Woman awarded £250k over ruptured breast implants

A woman left scarred after her breast implants ruptured is to receive £250,000 in damages, the High Court has ruled.

She was awarded the compensation in a medical negligence claim against the cosmetic surgeon involved in the procedure.

The 36-year-old mother of one, who is not being named, said: “My life has been hell for the last 15 years trying to fix this mess.”

The woman, from west Belfast, underwent breast augmentation surgery at a private clinic near Birmingham in England in 2009.

But according to her lawyers the inappropriately-sized implants subsequently ruptured, causing wounds which became infected.

Despite having the implants removed two years later, she suffered further complications and required a number of corrective surgeries between 2012 and 2022.

She eventually travelled to Turkey to obtain implants she felt satisfied with.

Medical experts on behalf of the woman provided evidence about the extensive scarring to both her breasts and the psychiatric adjustment disorder allegedly developed as a consequence of the original procedure.

Legal action was taken against a private healthcare firm and Dr Marcos Sforza.

With the company said to have gone into administration since proceedings started 10 years ago, a claim against the London-based surgeon was pursued.

The woman’s solicitor, Brian Archer, said she had previously obtained judgment when no defence was entered.

At a further hearing to assess the level of damages, the plaintiff gave evidence about how she had been affected.

Based on those submissions and medical reports, she was awarded £250,000.

The woman spoke of her ordeal since she had the procedure, aged 21.

“I was so young, the implants were too big, there was infection and for two years [after they were removed] I had no tissue there,” she said.

“My confidence has been knocked so much, I have been trying to fix this for years.

“It affected my relationship with my partner and even when I took my son swimming, I didn’t want to wear a bikini.”

The woman said that after carrying out research and “reaching out” to an English-based model and celebrity, she decided to have further surgery in Turkey two years ago.

“There’s still some scarring, but they were the only ones who made me feel that I could live with this,” she added.