The doc: Woffles Wu
The beef: Negligence
This is not Dr Woffles Wu’s year.
In April, the famed local plastic surgeon was suspended from practice for four months for getting his employee to take the rap for his speeding offences in 2005 and 2006, and now he is being sued by a patient for alleged negligence.
Real estate agent Cheryl Soh had consulted Dr Wu in May 2011 about her visible eyebags, but claimed she was persuaded to undergo facial treatment instead.
The 47-year-old was given Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment and used a Cosmelan Peeling Mask, which caused her face to become red, swollen and painful. As a result, she took a longer-than-expected time to recover and suffered a loss of earnings.
Soh returned to see Dr Wu twice the following month and also sought treatment at other clinics for her condition. She was later diagnosed by a physician as having bad skin burn caused by her facial treatment, and is now seeking a refund of about $5,000 in fees paid to Dr Wu and
$400,000 for loss in earnings.
In defence documents filed last month, Dr Wu said Soh sought treatment to improve the skin condition of her face, and not her eyebags.
He added that Soh was offered several treatment options but she went with the IPL and mask treatment as she wanted visible results within the shortest time.
Dr Wu also argued that Soh did not follow the post-treatment regimen. Not only was she "over-enthusiastic" in applying prescribed creams, Soh also used products from other doctors at the same time, causing the "chemical burn".
A High Court pre-trial conference is due next week.