Aussie’s mortifying experience in Thailand after dipping into her super for cosmetic surgery as a birthday treat and being left with a mutilated body
A Melbourne grandmother has spoken out about being left disfigured after using her superannuation savings to pay for cosmetic surgery in Bangkok as a treat for her 60th birthday. Lynda Lazaridis said the procedures, meant to address back pain and excess skin after losing weight, instead left her with no breasts and nipples relocated higher on her chest. Her account, shared with Australia's 60 Minutes, highlights the risks of travelling overseas for cheaper cosmetic procedures and of dipping into retirement funds to pay for them.
Lazaridis said she decided to fund a "body makeover" after shedding 15kg, which left her with back pain and loose skin. She said her Bangkok-based surgeon recommended a butt lift, thigh lift, liposuction, arm surgery and breast surgery to relieve her discomfort, but the results left her mutilated rather than improved. She said she had drawn on her superannuation, savings normally reserved for retirement, to cover the cost of the birthday treat.
- Melbourne grandmother's Bangkok cosmetic surgery went badly wrong
- She used superannuation savings to fund a 60th birthday makeover
- Left with no breasts and nipples repositioned higher on her chest
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Melbourne grandmother Lynda Lazaridis, 60, has spoken publicly about the outcome of cosmetic surgery she had in Bangkok, Thailand. She had travelled there for a series of procedures, including a butt lift, thigh lift, liposuction, arm surgery and breast surgery, intended to ease back pain and remove excess skin after she lost 15kg. Thailand is a popular destination for Australians seeking cosmetic surgery at lower cost than at home.
To pay for the trip, Lazaridis drew on her superannuation, the retirement savings scheme that Australians build up over their working lives and which is normally meant to be accessed only once they stop working. She has said the results left her with no breasts and nipples repositioned higher on her chest, rather than the improvement she had hoped for.
Her case has drawn attention to two wider issues: the safety risks associated with overseas cosmetic surgery, where standards, regulation and follow-up care can differ from those in Australia, and the practice of withdrawing early from superannuation to fund elective procedures rather than retirement.