole life, especially if it has impacted an important nerve, such as those in your hands or legs. This could lead to job loss, difficulty carrying out everyday tasks, and other hardships. Suing a plastic surgeon can give you the compensation you deserve.

Suing a plastic surgeon is not just about financial gain. You should look at obtaining the justice that you deserve if a plastic surgeon was negligent. Failure to report this could lead to further cases and more patients going suffering from similar issues. Cosmetic practices need to be made aware of medical negligence so they can ensure this does not happen again. If a case is made against a plastic surgeon, they will need to make appropriate investigations and improvements to their hospital.

How can I make a case for nerve damage against my plastic surgeon?

Making a case against a plastic surgeon requires the help of a cosmetic surgery solicitor. These solicitors have experience and expertise in nerve damage cases, so are the best solicitors to build a case. Your solicitor can help with filing a case and finding the right evidence. You must also visit a doctor so they can prove that you have nerve damage and how this affects you, both mentally and physically.

Some of the documents you will need to build a case include:

• Statements from yourself and the professionals involved in your surgery
• Witness statements from loved ones who have seen the symptoms of your nerve damage
• Proof of the financial losses from your nerve damage, such as job loss or sick days
• Photographs
• Medical scans and results that prove your nerve damage since the date of the surgery

If you have experienced cosmetic negligence, we are here to help. We are the UK’s first leading cosmetic claims and negligence solicitors. Contact us for advice on how you can make a claim for nerve damage on 0800 252 0175, or fill in out contact form to request a call back.