- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of South Florida and help keep the future of New Times free.
Keloid scars are raised, puffy, purplish lumps that remain painful, itchy, and swollen indefinitely. They erupt when skin is irritated or broken. Anything from a large blemish to a planned-out, medical incision can trigger them.
When she went for a surgical consultation in July 2009, Perrins-Whittaker even went so far as to show Garcia a keloid on her back.
Still, Perrins-Whittaker was told not to worry, the court filing claims. Garcia promised she would be just fine.
Perrins-Whittaker claims that she was not just fine by any means: She says that her face erupted into a bed of keloid scars less than a week after her August 6, 2009, surgery.
Perrins-Whittaker says that keloids now cover her face and neck, so she's suing Garcia and Lifestyle Lift for damages.
Lifestyle Lift disagrees with this accounting of events.
Rebecca Shaw, a spokeswoman for the company, says that it's not familiar with the lawsuit but that she could speak generally about surgical risks.
"Dr. Juan Garcia was a Lifestyle Lift physician for a time in our Fort Lauderdale Center, but left our organization to resume a private practice in Jacksonville," she says in an email to the Pulp. "He's a talented surgeon, and we have complete confidence in his experience and skills."
"Our doctors review these risks in detail so that patients are fully informed before signing the consent form."
Also, she says, scars that result from the surgery are typically concealed around and behind the fold of the ear and within the hairline.
The Pulp is waiting for comment from Garcia.
Follow The Pulp on Facebook and on Twitter: @ThePulpBPB.
Keep New Times Broward-Palm Beach Free... Since we started New Times Broward-Palm Beach, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering South Florida with no paywalls.
