06.07.2026 08:30
The legal battle of 47-year-old mother of three and chef Songül Uzunoğlu, who suffered tissue loss in her lip after an aesthetic procedure in Antalya, has been ongoing for 7 years. While the doctors were acquitted in the criminal case, the Consumer Court ruled in favor of Uzunoğlu, awarding 994,331 TL in compensation. As the case is in the Regional Court of Appeals process, Uzunoğlu said, "I have no smile, eating is a problem. They disregarded a person's life and existence. Who will seek my rights?"
Songül Uzunoğlu, a mother of three working as a cook in Antalya, began a legal battle after claiming tissue loss on her lip following an aesthetic procedure at a private center in 2019, which has not been resolved despite more than 7 years passing. In the criminal proceedings, the doctors were acquitted, while in the material and moral compensation case heard at Antalya 1st Consumer Court, a total of 994,331 TL (excluding interest) was ruled in favor of Uzunoğlu. After the decision was appealed by both parties, the file was sent to Antalya Regional Court of Justice 7th Civil Chamber. The chamber, without examining the merits, sent the file back to the court that issued the initial decision to complete missing fees and notifications.
FIRST PROCEDURE FAILED
On the advice of friends, Songül Uzunoğlu applied to a beauty and aesthetic center in the Lara district of Muratpaşa in February 2019. According to her claim, she was told that for a procedure to be performed on her under-eye bags, fat tissue taken from the abdominal area would be used as filler in the facial area, and that the operation was permanent, economical, and guaranteed for 2 years. After the first procedure in March, Uzunoğlu stated that the filler, which was said to be permanent, disappeared within a short time. Following the unsuccessful procedure, she reapplied to the same center.
PROCEDURE REPEATED 4 TIMES
Throughout 2019, Uzunoğlu underwent multiple procedures on different dates. Claiming that the filler on her face dissolved shortly after the first procedure, Uzunoğlu underwent a second operation in April. During this process, she was also recommended to have filler applied to her lower lip. In May, she was called to the center for a third time. While fat tissue taken from the abdominal area was reapplied to her face, filler was also applied to her lower lip. Uzunoğlu paid a total of 7,500 TL for these procedures. After the fillers disappeared again, she underwent a fourth procedure on November 18, 2019, during which her lip was also intervened.
After the final procedure, Uzunoğlu claimed to have experienced severe pain, bruising on her lip, and tissue loss, and stated that she underwent multiple surgeries during this period. Uzunoğlu said, "In 2019, on a friend's recommendation, I applied to a beauty center in Antalya for under-eye light filler. Upon the center's direction, a fat graft procedure was performed. I had requested intervention on my under-eyes, but the procedure was also done on my face. It was repeated three times, but the fillers did not hold. Because my face looked strange and disproportionate, they said the fourth procedure would be corrective. I accepted because I already looked very bad."
"THE MAIN ARTERY NOURISHING MY LIP WAS BLOCKED"
Uzunoğlu, stating that filler was also applied to her lip during the fourth procedure, said her life changed after the procedure, adding, "During the fourth procedure, filler was applied to my lip as well. During this procedure, I learned that the main artery nourishing my lip was blocked and that I had completely lost my lip tissue. Since 2019, I have been living with health problems, treatments, and a legal battle. As you see, my lip has been attempted to be reconstructed using tissue taken from inside my cheeks. I have undergone multiple operations during this process. My mouth is still like it's stitched. It hasn't healed yet, and I need serious operations and significant money to heal."
ACQUITTAL IN CRIMINAL CASE
In the case heard at Antalya 24th Criminal Court of First Instance regarding the incident, the doctors were tried for the offense of "causing injury to a person through negligence." The court noted that the Forensic Medicine Institute report stated that the delayed start of hyperbaric oxygen treatment was not medically appropriate in terms of complication management, but also indicated that even if timely treatment had been applied, a necrosis table could have developed on the lip. The court acquitted the defendants on the grounds that no definitive causal link could be established between the defendants' actions and the offense of negligent injury.
CONSUMER COURT RULED FOR COMPENSATION
In the material and moral compensation case heard at Antalya 1st Consumer Court, a different evaluation was made. The court concluded, based on the file content and reports, that the procedures were not in accordance with the generally accepted principles and rules of medical science. The court ruled for 244,331 TL in material compensation (including 8,250 TL in treatment costs and 236,081 TL in loss of labor), as well as 750,000 TL in moral compensation, resulting in a total of 994,331 TL (excluding interest) in favor of Uzunoğlu. The opposing party rejected these demands.
CASE IN REGIONAL COURT PROCESS
Following the Consumer Court's decision dated March 21, 2025, both parties appealed. The Regional Court of Justice, in its decision dated March 18, 2026, determined that there were deficiencies in fees and notifications before examining the merits. The chamber sent the file back to the court that issued the initial decision to complete these deficiencies. For this reason, the appeal review of the compensation file has not yet been completed.
"THE COURT IS NOT PROGRESSING"
Uzunoğlu, asserting that the compensation case was concluded in 2025 but no payment has been made, stated that the process is dragging on, saying, "The doctor did not receive a penalty in the criminal case because the case was filed for the offense of negligent injury. My compensation case in the Consumer Court concluded in 2025, but since then, no payment has been made, and I believe the file is being prolonged. The opposing party appealed to the higher court, and we waited patiently. I have been in this process since November 2019, and we are now in July 2026. Most recently, due to deficiencies in notifications and documents, the file was sent back to the initial court. The court is not progressing. No one is seeking my rights."
"I AM A HUMAN BEING, I AM A WOMAN"
Uzunoğlu, stating that she still needs treatment and new operations, expressed that the process has worn her down both physically and psychologically. Uzunoğlu said, "I am in this state. I still need treatments and operations. The condition of my lip is clear. I have no smile, eating is a problem. I now want justice to prevail. I am a human being, I am a woman. People frequently undergo these procedures nowadays. I underwent such a procedure in my life and trusted them. They reduced me to this state. Despite this, they did not stand by their mistake, they did not support me. They disregarded a person's life, their existence."
"Who will seek my rights?" he said.