After reportedly mutilating 11 victims in botched operations that left them with horrific scars, a fake cosmetic surgeon called "the Barbie Doctor" could face prison time.
An online tabloid said Olgica Markanovic and a colleague might face a three-year prison sentence if they are found guilty of performing unlicensed aesthetic operations.
Officials arrested the phony surgeon the Serbian-Croatian border on Jun. 1. They are facing prosecution for reportedly performing procedures on at least 11 victims. The botched patients had charred skin and terrible scarring that prevented them from eating correctly for months.
Prosecutors are prosecuting Markanovic for the second time. Due to the absence of Jasmina T, her associate, who was ready to give birth, the first run was postponed.
Prosecutors have asked for a three-year prison sentence for Markanovic and a one-year sentence for Jasmina T, who cannot be identified due to privacy regulations.
From May 2020 until March this year, Markanovic allegedly performed unlawful and unlicensed cosmetic treatments on several people.
According to Croatian media, she allegedly used a "plasma pen" on her patients, causing lasting facial injury in the form of second- and third-degree burns.
Lidocaine chloride, a potentially toxic medication that might have caused severe allergic responses, was also allegedly administered as a local anaesthetic by the couple.
Markanovic has refuted the allegations, claiming that she did not perform medical treatments without a valid license.
According to local media, she maintained that the services she provided to her patients were cosmetic. She never marketed herself as a medical expert.
She allegedly claimed that the plasma pen was not a medical gadget, but rather a cosmetic one. She had a certificate to use it.
She then accused her former patients of causing their own injuries by failing to follow recovery recommendations like not utilizing tanning beds or exposing their skin to sunlight.
In March 2021, a group of at least 11 men and women filed a complaint against the suspect, alleging that she disfigured them after treating them at her salon in Belgrade, Serbia.
The 'Barbie Doctor' introduced herself as the 'President of Aesthetics,' according to one male victim who declined to be identified by Croatian media site Blic (per an online tabloid).
She then identified herself as a licensed doctor to his girlfriend.
Another victim, who asked not to be identified, said she went to Markanovic's salon to get her nose and eyebrows lifted but left with burns all over her face instead.
She went on to say that she could barely open her eyes for seven days, and that ordinary actions like eating and drinking became agonizing for her for several months owing to the scars on her face.
Despite the fact that the suspect has been named in 11 cases, she is said to have treated over 20 persons, all of whom have suffered medical injuries.
The 'President of Aesthetics,' according to Blic, may face up to three years in prison and a fine.
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