October 2009 in Perth Now
Perth's latest entertainment news and gossip
A LEADING high-profile brothel madam suing a cosmetic surgeon? What else is happening in Perth?
By STM's Perth Confidential columnist Wendy Caccetta
OCTOBER 21, 20096:14PM
A LEADING high-profile brothel madam suing a cosmetic surgeon? What else is happening in Perth?
01 face off
Former high-profile brothel madam Linda Watson is suing a leading Perth cosmetic surgeon over what she claims was a botched facial treatment.
Ms Watson, now an outspoken anti-prostitution campaigner, was working in the sex industry in 1995 when she went to Dr Cary Kailis seeking improvements to her face. She claims she was given treatment she did not want, which left her with blotchy skin and in pain.
Defending a compensation claim in Perth District Court, Dr Kailis said Ms Watson got the treatment she wanted and had healed normally.
Ms Watson said she initially agreed to undergo a trichloracetic acid (TCA) peel and laser treatment. She later changed her mind and asked for an $800 acid peel only, which was all she was billed for. But when she woke from the anesthetic in the doctor’s West Perth surgery, she was shocked to discover she had undergone laser treatment to her nose and around her eyes.
Ms Watson said she was in agony and was given pethidine injections by her family doctor to ease the pain.
She said she was not warned the TCA peel would cause pain and was not prepared for the extent of skin discolouration she experienced.
Giving evidence, Dr Kailis denied the treatment was botched and said Ms Watson was warned to expect short-term discomfort and temporary skin discolouration. He said the treatment was relatively superficial and any discomfort from it usually subsided within 12 to 24 hours.
Barrister Peter Quinlan, acting for Mr Kailis, said the main purpose for Ms Watson’s consultation was to reduce the scar on her nose and she signed a consent form agreeing to laser treatment in tandem with an acid peel.
He dismissed evidence from a psychologist who diagnosed Ms Waston with post traumatic stress syndrome caused by the treatment, claiming she was not qualified to make a medical diagnosis. The report was completed more than 10 years after the procedure was performed.
Mr Quinlan also referred to magazine stories in which Ms Watson confessed to being hooked on prescription drugs during the mid-1990s and outlined how she had sought pethidine and morphine for conditions unrelated to cosmetic procedures. The judge has reserved her decision.