An Instagram-famous plastic surgeon who promised to make clients’ buttocks “pop” instead allegedly botched procedures that resulted in scarring or infections in California, according to dozens of former patients.
According to multiple malpractice lawsuits against him and recently reported on by the Los Angeles Times, Dr. Arian Mowlavi, known as Dr.Laguna with over 80,000 social media followers, charged thousands of dollars for some surgeries, only to leave patients with numerous problems following the work the doctor’s business did on them.
According to court documents, Laguna demanded that his patients strip naked for an exam, touch their bodies without permission, and in some cases have unlicensed technicians perform some of the work.
He also posted photos and videos of their bodies online without their permission, according to the trove of documents.
“Dr. Laguna is a danger to the community and his plastic surgery patients,” Dr. Robert Kachenmeister, a California-based doctor who treated some of Mowlavi’s patients post-surgeries, reportedly wrote in a court-submitted court declaration.
Mowlavi would brag about his craft in numerous social media videos
In one clip cited by the LA Times, he said, “We’re making some beautiful butts, so come with me” as he showed an unconscious patient face down on the operating table with her butt out in the open.
“This butt has volume, pop,” he cheerfully said. “This what we’re talking about guys.”
He has denied allegations of wrongdoing, arguing in court filings that patients were aware of and assumed the risks of the surgeries, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In 2021, the California Medical Board filed a formal complaint against Laguna, alleging multiple violations. According to the outlet, the board suspended his license for 90 days and imposed a 10-year probation the following year.
He allegedly did not admit wrongdoing but accepted the ruling.
A Laguna patient even passed away in 2018 a few days after having breast implants, liposuction, and other procedures, according to the LA Times.
According to the state’s medical board, Irlanda Swarthout passed out and was rushed to the emergency room five hours after the procedure.
The board reported that she had shortness of breath before collapsing at home and dying three days later from internal bleeding that stopped her heart.
Her family filed a lawsuit in 2019, and the medical board accused him of allowing surgical technicians to work on the patient.
Surgeon Laguna faces criminal investigations
The LA Times reports that the surgeon did not refute the board’s charge and instead reached a $1 million settlement with her family.
Chalene Johnson, a social media influencer, made public claims that detailed her “plastic surgery nightmare” with Mowlavi.
While others began contacting Johnson about their issues with the doctor, Laguna filed a defamation suit against her, according to the Los Angeles Times, claiming she received proper care.
More than 20 patients reportedly sued Laguna in December 2021, claiming he posted photos of them online without their permission. One patient claimed that she was insulted during the video he posted.
“This woman had no magic, no pop, had a square masculine shape,” Mowlavi stated prior to displaying her body following surgery, as per court documents examined by the Los Angeles Times.
He has sought a stay in most of the lawsuits filed against him after declaring bankruptcy in 2022.
The fired doctor is also facing a lawsuit from the Orange County District Attorney’s office for alleged illegal and unfair business practices, as well as an ongoing criminal investigation.
