Patients out thousands in deposits to Ontario plastic surgeon who they say disappeared” writes Angelina King in a CBC News article.
That story, published four days ago, says Dr. Mahmood Kara’s plastic surgery clinics are closed, the phone lines are cut, and patient emails bounce back.
As many as 40 women have contacted police or filed complaints says Canada’s The Star.
Today, a prominent notice appears on the doctor’s website:
“Dr Kara is on a temporary leave of absence. For immediate assistance please reach out to Dr [name] at [phone number].”
October 22, 2021 Notice
Surgical Times called the phone number listed, at 10:18 local time this morning.
That doctor’s office knew nothing of the arrangement, a staffer told us.
She said they haven’t received any patients from Dr. Kara and was unaware of the website notice or any arrangement to care for Kara’s past patients.
“We don’t know anything about that.”
Staffer at a practice listed as a resource for “immediate assistance” to Kara’s patients
While investigations are ongoing and little is yet known about the temporary leave, Surgical Times had actually hoped to discover how—or if— patients might reasonably have been able to avoid such egregious ethics violations at a “premier clinic.”
Prior to the CBC investigation, patients doing their due diligence would likely have been presented with:
- 4.4-star ratings on RateMDs, where Mr. Kara is listed as #2 of 23 cosmetic surgeons in the area.
- 4.1-star ratings on RealSelf (Kara’s account is now suspended.)
- Active membership with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
- A 4th place listing on Yelp’s “10 best cosmetic surgeons” in the area, despite having no Yelp reviews, and unclaimed accounts for two practice locations.
False Claims of Board Certification
Kara’s website prominently makes claims we were unable to substantiate over several hours of investigation:
“As a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, and American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Kara is world renowned for his advanced techniques,” part of his homepage reads.
But Dr. Kara is in fact:
- Not listed as a current member of the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
- Not listed as a current member of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Yet, in addition to the inaccurate descriptive text above, even the logos of both professional societies appear on the doctor’s website.
“The executive director [of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons] says the doctor hasn’t been a member of the society since 2018.”
CBC News, October 18, 2021
None of this is to say anything of Dr. Kara’s surgical work. Rather, it is to point out that his primary point of contact with potential patients has been misleading for nearly three years, displaying the official logos of professional societies of which he is not a member.
It’s not a website maintenance issue either.
Two hours after a phone call to the new practice that past patients were being referred to, the notice (pictured above) is gone.
RCPS certification in plastic surgery, which Dr. Mahmud Kara does hold, qualifies him for membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which requires members to uphold a strict Code of Ethics and invites the public to make complaints of misconduct in writing by email to EthicsComplaints@plasticsurgery.org.
Patients Unanswered
The latest post on the Instagram account for Dr. Kara’s practices is from nine weeks ago, on August 18th.
It continues to accumulate messages from past patients looking for help in contacting the doctor and/or receiving a refund.
None have yet been replied to by the practice or the doctor and two users say comments on the post are being deleted.