A 27-year-old woman died after undergoing a series of cosmetic procedures to remove her freckles in a hospital in Tianjin.
The woman, known only as Liu, died on Oct 31, 10 days after receiving her 10th laser treatment at Jinmen Dermatology Hospital, reported Chinese media outlets. She reportedly underwent a previous session in May 2023.
After a doctor applied anaesthetic cream on her on Oct 21, Liu experienced dizziness and soon fell into a coma. She then went into shock and had cardiac arrest.
Liu was then transferred to the intensive care unit in Tianjin Medical University for emergency care. The medical university said Liu’s death was caused by brain herniation, which occurs when high pressure in the skull causes the protrusion of brain tissue, reported Jinan Times newspaper.
A nurse from the Jinmen Dermatology Hospital told Chinese media outlet Modern Express that Liu had neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition which may cause light-brown flat patches of skin. She had been receiving treatment at the private hospital since 2020.
Liu’s husband said his wife had numerous birthmarks on her body, some of which were dark and large. She had forked out more than 100,000 yuan (RM61,620) for treatment to remove them. He said he suspected that the overuse of anaesthetics was the reason for her death.
“We can’t let her go without an explanation. We must find out the cause of her death and hope that our misfortune serves as a warning to others,” he said in Mandarin.
According to Liu’s mother, who accompanied her to her treatment sessions, her daughter had stopped the sessions several times due to unbearable pain.
If medical professionals in China are found guilty of causing a patient’s death through negligence, they may be jailed for up to three years and fined. — The Straits Times/ANN
