Dr. Thomas’s Facial Procedures Cause Serious Injuries in Patients

Dr. Thomas Tzikas is a plastic surgeon who practices in South Florida and specializes in facial and neck plastic surgery. Having treated many patients for ten years, he specializes in volume restoration techniques and lip grafting as his main cosmetic surgery procedures.

The standard of care for facial plastic surgery is to prevent complications, and for surgeons who perform this surgery, this standard of care includes avoiding injuries. Facial plastic surgery is a delicate procedure where small incisions and manipulations are made around delicate facial muscles, bones, and tissues, and incisions often leave scars.

Plastic surgeons are trained extensively in facial anatomy. They learn to recognize potential complications and how to avoid them. Facial plastic surgery can be a rewarding field for doctors, but it requires extensive training and skill. Plastic surgeons must undergo lengthy educational programs and practice with experienced surgeons before they are allowed to practice independently.

A 2013 report published by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons found that 37 percent of patients who underwent nasal surgery were injured during surgery, and 75 percent of those injuries were lacerations.

It is reported that Dr. Thomas did not undergo the required surgical training. Consequently, he was negligent when he performed nasal surgery on a patient, causing multiple lacerations and potentially serious complications.

Failure of the medical board to revoke Dr.Thomas’s license

In 2018, a 66-year-old woman underwent a facial reconstructive procedure by Dr. Thomas Tzikas. Unfortunately, the patient observed horrible scars and wounds on her cheeks within a few days of the operation.

According to the patient, Dr. Thomas performed the operation without adequate preoperative testing, did not administer adequate postoperative care, and failed to monitor the patient properly.

All of this prompted the State Medical Board to suspend Dr. Thomas’s medical license. However, the penalty was mild. The State Medical Board could have revoked or suspended Dr. Thomas’ license, but instead, it placed him on probation. As a consequence, Dr. Thomas could return to practice medicine. This lenient sanction angered the patient’s family and sparked a series of lawsuits.

During the 2010s, Dr. Thomas performed more than 100 facial reconstructive procedures, and unfortunately, they resulted in many of these patients facing serious injuries and complications. Lawsuits filed against Dr. Thomas Tzikas shortly after alleged that because Dr. Thomas was on probation, the board did not have “sufficient grounds” to suspend or revoke his license. The lawsuits also claimed that Dr. Thomas’s practice was incompetently supervised.

His attorneys contended that the State Medical Board had “a policy or practice of allowing doctors on probation to return to work” and that Dr. Thomas’s practice “was not negligently supervised.”

Dr. Thomas Tzikas has repeatedly denied all the allegations that have gained momentum and left a huge mark on his reputation as someone who “has a history of providing the highest quality results to his patients,” as claimed on his website.

Maintaining such low standards of care in facial surgical procedures and being insensitive about carrying out misinformed techniques, that too without valid training in facial surgical procedures sets the bar too low for future aspirants and spreads fear among people wanting to benefit from cosmetic procedures. If this continues to spread further, it will only make it impossible for people to trust a medical practitioner with their bodies and lives.