Litigation and Complications Arising from Aesthetic Body Surgery: A Systematic Review
Mussabekova S.A. Menchisheva Y. Morillas Á.V.
January 2026Springer
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
2026#50Issue 1241 - 258 pp.
Background: Aesthetic body surgeries such as liposuction, abdominoplasty, gluteoplasty, and breast augmentation have seen a global rise. However, the growing popularity of these procedures has led to increased reports of postoperative complications and medico-legal disputes. Objective: To systematically review complications and litigation outcomes associated with aesthetic body surgeries and identify the most common risk factors contributing to legal claims. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (registration on PROSPERO ID: CRD420251043585). Forty-one studies published since between 2020 and 2025 were included. Complications, allegations, and legal outcomes were extracted and analysed. Risk of bias was assessed using JBI and ROBINS-I tools. Results: Infection (48.7%), fat embolism (26.8%), and hematoma (21.9%) were the most frequent complications. Gluteal fat grafting had the highest mortality and legal risk, with a 7.77% incidence of fat embolism. Inadequate informed consent was a leading allegation in over 50% of cases. Claims most often resulted in dismissal (45-76%), but 20-40% led to settlements or plaintiff verdicts, especially in cases of severe complications such as embolism or disfigurement. The pooled average of favourable verdicts for surgeons was 54.3% (95% CI: 49-59%). Publication bias was suggested by asymmetrical funnel plot distribution and high heterogeneity (I2 > 90%). Conclusion: Medico-legal disputes in aesthetic body surgery commonly arise from preventable complications, especially when informed consent is inadequate or postoperative care is substandard. Standardised consent process, improved documentation, procedure-specific risk communication, and regulation of outpatient practices are critical to reducing litigation risk. Level of Evidence III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
Aesthetic surgery , Body contouring , Litigation , Medico-legal claims , Surgical complications
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Department of Morphology, School of Medicine, Karaganda Medical University, 40 Gogol Street, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, 94 Tole bi Street, Almaty, 050000, Kazakhstan
Department of Life Course & Population Sciences, King’s College London, Franklin Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Sciences, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
Department of Morphology
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Department of Life Course & Population Sciences
Department of Analytical
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