10 people who found themselves conscious during an operation often describe the experience as nightmarish. They can sense every incision, every stitch, yet they are unable to move or speak because muscle relaxants keep their bodies locked down. Below are the ten most harrowing cases, each relayed in vivid detail.

10 People Who Woke Up During Surgery – Shocking Real‑Life Cases

10. Carol Weihrer

Carol Weihrer spent years battling a scratched cornea that left her in constant agony. After 17 failed surgeries, doctors told her the eye was beyond repair and would have to be removed, which she welcomed as a chance to finally end the pain.

She scheduled the removal, received anesthesia, and drifted into what she believed was a peaceful sleep. Suddenly she heard a voice say, “Cut deeper. Pull harder.” That’s when she realized she was still awake, heart pounding with terror.

Paralyzed by muscle relaxants, Carol could not scream or move. She could only listen as the surgeons discussed the procedure, urging each other to use full force. The tugging sensation grew intense, and then everything faded to black.

The ordeal haunted her long after the operation. Though she felt no physical pain, the helplessness lingered, ruining her sleep and spawning frequent nightmares. She eventually sought therapy, receiving a PTSD diagnosis.

9. Donna Penner

Donna Penner entered the OR for abdominal surgery, only to awaken as nurses began washing her stomach. Believing the procedure was over, she was shocked when the surgeon requested a scalpel.

She experienced the entire operation: the incision, the instruments sliding through her abdomen, and the manipulation of her organs. The terror of possibly dying seized her.

Desperate to alert the team, she managed three tiny foot twitches, each promptly stifled by a hand. No one seemed to notice.

Throughout the 90‑minute surgery, she not only felt the pain but also struggled for breath on a machine delivering a meagre seven breaths per minute, leaving her lungs feeling like they were on fire.

After the operation, she regained slight movement, allowing staff to remove the breathing tube, though she still could not breathe unaided and nearly suffocated. A manual resuscitator was needed to force air into her lungs.

The anesthesiologist eventually administered a reversal agent. When Donna confronted him, he shrugged, saying, “It happens sometimes,” and walked away, offering no further assistance.

The trauma derailed her life: she lost her job, relationships frayed, and subsequent surgeries triggered severe anxiety. A therapist later confirmed she suffered from PTSD.

8. Sidney L. Williams

Sidney L. Williams faced open‑heart surgery with a grim 50 % mortality warning. After anesthesia, he slipped into sleep, only to awaken to the roar of a bow saw as his sternum was split open.

He tried to alert the team, but the drugs rendered him mute, immobile, and even tear‑less. He could only hear the surgeons discuss his failing heart.

Moments later, he felt a shocking jolt as his heart, which had stopped, was electrically revived. He described the sensation as the worst pain ever—like being buried alive.

Williams survived the operation, but the experience left him with relentless nightmares that caused him to grind his teeth so hard several cracked.

7. Jeannie Smith

Jeannie Smith required removal of both ovaries after a cyst was discovered. Once anesthetized and wheeled into the OR, she awoke to a bright light and realized she was paralyzed, unable to speak.

She endured every second of the 45‑minute procedure, feeling each cut and stitch. By the end, she was grateful only to have two ovaries left, comparing the sensation to a bomb detonating inside her.

Later, Jeannie learned the anesthetic had worn off unnoticed. She sued the anesthesiologist and was awarded $150,000 for her suffering.

6. Caroline Coote

Caroline Coote was slated for gallbladder removal when the anesthetic delivery line began to leak, causing the medication to wear off shortly after the incision.

Paralysis from the muscle relaxants left her helplessly aware as the surgeons worked. She tried to scream, but no sound escaped. Tears formed on her cheeks, yet the staff overlooked them.

Eventually, a subtle head movement caught the anesthesiologist’s eye. Noticing a spike in her blood pressure, he traced the problem to the leaking line, fixed it, and Caroline slipped back into unconsciousness.

When she finally awoke, she was “hysterical, agitated, frightened, and angry.” The memory of the pain scarred her, leading to PTSD, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.

5. Hector Alonso

Hector Alonso underwent cataract surgery on his right eye. Mid‑procedure, he woke up, seeing the surgeon at work and pleading for the operation to stop.

Instead of pausing, the team restrained him, even taping his mouth shut. During the ordeal, a tooth was knocked loose and swallowed, and the surgery ultimately failed, leaving him completely blind in that eye.

Alonso sued both the surgeon and the hospital, describing the experience as torture and claiming mental anguish and additional injuries.

4. Diana Todd

Diana Todd entered the OR for a hysterectomy. While the staff chatted, she felt the first incision and then a series of relentless cuts, losing count after the fifth.

Paralyzed by the drugs, she tried to scream, but no sound emerged. The constant wave of pain left her feeling as though she were being sliced repeatedly.

Afterward, a nurse dismissed her claims, insisting she could not have been awake, which drove Diana to question her sanity. She developed claustrophobia, insomnia, and even contemplated suicide. The trauma still triggers muscle twitches whenever she recalls the surgery.

3. Ms. Y

Ms. Y suffered from appendicitis and ovarian bleeding, prompting emergency surgery. She fell asleep, only to awaken before the procedure concluded, hearing staff chatter and feeling a cut in her abdomen.

She tried to open her eyes, but they remained shut. The team shouted, “So much blood! Quickly take some pictures,” before she fainted.

After filing a complaint, an investigation revealed a malfunctioning anesthesia machine that went unnoticed for 25 minutes. The surgeon finally noticed her abdominal muscles moving, prompting the anesthesiologist to increase the dosage. The anesthesiologist was later suspended for two years for failing to check his equipment.

2. Alexandra Bythell

Alexandra Bythell’s anesthetic wore off shortly after her appendix removal began. She awoke, panicked, with her eyes taped shut and a breathing tube lodged in her throat, unable to take a single breath.

Paralyzed, she overheard staff commenting on her size and weight while they prodded her. A shout for more morphine echoed before she drifted back to sleep.

When she later questioned the hospital, they dismissed her concerns, suggesting she hallucinated. After persistent probing, staff admitted they had failed to monitor the anesthetic machine’s levels.

The experience left Alexandra with flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, and anxiety, eventually earning her a PTSD diagnosis.

1. Sherman Sizemore

Sherman Sizemore underwent exploratory abdominal surgery to locate the source of his pain. He received paralytic drugs to keep him still, but no general anesthesia, leaving him conscious for the first 29 minutes.

Sixteen minutes into the operation, when his stomach was cut open, the anesthesiologist realized the mistake and administered both anesthesia and an amnesia‑inducing agent, keeping the error secret from the rest of the team.

After the procedure, Sherman awoke in a state of anxiety, unsure whether his memories were real. The trauma transformed him; sleeplessness and terrifying nightmares plagued him, and he became convinced that people were trying to bury him alive.

Overwhelmed, he took his own life less than a month after the surgery.

When you hear the phrase “plastic surgery,” the mind usually jumps straight to pricey vanity procedures performed on the rich and famous. Yet the reality is far richer and more surprising. Below are 10 fascinating facts about plastic surgery that pull back the curtain on its ancient roots, wartime breakthroughs, life‑saving innovations, and even the booming market of medical tourism.

10 Fascinating Facts Overview

10 Its Name Has Nothing To Do With Plastic

The earliest recorded use of what we now call plastic surgery dates back to the 1500s, when Italian physician Gaspare Tagliacozzi revived a technique originally described in an Indian manuscript from a millennium earlier. He successfully rebuilt a patient’s damaged nose using a flap taken from the inner arm. The word “plastic” itself didn’t enter the medical lexicon until 1837—well before the synthetic polymer we know today was invented.

Derived from the Greek plastikos, meaning “to shape” or “to mold,” the term originally described the art of reshaping damaged or malformed tissue. By the mid‑19th century, advances in anesthesia and sterilization opened the door to more daring endeavors, including the first true rhinoplasty procedures.

Despite its clear potential, plastic surgery lingered without formal recognition as a distinct medical specialty for many years. Early practitioners focused on repairing disfigurements caused by injury or disease, paving the way for the cosmetic boom we see today.

9 Breast Augmentation Has A Longer History Than You Think

The first successful breast augmentation was not a vanity project at all but a reconstructive triumph. In 1895, German surgeon Vincenz Czerny used a sizable lipoma—an innocuous fatty tumor—from a patient’s back to rebuild a breast that had been partially removed due to a large tumor.

For the next seven decades, surgeons experimented with a parade of materials—paraffin, alcohol‑soaked sponges, even beeswax—none of which proved suitable for long‑term use. The breakthrough finally arrived in the early 1960s when a young resident named Frank Gerow in Houston observed a blood‑bag’s pliability and envisioned a silicone implant.

Gerow’s first animal trial succeeded, and when the first human volunteer, Timmie Jean Lindsey, agreed to the procedure (originally seeking tattoo removal), the result was a lasting, functional augmentation. Remarkably, she still retains those pioneering implants today.

8 Modern Reconstructive Surgery Was Pioneered During World War I

By the early 1900s, anesthesia and antisepsis had already enabled surgeons to tackle delicate reconstructions, but nothing compared to the challenges presented by World War I. New weapons produced unprecedented facial and tissue injuries, prompting a rapid evolution in surgical techniques.

New Zealand‑born, London‑based Harold Gillies—now hailed as the father of modern plastic surgery—stepped up to meet the crisis. Between 1917 and 1925, his team performed over 11,000 procedures on more than 3,000 soldiers, pioneering skin‑ and muscle‑grafting methods never before attempted.

One of Gillies’s most ingenious contributions was the “tube pedicle” or “walking‑stalk” skin flap. By rolling a graft into a tube and gradually advancing it toward the wound, he dramatically lowered infection rates in an era before antibiotics, saving countless lives.

7 A Plastic Surgeon Helped Make Cars Safer

Auto‑safety debates were raging in the 1930s, but a 1935 Readers’ Digest article titled “—And Sudden Death” mainly shamed reckless drivers rather than addressing vehicle design. Detroit plastic surgeon Claire Straith, after years of reconstructing faces of crash victims, saw a clearer path forward.

Straith wrote a pointed letter to Walter P. Chrysler, prompting the automaker to roll out five 1937 models featuring safety‑first details: rubber‑covered buttons, rounded door handles, and recessed knobs. These innovations marked the first time a car manufacturer deliberately engineered for occupant protection.

Although Straith’s other recommendations—padded dashboards and seat belts—took longer to become standard, she personally installed both in her own car years before they entered mainstream production.

6 A Plastic Surgeon Performed The First Organ Transplant

Organ transplantation might not immediately evoke plastic surgery, yet the delicate tissue‑handling skills essential to both fields overlap dramatically. In 1954, renowned plastic surgeon Joseph E. Murray achieved the first successful kidney transplant, using an organ donated by the patient’s identical twin.

Murray had already earned acclaim for treating severe burns and facial disfigurements, but this kidney operation broke new ground: it proved that organ replacement was feasible, opening a floodgate of research into transplantation biology.

Following the triumph, Murray helped pioneer the first generation of immunosuppressive drugs in the 1960s. His contributions earned him the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine—making him one of only nine surgeons, and the sole plastic surgeon, ever to receive the honor.

5 A Plastic Surgeon Also Performed The First Successful Hand Transplant

Warren Breidenbach, chief of reconstructive and plastic surgery at the University of Arizona, has become the world’s leading authority on composite tissue transplantation. In 1999, he performed the first successful hand transplant, restoring a lost limb to Matthew Scott, who had been without his hand for 14 years after a fireworks accident.

The operation demanded three years of meticulous planning and intense ethical scrutiny, as earlier attempts in 1964 and 1998 had failed due to immune rejection. Breidenbach’s breakthrough hinged on refined immunosuppressive protocols and precise microsurgical techniques.

Since that landmark case, over 85 patients worldwide have received hand or arm transplants, ranging from adults to children, many of whom are veterans or victims of explosives. As of 2016, Breidenbach had performed more hand transplants than any other surgeon and mentored the majority of U.S. specialists in this niche field.

4 ‘Medical Tourism’ For Plastic Surgery Is Exploding

In the United States, high costs, long wait times, and opaque pricing have driven many patients to seek care abroad. While some imagine back‑alley clinics, the reality is a sophisticated global market offering state‑of‑the‑art facilities at a fraction of domestic prices.

Mexico and Brazil have long been popular destinations, but newer hubs such as Dubai and Thailand are reshaping the landscape. Thailand, in particular, has become a world leader in medical tourism, boasting cutting‑edge equipment, internationally trained surgeons, and hospitals that feel more like luxury resorts than clinical wards.

In 2013 alone, Thailand attracted $4.3 billion in revenue from foreign patients, underscoring the massive demand for high‑quality, affordable procedures ranging from cosmetic enhancements to complex reconstructive surgeries.

3 The Newest Techniques Don’t Involve Surgery At All

Even for classic procedures like facelifts, innovators are constantly hunting for less invasive alternatives. New York plastic surgeon Doug Steinbrech pioneered a “surgery‑free” facelift using a specialized device that gently stretches the skin over three hours (under anesthesia). Though tiny sutures are still required, patients can expect full recovery in just five days, with a price tag of roughly $35,000.

Another New York practitioner, Dr. Doris Day, has championed non‑surgical fat reduction using high‑intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This technology heats and liquefies stubborn fat deposits, allowing the body to absorb them naturally—essentially a needle‑free liposuction.

Day describes the approach as “the newest kid on the block for helping to resculpt and melt fat,” emphasizing its ability to deliver dramatic results without the traditional scalpel, stitches, or lengthy downtime.

2 Men Are Pulling Even With Women

While cosmetic surgery has long been stereotyped as a female‑dominated arena, recent data reveal a rapid surge in male patients. In 2014, men accounted for $14 billion of the global aesthetic market—a figure that has risen dramatically over the past two decades.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports a 273 percent increase in male patients between 1997 and 2014, with a 43 percent jump in just the five years preceding that period. Many men view these procedures as a career investment, seeking a youthful appearance that matches their professional success.

Dr. Steinbrech notes, “Men are at the top of their career, they feel young and confident, but they worry they don’t look it.” As demand grows, the industry continues to refine techniques to meet the unique aesthetic goals of male clientele.

1 Full Face Transplants Are Increasingly Feasible

In 2012, Baltimore plastic surgeon Eduardo Rodriguez performed what remains the most extensive full‑face transplant to date, rescuing Richard Norris after a self‑inflicted shotgun injury devastated his facial structure. The operation restored not only appearance but critical functions such as breathing, eating, and speaking.

The first partial face transplant occurred in 2006, but Norris’s case marked a monumental leap in microsurgical capability. Though the patient must remain on lifelong immunosuppressants to prevent rejection, his new face is fully functional, underscoring the life‑changing potential of this technology.

Rodriguez repeated his success in 2015 with firefighter Patrick Hardison, whose facial tissue had been destroyed in a blaze. The procedure yielded astonishing results, and as of mid‑2016, over 30 patients worldwide have undergone full or partial face transplants, with only three reported deaths—a relatively low figure given the procedure’s complexity.

When it comes to operating rooms, the phrase “never events” should be a clear warning sign – mistakes that simply must not happen. Yet the reality is far messier, and the top 10 disastrous slip‑ups listed below prove that even seasoned surgeons can get it spectacularly wrong.

10 Year-Old Gets Wrong Heart And Lungs During Transplant

In 2003, 17‑year‑old Jesica Santillan endured what many label the most catastrophic never‑event ever recorded. Three years earlier, her parents had smuggled her into the United States hoping for life‑saving treatment for her failing heart and lungs. Philanthropist Mack Mahoney, moved by her story, covered the costs for a transplant at Duke University Hospital.

On February 7, 2003, the operation began, but instead of compatible organs the surgical team used a donor set with the wrong blood type – the donor was type A while Jesica’s blood type was O, a lethal mismatch. Her body rejected the transplanted heart‑lung pair, triggering seizures and forcing her onto life support.

Two weeks later a second transplant was attempted with organs that matched her blood type. Although the new organs functioned, the damage from the first failed graft was irreversible – Jesica suffered permanent brain injury and remained on life support for a time before finally being weaned off.

At the moment of her death, roughly 200 patients across the U.S. were awaiting a heart‑lung transplant. Jesica’s case not only wasted two donor sets but also robbed other desperate patients of a chance at survival.

Why This Is a Top 10 Disastrous Case

9 Year-Old Woman Undergoes Heart Surgery For A Respiratory Infection

At Mediclinic Kimberley Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, an 83‑year‑old patient named Rita du Plessis was mistakenly taken to the operating theater for an invasive heart procedure that was meant for another individual. Rita had originally sought care for a respiratory infection.

Both Rita and the actual heart‑surgery candidate shared the same physician. When the surgeon received the order to bring the correct patient into the theatre, a name mix‑up occurred and Rita was wheeled in instead. After the operation, her family received a call announcing a successful heart surgery.

The error only came to light when the physician, still searching for the intended patient, realized the mix‑up and informed the staff. He later called Rita’s relatives to explain the blunder and offer an apology. The hospital did not bill Rita for the unnecessary procedure.

8 Woman Loses Breast To Cancer She Didn’t Have

In April 2015, 49‑year‑old Eduvigis Rodriguez underwent a mastectomy for what was believed to be an aggressive cancerous lump in her left breast. The surgery proceeded, and the breast was removed, only for post‑operative pathology to reveal that the tissue was benign – the lump was actually sclerosing adenosis, a non‑cancerous overgrowth.

The initial cancer diagnosis originated from a biopsy at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, after which Rodriguez was referred to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan for definitive surgery. However, Lenox Hill staff failed to reconfirm the diagnosis, despite surgeon Dr. Magdi Bebawi signing paperwork indicating that such verification had taken place.

Following the unnecessary mastectomy, Rodriguez required reconstructive surgery. Court records later disclosed that she also suffered a surgical hernia and a pulmonary embolism as complications from the unwarranted procedure.

7 Wrong Patient Undergoes Brain Surgery

In 2018, Kenya’s Kenyatta National Hospital made headlines after a patient received brain surgery intended for a different individual. Both men arrived unconscious and were placed in the same ward, but a mislabeling of identification tags caused the wrong patient to be taken to the operating theater.

The intended surgery targeted a blood clot within the brain. Instead, the patient with a simple swollen head was brought in, and surgeons began the procedure. It wasn’t until two hours later, when they failed to locate a clot, that they realized the grave mistake.

The hospital responded by suspending the neurosurgeon, anesthetist, and two nurses involved. In a twist of fate, the patient who actually needed the clot‑removal surgery had improved on his own and no longer required the operation.

6 Elderly Woman Dies After Receiving Brain Surgery For A Jaw Displacement

Oakwood Hospital in Michigan found itself under intense scrutiny after 81‑year‑old Bimla Nayyar underwent an unnecessary brain operation. Nayyar had originally been admitted for a displaced jaw, a condition expected to be treated with a relatively straightforward procedure.

During her stay, a CT scan from another patient – showing bleeding in the brain – was mistakenly attributed to Nayyar. Believing she faced a life‑threatening intracranial hemorrhage, the medical team hurriedly scheduled emergency neurosurgery.

In the operating room, five burr holes were drilled into her skull before the right side was opened. Surgeons soon discovered no bleeding. The family was told of the error, but the gravity of the mistake was not fully disclosed. Nayyar never regained consciousness, remained on life support for 60 days, and was eventually taken off the ventilator on March 11, 2012. A lawsuit later awarded her family $21 million.

5 Doctor Amputates Wrong Leg During Surgery And Another Patient’s Toe Without Permission

In February 1995, Dr. Rolando R. Sanchez faced a courtroom drama after mistakenly amputating the healthy leg of 52‑year‑old Willie King, who was supposed to have his diseased leg removed. The error unfolded when a nurse, reviewing King’s file, burst into tears and alerted the surgeon that the wrong leg was pre‑pped for surgery.

Sanchez attempted to deflect blame, pointing to a faulty blackboard schedule, an erroneous operating‑room roster, and a mis‑entered computer record that all listed the incorrect limb. The leg had even been pre‑operated on before Sanchez’s arrival, adding to the confusion.

His medical license was suspended in July 1995 after a second blunder: he removed the toe of patient Mildred Shuler without her consent. Shuler had been undergoing foot surgery for diseased tissue when Sanchez claimed a bone “popped” and excised the toe to prevent infection.

4 Healthy Patient Loses A Healthy Kidney During Surgery He Didn’t Need

At St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, an unnamed patient walked out of surgery with only one kidney after being confused with another individual slated for a tumor‑removing nephrectomy. The real patient’s CT scan clearly indicated a malignant growth requiring removal.

Due to identical names, the healthy‑kidney patient was mistakenly wheeled into the operating theater. Post‑operative analysis revealed that the excised kidney was perfectly healthy, exposing a failure in patient‑identification protocols.

Hospital officials cited the name‑confusion and a lapse in age verification as the root cause, emphasizing that a more diligent check could have prevented the loss of a perfectly functional organ.

3 Day-Old Boy Mistakenly Gets A Frenulectomy

The University Medical Center in Lebanon, Tennessee, unintentionally performed a frenulectomy on a newborn named Nate, a procedure that trims the tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth. The surgery was meant for a different infant.

A nurse was dispatched to retrieve Nate for the operation, and his mother, Jennifer Melton, assumed the baby was being taken for a routine post‑natal check‑up. She only realized the mistake when the nurse began explaining the benefits of the tongue‑clipping surgery.

Jennifer, aware that her baby was healthy and didn’t need any oral surgery, questioned the identity of the infant handed to her. The nurse later confirmed the mix‑up, and the pediatrician admitted to operating on the wrong baby. An apology followed, but Jennifer pursued legal action.

2 Doctor Removes Woman’s Reproductive Organs Instead Of Appendix

In March 2015, an unnamed woman in the United Kingdom visited a hospital run by the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, complaining of abdominal pain. After tests indicated appendicitis, surgeons prepared to remove her appendix.

During the operation, however, the surgeon mistakenly excised an ovary and the adjacent fallopian tube. The doctor tried to downplay the incident, blaming poor vision and noting that the appendix and fallopian tube can appear similarly worm‑like.

This was the surgeon’s third major error in two years. In September 2013, he had removed fatty tissue from a patient who also required an appendectomy, leaving the patient in severe pain until a second surgery was performed. In another case, he removed a skin tag instead of a cyst. After these incidents, medical authorities banned him from treating further patients.

1 Doctor Removes Wrong Testicle During Surgery

In 2013, Steven Hanes was scheduled for a procedure at J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania to remove a painful, damaged right testicle. Instead, surgeon Dr. Valley Spencer Long mistakenly excised the left testicle.

Long claimed the mix‑up occurred because the patient’s testicles had somehow swapped positions. Hanes sued both the surgeon and the hospital, ultimately receiving an $870,000 settlement.

Going into surgery can be downright terrifying; each procedure brings a maze of steps, safety checks, and preventative measures that must line up perfectly for a smooth recovery. Trusting the whole team—nurses, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and everyone in the operating room—is essentially a leap of faith. Yet, amid the hustle of an estimated 28 million operations each year, some objects slip through the count, leading to the very real nightmare of discovering 10 troubling items hidden inside a patient after the sutures are gone.

10 Troubling Items Left Inside Patients

A French woman opted for a cutting‑edge operation in April 2017 to stop her heavy periods without undergoing a full hysterectomy. The promise was simple: after the surgery she would be free of bleeding and pain. Instead, she woke up with a gnawing ache in her lower abdomen—the very symptom that had driven her to the operating table.

She called her doctor, who brushed it off as weight‑related discomfort and handed her a prescription for painkillers. The medication did nothing, and three days later the pain sharpened into stabbing contractions. Those contractions forced her to push out a surgical glove and five compresses that had been unintentionally left inside her, along with a large pool of blood that sent her straight to the emergency department.

A similar drama unfolded in England in 2013 when Sharon Birks underwent a routine hysterectomy. Three days post‑op she was given antibiotics for a presumed infection, yet the pain persisted. Believing the catheter was to blame, she headed to the bathroom, only to feel a pressure that coincided with the emergence of a surgical glove from her vagina. No lasting damage occurred, but the experience was undeniably terrifying.

These unsettling stories illustrate how a seemingly minor oversight—a stray glove—can turn a healing journey into an unexpected nightmare.

Talk about an unplanned delivery.

9 Needle In A Haystack

The old saying about finding a needle in a haystack takes on a chilling new meaning when a Tennessee man, John Burns Johnson, emerged from a nine‑hour heart operation only to discover a surgical needle was missing. An X‑ray confirmed the needle was still lodged inside him, prompting an immediate second surgery that failed to locate it.

Unfortunately, the needle remained hidden, and a month later Johnson succumbed to complications directly linked to the foreign object. An autopsy finally retrieved the needle, confirming the grim outcome.

This isn’t an isolated incident. A Florida woman who had a caesarean in 2003 lived with chronic back pain for 14 years, until an X‑ray revealed a broken epidural needle embedded in her spine. The needle had fractured into three pieces, causing nerve damage and extensive scarring.

Needles account for only about ten percent of retained surgical items, yet the consequences can be fatal, underscoring the importance of meticulous counts.

8 Throw In The Towel

A Californian man underwent abdominal surgery in April 2014 to excise a bladder cancer. Months later, he experienced relentless bowel pain, fatigue, and a loss of mobility that left him fearing a cancer recurrence.

What the doctors didn’t anticipate was that a surgical towel had been left behind. The forgotten towel lodged in his abdomen, mimicking a tumor and causing the debilitating symptoms.

Towels represent roughly 2.1 percent of retained items and are invisible on standard X‑rays. In 1995, an Ohio woman’s lung surgery left a green, balled‑up towel inside her chest; she lived with the sensation of something moving for seven years until her autopsy revealed the culprit.

While the Californian patient eventually recovered after the towel’s removal, the incident led to the surgeon’s dismissal and a lawsuit that highlighted how such oversights can devastate lives.

7 No Sponge About It

Sponges are essential for soaking up blood during surgery, yet they become a nightmare when inadvertently left behind. A Japanese woman endured intermittent abdominal bloating for three years, eventually discovering two surgical sponges inside her abdomen—remnants from a caesarean six years earlier that had adhered to her stomach folds and colon.

Sponges dominate retained‑item statistics, comprising about 70 percent of all cases. Two‑thirds of these incidents lead to severe infection, injury, or even death.

In 2007, a woman in California who had undergone a combined bladder and hysterectomy was misdiagnosed with gastrointestinal issues. When bleeding emerged, doctors finally identified a massive sponge mass that had become embedded in her intestines, necessitating removal of a large intestinal segment.

These harrowing examples underscore the critical need for rigorous sponge counts in every operation.

6 Wire Not?

Surgical wires are commonplace, but when one goes missing, the consequences can be serious. In England, a routine procedure in August 2018 left a wire inside a patient’s body. The omission wasn’t spotted until twelve hours later, prompting a swift follow‑up surgery that removed the wire without lasting harm.

In Philadelphia, Donald Gable returned home after heart surgery feeling fine, only to discover during a follow‑up visit that a two‑foot wire had been silently residing in his chest for six weeks. Fortunately, surgeons extracted it before it pierced any vital vessels.

Wires also serve as guideposts in catheter procedures. At Albany Medical Center, two patients ended up with guide wires left inside them, only identified after routine X‑rays.

During a caesarean, a probe wire was accidentally cut. Staff noted the missing segment but assumed it hadn’t entered the patient’s body. An X‑ray weeks later proved otherwise, forcing another operation to retrieve the stray piece.

Although none of these cases resulted in major injury, they highlight how easily a tiny metal filament can slip through the cracks of surgical safety protocols.

5 Rock, Paper . . . Scissors?

When 69‑year‑old Pat Skinner went in for colon surgery in 2001, she was warned that post‑op discomfort was normal. Yet her pain was far beyond the usual aches, prompting her GP to order an X‑ray that revealed an 18‑centimeter pair of scissors lodged against her tailbone.

The scissors had become embedded in surrounding tissue, forcing surgeons to perform an extensive operation that also required removal of part of her bowels.

In 2016, a man who had undergone surgery after an accident discovered, via X‑ray, that the same pair of scissors—now rusted after 18 years inside his body—were still present. The rusted handles had grown into his organs, necessitating a three‑hour surgery to extract them.

Both patients recovered fully, but the incidents serve as stark reminders that even commonplace tools can become dangerous relics when left behind.

It seems the surgeons weren’t playing with scissors; they were playing with lives.

4 To Scalpel Or Not To Scalpel?

A veteran named Glenford Turner underwent prostate removal in 2013. The operation ran longer than expected, yet he left the hospital with no warning of any issue. Months later, persistent abdominal pain led him back to his doctor, who ordered imaging that uncovered a scalpel blade left inside his body, drifting between his bladder and rectum.

The rogue scalpel was successfully removed, relieving Turner’s agony. A contrasting case involved Victor Hutchinson, who sought help for gallbladder‑like symptoms. After a heart‑bypass surgery months earlier, a scalpel had vanished from the operating room. Though staff scanned his chest, they missed the blade, which had migrated to his abdominal cavity and lodged near his spine.

When an X‑ray finally located the instrument, doctors deemed it too risky to extract, leaving Hutchinson with a permanent, unwanted souvenir.

These stories illustrate how even the most trusted surgical instrument can become a hidden hazard when counts go awry.

3 You’ve Got This, Clamp

Clamps are indispensable for holding tissue steady, but they can be forgotten once the sutures are tied. In 2011, a patient who had a gastric‑band removal discovered a 20‑centimeter clamp still inside them three days later, after unexpected bleeding forced a second surgery that ultimately required spleen removal.

This incident underscores how even routine procedures can conceal dangerous oversights, turning a simple clamp into a life‑threatening liability.

2 Retract This!

Retraction devices are essential for exposing surgical sites, yet when one is misplaced, the results can be alarming. In Seattle, Donald Church set off an airport metal detector a month after tumor removal, prompting a CT scan that revealed a 33‑centimeter retractor lodged in his abdomen, pressing against his chest and causing severe discomfort.

The University of Washington Medical Center acknowledged that this wasn’t their first such incident; a year earlier, a woman had a retractor left inside her after cancer surgery, only discovered after a month of unexplained pain.

Another patient endured 27 years of intermittent pain after a 1979 polyp removal, only to learn via X‑ray that a 28‑centimeter retractor had been overlooked, residing beside his pelvis for nearly three decades.

These cases demonstrate how a seemingly innocuous piece of equipment can become a long‑term burden when forgotten.

1 Everything But The Kitchen Sink

While many of the previous anecdotes involve a single stray object, Dirk Schroeder’s 2009 cancer operation turned into a nightmare of epic proportions. Post‑op, he suffered relentless pain, fatigue, and a host of unexplained symptoms that doctors dismissed as normal recovery.

A home‑health nurse eventually noticed a gauze pad emerging from his stitches. Scans revealed a staggering total of sixteen foreign items: swabs, a 15‑centimeter roll of bandage, a compress, multiple needles, and even fragments of a surgical mask.

Approximately 1,500 patients each year experience retained items, but it’s rare for so many different objects to be forgotten in one surgery. Schroeder required two additional operations to extract the debris, highlighting a profound breakdown in surgical inventory protocols.

His story raises unsettling questions about how an entire suite of tools could vanish unnoticed, leaving a patient to endure months of misery.

The 10 gruesome shocking reality of Victorian medicine is that we often take modern comforts for granted until we peek into the grim annals of 19th‑century surgery. Between 1837 and 1901, most operative techniques resembled medieval torture chambers more than today’s sterile suites. Though the period from the 1840s to the mid‑1890s sparked a genuine revolution in the operating theatre, countless sufferers endured pain, blood, and death long before antiseptic breakthroughs finally arrived.

10 gruesome shocking Overview

10 Chloroform Was Considered A Practical Anesthetic

The notion of performing surgery without any form of pain relief seems unthinkable today, yet in the mid‑1800s it was the norm. In 1847, chloroform made its debut in Britain and quickly became the go‑to inhalation agent for the next half‑century. Scottish obstetrician Sir James Simpson first experimented with the volatile liquid after a fainting spell in his dining room, realizing its powerful soporific qualities could be harnessed for surgical use.

Simpson fashioned a simple mask saturated with chloroform vapour and positioned it over a patient’s nose and mouth. After a brief preparation period, operations could commence while the patient drifted into a drug‑induced stupor. Even Queen Victoria opted for chloroform during the births of her final two children. Its popularity waned only after safer alternatives emerged.

9 Hot Irons Were Used To Stop Bleeding

When a Victorian wound bled profusely, surgeons sometimes resorted to brand‑new hot irons to cauterise the offending vessels. Though the technique sounds barbaric, it predates the era by centuries; the 1670s journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society already documented such practices, even describing the experience as oddly “cheerful” for the patient.

The original report recounts a case in which a woman’s leg was amputated, the arteries swiftly sealed with linen pads soaked in a mysterious astringent, followed by a hot iron to seal any remaining bleeding. Remarkably, the narrative claims the patient remained “very cheerful,” slept peacefully for hours afterwards, and showed no further hemorrhage.

8 Many Of The Surgeries Resulted In Fatalities

Victorian operations were often lethal, not because surgeons were clumsy, but because postoperative infection ran rampant. Historian Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris notes that instruments were never washed, hands were rarely scrubbed, and operating tables were seldom cleaned, turning the surgical suite into a slow‑acting execution chamber where patients succumbed to sepsis days or months later.

Doctors of the time misinterpreted the foul‑smelling pus oozing from wounds as a sign of healthy healing, labeling the phenomenon “ward fever.” It wasn’t until Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic practices and sterile environments that mortality rates began to fall, earning him the title “father of antiseptic surgery.”

7 Barbers Were Recruited As Surgeons During War

Between the end of the Napoleonic Wars (1815) and the outbreak of the Crimean War (1853), British barbers found themselves drafted into battlefield medicine. Though their formal training rarely extended beyond an apprenticeship, these barber‑surgeons were expected to pull teeth, perform bloodletting, and carry out basic surgical procedures on wounded soldiers.

The professions of barber and surgeon had been formally separated long before the Victorian era, yet patients still turned to barbers for their sharp tools. Even today, the iconic red‑and‑white barber pole harkens back to the blood‑soaked napkins once used for bloodletting.

6 Leeches Would Be Used To Extract Blood

If the sight of leeches makes your skin crawl, imagine Victorian physicians deliberately placing live leeches on patients to draw blood. The human heart pumps roughly five litres of blood per minute, and severe loss can trigger shock or death. While our bodies possess a sophisticated clotting system, 19th‑century doctors still clung to the antiquated practice of bloodletting.

Victorian surgeons employed leeches to extract blood from patients, a method that often resulted in anemia and other complications. Despite the obvious risks, the centuries‑old tradition persisted well into the Victorian age.

5 Amputated Limbs Would Be Dropped In Sawdust

Picture this: a broken bone or severe fracture forces a surgeon to amputate a limb, and the severed piece is tossed into a bucket of sawdust while the patient lies on the table, spectators cheering the swift execution. Anesthesia was rarely available, so speed was paramount.

Dr. Robert Liston (1794–1847), famed as the “fastest knife in the West End,” became a celebrity for his rapid amputations. He would shout, “Time me, gentlemen! Time me!” during procedures. At London’s University College Hospital, only one in ten of his patients died—a remarkable success compared to the average surgeon’s one‑in‑four mortality rate. Prospective patients even camped outside his waiting room, hoping for a chance at his scalpel.

4 Hospitals Were Only For The Poor

Wealthy Victorians enjoyed the luxury of a personal physician treating them at home, while the indigent were relegated to crowded hospitals. Admission decisions rested with government officials, and only one day per week was set aside for new patients, typically classified as “incurables” (infectious disease sufferers) or “lunatics” (the mentally ill). St. Thomas’ Hospital even enforced a rule from 1752 that no patient could be readmitted for the same ailment.

Operating theatres were placed on the top floors of hospitals to capture maximum sunlight through roof windows. When patients could not afford treatment, spectators were invited to watch the surgery, turning medical care into a public spectacle. Those with means had to rely on parish aid or private patronage for assistance.

3 Surgeons Wore Their Blood‑Soaked Clothes With Pride

British surgeon Sir Berkeley Moynihan (1865–1936) recalled that his colleagues would don old surgical frocks stiff with dried blood and pus before stepping into the operating theatre. These blood‑splattered garments were worn as a badge of honour, a grim testament to the brutal nature of Victorian surgery.

Surprisingly, a hospital’s bug‑catcher—responsible for ridding mattresses of lice—earned a higher wage than the surgeons themselves. Hospitals earned the moniker “houses of death” rather than places of healing, reflecting the high mortality rates and the macabre ambience of the era.

2 There Were Crowds Gathered Around The Operating Table

While patients writhed and sometimes attempted to flee the operating table, onlookers gathered to watch the gruesome spectacle. Performing surgery before a live audience was commonplace, and the risk of germ‑laden air entering the theatre was never a concern.

Historian Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine, describes the chaotic scene: the first two rows were occupied by dressers, a second partition held pupils packed like herrings, and a constant chorus of “Heads, Heads” rang out as onlookers jostled for a better view. The cries of patients and the clamor of the crowd could be heard from the street below.

1 One Of The Most Renowned Surgeons Was Transgender

In 1865, the celebrated surgeon Dr. James Barry passed away, leaving a gravestone that reads, “Dr James Barry, Inspector General of Hospitals.” Though heralded as one of Victorian medicine’s greats, Barry was born Margaret Ann Bulkley and concealed her gender to pursue a medical career—women were barred from formal education at the time.

Barry enlisted in the army, performing a successful caesarean section in Cape Town in 1826—seven years before the first such operation in Britain. Known for a volatile temper, Barry even clashed with Florence Nightingale, who, upon learning of Barry’s true sex after death, remarked, “After he was dead, I was told that [Barry] was a woman. I should say that [Barry] was the most hardened creature I ever met.” The truth was uncovered only when a domestic worker cleaned Barry’s body; the gravestone remained unchanged.

When you go through minor surgery, there’s nothing major about it. Well, there is—surgery is surgery. But it should be routine, with minimal cuts, maybe a few stitches, and little to no organ rearranging. Most important, you should be able to walk out that outpatient door and recover at home. But sometimes, the best-laid surgery plans don’t go as expected. 

Whether it’s from medical malpractice, freak allergic reactions, or underlying conditions occasionally, people die during the most routine and minor procedures. Death is always a risk with surgery. Still, when it happens in these cases, it’s especially surprising. Here are the top 10 times people died during minor surgery.

10 Lidocaine Toxicity

The chance of dying from a local anesthetic is extremely rare, with less than a 1 in 100,000 chance. The local anesthetic in this story is lidocaine. Medical professionals use lidocaine for a variety of procedures, from trigger point injections to dental reconstructions. It is generally safe, but for a select unlucky few, it can be deadly. Chances of death increase if the doctor administering the local anesthetic makes a mistake.

This was the case for a five-year-old girl in 2011. Kensley Kirby’s parents took her to Family Medical Clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, after falling and suffering a broken arm. The doctor administered a lidocaine numbing shot while setting her arm, but she did not react well to it. The dosage was fatal. With a broken bone, her body absorbed the nerve blocker quickly. Investigators speculated that the doctor who administered the shot was used to working on adults, not young children. That’s still no excuse for someone who knows better than not to adjust the dosage for a little girl.

9 Therapeutic Complications

On September 4, 2014, comedian and fashion critic Joan Rivers died from therapeutic complications of a routine endoscopy. Therapeutic complications are predictable outcomes of therapy or procedure. 

While under anesthesia, her vocal cords went into spasm, which blocked oxygen from her brain. Because her throat swelled, doctors couldn’t insert a breathing tube in time, resulting in brain damage and respiratory failure. Her heart went into arrhythmia—irregular heartbeat—and eventually stopped beating. Although it’s a terribly tragic way to go, heart and respiratory failure—and ultimately brain damage—are rare side effects of anesthesia. 

The flip side to Joan’s death is that it may not have been entirely the fault of her spasming vocal cords. The doctors conducting the procedure were investigated for malpractice. Besides taking a selfie with Joan (while she was under anesthesia), they had also performed a laryngoscopy, something Joan had not agreed to. The timeline of events also shows that doctors could have avoided Joan’s death had they realized her blood pressure and pulse were dropping earlier on.

8 Andy’s Gallbladder

Pop art pioneer and cultural icon Andy Warhol led a fantastical Manhattan lifestyle, even making a few enemies along the way. In 1968, radical author and artist Valerie Solanas marched to Warhol’s office and shot him twice. The bullets wrecked his organs, including his lungs, and it wasn’t clear whether or not he would survive. He even died at the hospital while they were working on repairs. But survive he did! You would think surviving a gunshot wound like that would get you the pass in any other life-threatening situations—but that wasn’t the case.

What used to be labeled a “routine” gallbladder surgery by the media is what ultimately killed Warhol. It was not routine, at least, not in Warhol’s case. The stress of the recovery, his sustained injuries from the gunshot wounds, a healthy dose of speed every day, and a prolonged sickness were just way too much for his heart. Though he made it through the surgery, he didn’t make it out of the hospital.

7 Danger at the Dentist’s Office

Nitrous oxide is a safe alternative to pain and anti-anxiety medication during outpatient surgeries. However, if used incorrectly, it could prove to be fatal. In another case of a medical professional not knowing when enough is enough, a young child died due to lack of oxygen during a dental procedure. The boy reportedly had behavioral issues and the surgery to remove four decaying teeth would be painful. When he wasn’t responding to the nitrous oxide, the doctor increased the amount of sedative he used. 

6 Lack of Wisdom

That isn’t the only incident of a young person suffering the worst complications anesthesia can cause. A 17-year-old girl suffered a heart attack during a routine wisdom teeth extraction surgery. Though the doctor eventually revived her and got her to a hospital, she was declared brain dead a week after the surgery. The family sued for malpractice, arguing that there should have been better monitoring and emergency response. There was also evidence that an uncertified dental assistant was partially to blame for the oversight. The family received a $2 million settlement, but no money is enough to make up for the loss of their daughter.

5 Mommy Makeover

A 38-year-old mother of two was on vacation with her family in Tijuana. While there, she decided to travel to Mexico with two other friends and treat herself to a “mommy makeover.” The tummy tuck ended up a fatal decision. Sadly, she experienced blood clotting during the procedure and suffered a heart attack. Even after 45 minutes of CPR, the medical team could not revive her. The two other women developed terrible complications. 

Most plastic surgery these days is considered outpatient, or ambulatory, surgery. Meaning a patient can arrive in the morning and be recovered enough to leave (with assistance, of course) the same day. Still, it is expensive. The cost of these procedures has increased medical tourism. In medical tourism, people seek out “certified” plastic surgeons in other countries. These surgeons usually charge a fraction of the price they would pay in the US and promise the same results. The issue is that you risk quality, hygiene, and your life with potentially deceptive ads and medical malpractice.

It seems it’s best to invest in a certified doctor or not get plastic surgery at all.

4 Bleach in the Line

Not all deaths during medical procedures are accidental. Back in 2012, a Texas nurse, Kimberly Clark Saenz, was arrested and sentenced to the death penalty for murdering dialysis patients during their treatments. People who suffer from chronic kidney disease rely on dialysis to filter and clean their blood, as their kidneys cannot. That said, dialysis patients put a lot of trust into the facility they go to for treatment and one misstep by dialysis technicians could mean some serious health consequences. 

Saenz did not care.

In 2008, about a year after Saenz started working at the dialysis center, administrators noticed that more and more patients were falling ill and suffering from cardiac arrest during treatments. In an effort to reduce these numbers, the facility made some staff changes and rearranged nurses. Saenz was reassigned as a patient care technician. Later that day, two patients saw her inject a bleach solution into the IV lines and reported her. She was ultimately fired and an investigation was opened to look into her contact with patients.

Of the five patients who had died that year, all had come into direct contact with Saenz. She was in-saenz.

3 da Vinci Robot

The medical profession has advanced by leaps and bounds in its practices and surgical equipment. What was once considered major, “open you up” surgery, doctors can now do through smaller incisions. They can perform cardiac oblations by threading tools up the femoral artery; they can remove your gallbladder with two small incisions. In gynecology, new technology even helps surgeons perform hysterectomies (the removal of the uterus) similarly. Oh, and you can get a robot to help you out, too. 

The da Vinci is that robot! The positives: it’s a minimally invasive surgical tool and patients may end up experiencing fewer complications from their surgery. The negatives: it’s still fairly new technology, and doctors only receive one day’s worth of formal training with it. Unfortunately, one little slip of the robot and technological celebration could turn into a technological tragedy.

In 2012, the da Vinci made a major slip up. As a result, a woman died during her robot-assisted hysterectomy. The robot’s arm nicked a blood vessel. This isn’t the only incident involving one of these machines, but it is certainly the most tragic.

2 Fat Cells

This plastic surgery death differs from the others on this list because the patient didn’t look for a cheap alternative. Traveling to Miami, Florida, from New York, the 46-year-old transgender woman found a clinic specializing in Brazillian butt lifts. She was scheduled to have a completely routine Brazilian butt-lift surgery. Nothing more. 

The catch is that as routine as the surgery is, they pose a greater risk than other plastic surgeries. When a surgeon injects fat below the gluteal muscles—your butt muscles—the needle can accidentally penetrate the gluteal vein. This caused the fat to enter the bloodstream, leading to major complications and heart and lung failure. Over the past decade, at least 20 people in Miami alone have died from the surgery. 

Unfortunately, in this case, that’s what happened to the beloved New Yorker. Her oxygen and heart rate dropped while on the table, the doctor couldn’t resuscitate her, and she was declared dead at the hospital. Her death was ruled accidental.

1 A Repeat Offender

People may not see labor as surgery because it is so routine, procedural, and oftentimes rewarding. But there are certainly obvious surgical aspects to the process, especially when it comes to C-sections, which is a surgery. 

Every labor is slightly different, of course, but there is protocol for almost every situation. Yet this guy, this guy right here—Dr. (or soon-to-be-former Dr.) Dmitry Shelchkov—decided not to follow protocol. Imagine being the reason why a child grows up without their mother. That’s Shelchkov.

Back in 2020, Shelchkov was directly responsible for the death of a 26-year-old mother from Brooklyn Sha-Asia Washington. During her C-section, he failed to give her oxygen after experiencing breathing difficulties. After he had given her an epidural, he administered additional medication. Want to guess what it was? Fentanyl. It was fentanyl. This was when Shelchkov didn’t give her enough oxygen. 

She became unresponsive, without a pulse, two minutes later. She continued to suffer a string of cardiac arrests until she passed away later that night.

Shelchkov has been tied to eight other malpractice incidents, including not giving anesthesia to another C-section patient. His medical license is currently suspended.
 

Plastic surgery has existed in one form or another for hundreds of years. Of course, 16th century plastic surgery was by no means as refined as it is today, but it did set a precedent and start a trend of trying to fix, at first, disfigurements and then, in time, just things people felt were aesthetically displeasing about themselves. These days you can go to a doctor and get them to change literally any part of your body if you can afford it, whether there’s a problem with it or not. And some of the procedures being done are stranger than you’d think. 

10. Elf Ear Surgery

Ears have been a staple of fantasy and sci-fi for many years now. Specifically, ears that look a little weird. If you want to give a quick sign that someone is not quite human, you give them weird ears. Just look at Vulcans and elves, both of whom are known for having pointy ears and are generally human-looking otherwise, at least in most popular stories about them. 

The pointy ear trope is so prevalent in fiction that a certain subsection of fans have opted to make a permanent alteration to their bodies to keep the look. Rather than cosplaying as elves or other whimsical creatures, they’re getting surgery to have elf ears.

The trend has really taken off in China, where the concept of elf ears is not necessarily pointy ears but noticeable ones. The surgery makes the ears more prominent. Injections of hyaluronic acid can be used, and potentially surgical alteration by implanting cartilage behind them can make a person’s ears stand out away from their head. It’s believed this offers a more slimming appearance to the face overall.

Of course, literal elf ear surgery is also a thing where surgeons can cut into the cartilage at the top of the ear and reshape it into a point, though it’s not without complications and the potential for serious infection or malformation. 

9. Selfies May be Driving an Uptick in Nose Job Surgeries

There’s no denying we’re living in a bit of a self-obsessed age. The idea of a selfie in a time before camera phones was pretty unheard of. Most people didn’t want to waste film turning a camera on themselves. But your phone can take a million pictures and you can delete all the ones you don’t like, so it’s pretty easy to chronicle what you look like all day long every day if you want. But that does come at a price.

The way you take a picture can alter your perception of your appearance. If you hold your phone at a distance of 12 inches from your face or closer, it’s going to make your nose look 30% larger compared to all your other facial features. That works out to your nose looking 6.4% longer than it really is. The base of the nose looks wider and your chin looks shorter. Basically, every selfie has a fun house mirror effect on your face. That’s a simple matter of perspective. But in the world of selfies, you’re often limited to close up shots because you can only hold a phone at arm’s length, usually. The result has been a rise in people wanting nose jobs because they have a distorted perception of their face thanks to close up selfies. 

8. Arowana Fish Get Plastic Surgery in Asia

Not everyone knows that there have been a fair number of innovations in the world of plastic surgery for animals over the years, often for surprising reasons. Imagine, for instance, a turtle or tortoise injured in a way that nearly destroys their shell. In the past this might have killed the animal, but we can design shells for them now and perform life saving surgery. Then there’s the arowana fish.

In China these fish are a symbol of wealth and status. Why? Why not? Young fish may start at a staggering $1,000 a piece but prices can skyrocket to over $300,000 for others. They can grow to as much as three feet in length and can live for 10 to 20 years. Some owners have spent close to a million dollars establishing aquariums just to show them off. 

Because they are so prized and so valuable, they’re also well taken care of, at least in the minds of their owners. Fish with droopy eyes can be taken to a plastic surgeon to have an eyelift. According to the doctor who performs surgeries like these they’re not cruel because the fish will look better and the owner will love it more as a result. 

7. Takeji Harada Had Six Inches of Silicone Added To His Head To Meet a Sumo Height Requirement

In the world of sports it’s typically against the rules to get any kind of medical intervention that might give you an advantage. But that also usually means you’re getting performance enhancing drugs. It’s rare that plastic surgery could ever help an athlete, but it’s not impossible, as Takeji Harada proved when he found a way to become a professional sumo wrestler. 

It turns out that if you want to be a pro sumo wrestler you need to be at least 5-foot-8. Harada, who was just 16-years-old, was 5-foot-2. After being rejected many times for not meeting height requirements, Harada came up with a new plan. He had six inches of silicone implanted in his scalp, thus giving him the needed height to compete. The move prompted the Japanese Sumo Association to make an official statement saying they would no longer allow people to qualify if they artificially boosted their height. 

Harada apparently spent a year and underwent four procedures to get the required height which, in the end, was literally a six-inch mound on top of his head. Word is another wrestler just bashed his head against a wall so they could measure the bump and he’d qualify as well. 

6. Cinderella Foot Surgery

There’s a clear divide in Western society between traditional men’s and women’s footwear. A lot of women’s footwear is fairly impractical. High heeled shoes require you to walk with your foot at an uncomfortable angle, and they are often very narrow, which can squish a person’s foot. Rather than choosing different footwear, however, some women have opted to choose different feet. The Cinderella surgery allows this to happen by reshaping the foot so it fits into smaller shoes.

One doctor from Beverly Hills started doing the procedure after patients would increasingly bring in the shoes they wanted to fit into. Surgeries can include toe-shortening, toe-lengthening, and a Foot Tuck, which adds padding for wearing heels. 

The process is a bit of a self-fulfilling one as many of the patients only go to a doctor after years of wearing shoes that they shouldn’t be wearing. Their feet become deformed as a result and they need surgery to correct what happened so they can keep wearing the shoes. 

5. Beard Transplant Surgery

Hair transplants are not an entirely new concept by any means, but you may not be aware that beard transplants are also a thing for the man who has issues with growing facial hair. Patchy beards are the bane of many a man’s face, so beard transplant surgery aims to fix that by taking hair from a donor part of a man’s body, say the back of his head, and grafting it onto his face.

You could be looking at 1,000 to 1,500 individual grafts to get the desired effect. The grafted hair will also fall out as a normal part of the process. However, within three months to one year the idea is that it will take root and new hair will start growing on its own. Now whether it comes in as thick, bristly beard hair, or fine hair – like the texture of scalp hair – isn’t really addressed.

4. Abdominal Etching 

A six-pack is more than just a convenient way to enjoy beer, it’s a way to show off your well-sculpted abdominal muscles. Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability or discipline to get their body in that kind of shape. But if you still want abs without the work, maybe surgery can get you there.

Abdominal etching is a kind of liposuction that can help define your stomach muscles when crunches don’t do the trick. Fat is removed in very specific places to help accentuate the musculature, but doctors note it will work best if you already work out and stick to a healthy diet. Consider it a helping hand. 

Post-op, the patient needs to keep the lines compressed during the healing process for two weeks in what sounds a bit like reinforcing wrinkles or folds in clothing. 

3. Snapchat Filter Surgeries

We already saw how a selfie can distort someone’s body image enough to make them want surgery, but that was almost understandable. The image is being distorted, which gives the individual an incorrect perception of themselves. It’s based on an illusion. The rise in Snapchat filter surgery is a little harder to account for because, in this case, people are intentionally distorting their appearance and then wanting the reality to match it. 

Snapchat’s rise to fame in the late 2010s brought about what some called Snapchat Dysmorphia. Snapchat (and now most image-based apps do the same) allows for the application of various filters and manipulation techniques that changes the way you look in your photo. 

Filters can sometimes make drastic appearance changes, but there are many more subtle ones that might make your eyes bigger and brighter, your skin smoother and lighter, and so on. Doctors began seeing a rise in patients wanting their real appearance to mimic that filtered appearance, even when it was not even realistic. 

The result is more procedures using face fillers, Botox, nose jobs, and so on. Doctors would see patients who brought in photos of themselves with filtered features instead of pictures of celebrities they wanted to look like. Some were so unrealistic the doctors had to turn the potential patients down by telling them what they were looking for was literally impossible. 

2. Dimpleplasty

Despite how well known the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is, people are still quick to point to specific things that are apparently beautiful. You can Google it and get lists of features that might include full lips or high cheek bones, among others. Another fairly well known feature considered attractive are dimples. There’s a sense that dimples imply youthfulness and innocence. And since not everyone naturally has dimples, plastic surgery is there to ensure you at least have the option.

Dimpleplasty is the all-too-obvious name for the procedure that seeks to simply mimic the defect in cheek musculature that would normally cause a dimple. The process may require some muscle tissue to be removed, or just anchoring skin to soft tissue with sutures. For many it’s a very simple procedure that just requires a local anesthetic. 

1. Pet Plastic Surgery

The pet plastic surgery industry is about as weird as you might guess. The variety of procedures is not as high as it is for humans, but much of it still plays to vanity, but a sort of vanity-by-proxy since it’s unlikely the pets know or care that they look a certain way.

Neuticles have existed since the mid-1990s and they are an artificial testicle replacement for neutered animals. According to the company website the purpose is to help “neuter-hesitant pet owners overcome the trauma of altering and allowing their beloved pet to retain its natural look and self-esteem.” Some vets agree that it’s a great idea. Some think it’s completely ridiculous and just for insecure owners. The product has made its inventor a millionaire, however, so a lot of people are on board. 

The full range of pet surgery can be unexpected. Aside from testicular implants, people are giving their pets Botox for wrinkles and nose jobs, both of which could have practical and even life-saving reasons for certain breeds. Many pug-faced breeds do have breathing issues, and some of the wrinklier breeds can develop dangerous infections. But then there are also tummy tucks, eye lifts and even braces.

Many of the procedures are intended to improve the dog’s quality of life, though it’s debatable whether a neutered dog has any idea that it lost its testicles and now has a new pair thanks to Neuticles.

Most plastic or cosmetic surgery is apparent to the naked eye: Her breasts look bigger (or smaller or higher). His nose looks straighter. But some plastic surgery results are visible only to the recipient (and perhaps their significant other).

Requests for plastic surgery on genitalia are on the rise, motivated by desires for an improved self-image or increased sexual satisfaction. And while most plastic surgery procedures are performed on women (about 80 percent, in fact), it turns out that more men than women request work on their private parts.

This list reveals some of the procedures that are currently on the menu. Would you consider going under the knife down there?

10 Monsplasty

The mons pubis, or mons, is the triangular fatty pad covering the pubic bone, running from the top of the pubic hair down to the genitals. Both men and women have it, but it’s more obvious in women. The surgery is more popular with women, but men can also receive the benefits.

Fat accumulation and loose skin—from weight gain/loss, aging, C-section, hormones, even genetics—can lead to an enlarged mons. Monsplasty removes excess skin and fatty tissue to give the mons a firmer, flatter appearance.

While many cosmetic procedures involve liposuction to remove fat, monsplasty is surgery that uses a scalpel to remove the offending skin and fat. The procedure often accompanies a tummy tuck because a bulging mons pubis is often more noticeable after removing fatty tissue and tightening the skin on your abdomen.

While the procedure delivers aesthetic improvements, it has other benefits as well, making intercourse, urination, and even hygiene easier.^[1]

9 Labiaplasty

A labiaplasty is a vaginal rejuvenation (or “designer vagina”) procedure. Vaginal rejuvenation often involves lasers, ultrasound, or other energy devices to tighten the vaginal area. But a labiaplasty is surgery that reduces the size/shape of a woman’s genitalia.

The labia can become enlarged due to childbirth, aging, sexual activity, or genetics. The condition, when revealed by form-fitting clothing, is sometimes referred to as “camel toe” or “crotch cleavage.” An enlarged labia can cause difficulties with exercise, sex, and hygiene and may lead to urinary tract infections. It can also interfere with wearing clothes like yoga pants and swimsuits.

There are different ways to reduce the size of the labia (e.g., trim procedure, wedge procedure). The overall goal is to remove the excess part of the labia minora (the inner tissues of the female genitalia), so it lines up with the labia majora (outer part).^[2]

8 Clitoral Hood Reduction

The skin fold that covers and protects the clitoris is called the clitoral hood. The clitoris contains thousands of sensory nerve endings and is extremely sensitive. The clitoral hood protects the clitoris from friction and clothing that could irritate it. It also makes a lubricant (sebum) that helps the hood glide over the sensitive clitoris. When a woman is sexually aroused, the clitoris becomes engorged. This swelling pulls back the clitoral hood (much like the foreskin of a penis) and aids in a woman’s ability to achieve orgasm.

Some women may want to reduce their clitoral hood to eliminate discomfort. Women who’ve had the above-described labiaplasty may find their clitoral hood looks top-heavy. Other women may simply want to increase sexual clitoral sensation by exposing more of their clitoris. Each of these things can be addressed with a vaginal rejuvenation procedure called a clitoral hood reduction.

The clitoral hood reduction (aka clitoral hoodectomy, clitoral hoodoplasty, clitorial unhooding) reduces the excess tissue in the folds of the clitoris. The outpatient procedure involves trimming the skin and suturing with disposable stitches. The surgery should result in better-looking and more comfortable genitals.^[3]

7 Hymenoplasty

The hymen is the thin membrane that partially covers the vagina. In many cultures, an intact hymen is thought to be a sign of virginity, but penetrative sex isn’t the only cause of a torn hymen. The membrane can be torn by exercise, horseback or bicycle riding, tampon insertion, masturbation, or a pap smear.

Women who want to restore their hymen can opt for a hymenoplasty, also known as hymenorrhaphy or temporary hymen reconstruction. The desire to do so isn’t always cosmetic. It might stem from the cultural or religious belief that a woman must prove her virginity on her wedding night. For women who have been sexually abused or traumatized, the procedure may provide psychological and emotional relief.

With this surgery, a thin layer of tissue is taken from the vaginal wall and placed in the location of the torn hymen. The restored hymen will tighten the vaginal opening and—like the original hymen—may or may not bleed upon penetration.

This procedure, which is illegal in some European countries, provides no greater medical or physical benefit.^[4]

6 Labia Majora Augmentation with Fat Grafting

A woman who wants to plump up her labia might opt for dermal fillers like those used to make lips larger. But there’s also a longer-lasting surgical alternative: labia majora augmentation with autologous fat transfer.

This outpatient surgery liposuctions fat from the patient’s abdomen, hips, or flanks and transfers it to the labia majora. The intent is to improve the fullness and firmness of the labia majora and eliminate sagging skin for a more youthful-looking appearance.^[6]

5 G-Spot Amplification

G-Spot amplification is another surgical procedure that aims to improve a woman’s self-esteem, sensation, and libido. It also involves using autologous fat transfer. This method seeks to magnify the G-Spot up to four times and is also known as G-Shot or G-Spot augmentation.

A German doctor named Dr. Gräfenberg was the first to describe the concept of the G-Spot, an area on the front inner wall of the vagina. The procedure includes an injection of hyaluronic acid or collagen filler to this erogenous area. It is believed that this procedure increases the sensitivity, the duration of female orgasms, and their frequency.^[6]

Don’t worry, guys. We haven’t forgotten about you. The rest of this list is dedicated solely to you…

4 Penis Lengthening Surgery

A man’s perception of his genitals is directly related to his self-esteem and sexual identity. That may be why men are all-in on this cosmetic trend.

There is rarely a medical need for penis enlargement surgery. The Urology Care Foundation says it’s only necessary in cases of micropenis—an abnormally small penis caused by hormonal or genetic issues. The average penis size for an adult is 13.24 centimeters (5.21 inches) when stretched. A stretched penile length of less than 9.3 centimeters (3.66 inches) is considered a micropenis. However, the majority of men seeking this type of surgery have a penis of “normal” size.

Penis elongation surgery is a bit of a misnomer. In this procedure, the suspensory ligament that attaches the penis to the pelvic bone is cut. The enables the flaccid penis to hang lower and look slightly larger even though its size has not been altered. Sometimes a skin graft is necessary to complete the surgery. Complications are a concern. Wound separation, scarring, pubic depression, or hairlessness may occur. The penis may develop an unnatural hump at the base, while a change in the angle of erection may also result.

The penile length gained may increase by a centimeter (less than ½ an inch) or so, but it’s possible that no lengthening results. Using weights or stretching devices postoperatively—and for a period of months to years—may allow additional length gain. Removing the fat from the area around the penis can also make it look bigger than it is.^[7]

3 Penile Girth Augmentation

Increasing penile girth is another sought-after cosmetic procedure. Achieving good results (i.e., symmetrically increased girth) is difficult. Girth surgery can lead to severe complications and deformities.

The patient’s own fat is injected into the penis. If the injections are irregular or too much fat is injected, unsightly nodules may occur. Asymmetry and loss of penile rigidity due to excess fat are other complications.

Alternatively, skin grafts can be used to increase girth by up to 4 centimeters (1.5 inches). The grafts are secured around the circumference of the penis with sutures. Severe complications (scar formation, penile shortening, penile curvature) may result if the grafts do not survive completely.

Some practitioners inject synthetic materials, such as liquid silicone or hyaluronic acid, to enhance girth. Injections may provide a good short-term appearance, but long-term results are unlikely.^[8]

2 Testicular Implants

There are many medical conditions that can contribute to the size and symmetry of testicles: infections, tumors, medication, or genetics. Some men are simply born with one testicle, uneven testicles, or testicles that fail to descend. And some men are sensitive about these “abnormalities.”

A testicular prosthesis is an artificial testicle implanted in the scrotum to provide the appearance of the real thing. Like saline-filled breast implants, testicular implants can be made to the size and consistency desired by the patient.

This minor outpatient surgery can be completed in about 30 minutes. Pain meds and antibiotics are typically prescribed, and the surgical stitches eventually dissolve on their own. Gentle manipulation of the area will help the implant settle in a natural position. Regular exercise and activity can resume around two weeks after the procedure.^[9]

1 Scrotoplasty

A man’s scrotum can become stretched and loose due to genetics, aging, trauma, or injury. Many men, both young and old, struggle with scrotums that are sagging, large, or low-hanging. In extreme cases, a stretched scrotum can cause painful chafing, interfere with sexual intercourse, or even reach the water when the toilet is being used. Men with stretched scrotums complain of discomfort, hygiene concerns, sexual problems, and overall embarrassment and low self-esteem. Nonsurgical treatment involves wearing supportive underwear or a jockstrap, which may slow but not stop the sagging.
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Scrotoplasty (aka scrotum reduction, scrotal lift) removes excess skin from the scrotum to improve appearance and comfort. The result is a tighter, smaller, rejuvenated scrotum. It’s a fairly simple procedure that can boost a man’s self-confidence and pleasure during sex.

The outpatient surgery does not interfere with the testicles or fertility. The majority of men undergoing this procedure are over age 40. Consider rest, scrotal elevation, and ice compresses for several days after the operation to help with healing. Avoiding constipation, straining, and heavy lifting are encouraged. Most patients return to regular activities and sexual intercourse within three weeks.^[10]