Quack cosmetic 'doctor' charged

Unlicensed cosmetic 'doctor' Thanat Natveerakul, 24, who is known as Dr Pop, has confessed to police that he injected a filler material into 33-year-old Athitiya Eiamyai's buttocks that caused her to collapse into a deep coma.

Mr Thanat, 24, turned himself in to police at the Children and Women Protection Sub-Division last night.

He admitted he was not licensed to perform the procedure but said he used to work as an assistant at a skin clinic and was tasked with giving injections. After gaining experience, he  resigned and started administering to his own clients,  who came to him by word-of-mouth.

He said he had performed the injection procedure on more than 20 women, many of whom, including Ms Athitiya, worked as product presenters.

His normal service covered the injection of glutathione for whitening purposes and an injection to increase the buttock size at a price of 500 to 1,000 baht. But he charged Ms Athitiya 40,000 baht because he used an imported filler material - which was earlier reported to be collagen.

Mr Thanat said he was sorry about causing Ms Athitiya's collapse and would pay for her medical treatment. He also apologised to Ms Athitiya’s parents, who said they cannot put all the blame on Mr Thanat because their  daughter chose voluntarily to use his services.

Ms Athitiya was injected with a foreign substance at a condominium in Lat Phrao on Sunday and became unconscious with a few minutes. Doctors said later her heart stopped working and her brain was starved of oxygen for at least four minutes. 

However, Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang and a representative of Public Health Ministry said police would definitely press charges.

Mr Thanat is initially charged with offering a medical service without holding a license, which has a maximum penalty of three years jail and a 30,000 baht fine, and also with illegally operating an unregistered clinic, which carries a  maximum penalty of three years jail and a 60,000 baht fine.

Ms Athitiya remains in a coma in the intensive care unit at Kluaynamthai Hospital. Doctors have advised the family she is unlikely to recover,

 

The video clip below, uploaded to Youtube by hui huizuke, shows Mr Thanat taking Ms Athitiya, who went into a coma after he injected her with a buttocks reshaper, to Lat Phrao Hospital's emergency ward on Sept 16, 2012.

Share your thoughts

Discussion 1 : 22/09/2012 at 01:50 AM
Injection of glutathione, an agent used to treat cancer can lead to kidney failure(bad news), blood poisoning(bad news) and toxic epidermal necrolysis(terrible news) Factual warning issued by FDA Philippines where people also are crazed with white skin. Real doctors are not immune from greed. Michael Jackson had plenty.
Discussion 2 : 22/09/2012 at 01:39 AM
"Beside the fact that there's no such thing as a cosmetic doctor" Perhaps there is no such thing as a "cosmetic doctor of veterinary medicine (looking at your avatar), but the practice of cosmetic medicine is huge and there are cosmetic surgeons, cosmetic dermatologists, cosmetic dental and oral surgeons, cosmetic otolaryngologists and other physicians with training in various cosmetic procedures.
Discussion 3 : 21/09/2012 at 11:17 PM
The guy clearly deserves his fair share of punishment, and probably some legal advice on how to watch what he says. Sadly, I believe this sort of scenario will continue to occur. It comes down to the fact that if you price something low enough, people will come. AKA: Made in China ?
Discussion 4 : 21/09/2012 at 08:38 PM
Maybe this will make some of these women think twice about pointless self abuse. If you're so unhappy with yourself that you need to physically alter your appearance I believe it is a doctor of psychiatry you require, not a surgeon.
Discussion 5 : 21/09/2012 at 07:54 PM
Lock him up and make an example to deter others.Make sure it gets plenty of publicity. Unfortunately it will not help the woman or her family.
Discussion 6 : 21/09/2012 at 06:47 PM
what are the police doing to make sure these kind of unlicensed practices are PREVENTED? any ideas?
Discussion 7 : 21/09/2012 at 05:55 PM
Obviously it is not alright what this non-doctor is doing. But if someone is visiting a guy in a private condominium and expects professional service then the non-doctor is not the only person who is at fault. Or would you go to your neighbor to get your teeth fixed for a special price only because at some stage in his life he was an assistant to a real doctor?
Discussion 8 : 21/09/2012 at 05:39 PM
I seem to be missing something here, why would a woman want fatter buttocks?
Discussion 9 : 21/09/2012 at 05:33 PM
Instead of relying on clinics to inject who knows what into you ,trying to lighten your skin color or massage the cellulite of the back of your thighs try exercising and eating right .
Discussion 10 : 21/09/2012 at 04:40 PM
The writer of this story has introduced us to the heretofore unknown profession of the "unlicensed cosmetic doctor". Beside the fact that there's no such thing as a cosmetic doctor, this guy is apparently neither a medical, nor any other kind of doctor. What he is, is an arrogant, greedy little fraud who preys on other people's vanity. As for being sorry - When people around here say they're sorry, I usually take it to mean that they're sorry they got caught, not sorry for the harm they have caused.
Discussion 11 : 21/09/2012 at 03:35 PM
why is it that some many Thai's belive that just by saying "sorry" all will be forgiven A Unlicensed cosmetic doctor !!!!! If you break the alw you go to Jail simple and clear Wail saying sorry is nice it is just a word
Discussion 12 : 21/09/2012 at 03:35 PM
From which angle does Thanat look like a doctor?
Discussion 13 : 21/09/2012 at 03:26 PM
So, is he actually a doctor or not? He must have been pretty clever to start medical school at 17.

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