Dr. Katharine Grawe, a plastic surgeon who gained fame and followers on TikTok by livestreaming her operations, has been permanently banned from practicing medicine in Ohio after the state medical board found that she harmed several patients and violated standards of care.
The board voted unanimously on Wednesday to revoke Dr. Grawe’s license, which had been suspended since November, after reviewing evidence that she neglected her patients’ safety and well-being while focusing on her social media audience.
In her videos, which were viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, Dr. Grawe would speak directly to the camera, answering questions from her followers while performing procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation and Brazilian butt lifts. She would also post clips of herself dancing in her scrubs or showing before-and-after results of her surgeries.
But behind the scenes, some of her patients suffered severe complications and needed emergency care after being operated on by Dr. Grawe, who goes by Dr. Roxy in her practice, “Roxy Plastic Surgery.”
One patient, whose surgery was partially broadcasted on TikTok, developed a perforated intestine and brain damage from the amount of toxins in her blood. Another patient needed multiple surgeries on her stomach after experiencing intense pain following a cosmetic procedure. A third patient had an infection and a hematoma after a breast reconstruction surgery.
The board said Dr. Grawe failed to meet the standards of care for these patients and did not provide adequate follow-up or documentation. The board also said she violated patient privacy and ethics by recording and sharing their surgeries without their consent.
Dr. Grawe had been warned by the board since 2018 about her social media practices, but she continued to stream surgeries until October 2022. She said she wanted to educate her followers about cosmetic surgery through her videos.
At the hearing on Wednesday, Dr. Grawe pleaded for leniency, saying that she was humbled and willing to change.
“I ask you from the bottom of my heart to please consider my thoughts with an open mind,” she said. “This has humbled me more than you can know. I am willing to change my social media practices, and I will never livestream a surgery again.”
But the board members were unmoved by her plea, saying that she showed an extreme lack of professionalism and put her social media fame above her patients’ lives.
“We’ve seen an extreme lack of professionalism,” one board member said. “Her posts are done as a marketing ploy. Dr. Grawe’s social media was more important to her than the lives of the patients she treated.”
Dr. Grawe’s TikTok account is now private and she cannot practice medicine in Ohio again. She said her husband had left her due to the stress of the situation and that her children had been harassed at school because of the media attention.
Some of her former patients expressed relief at the board’s decision.
“It’s finally over,” said Mary Jenkins, who went to Dr. Grawe for breast reconstructive surgery after battling cancer. “That chapter in my life is finally over, but I will never forget.”
Relevant articles:
– Cosmetic surgeon who streamed procedures on TikTok loses medical license, CBS News, July 12, 2023
– Plastic surgeon who streamed procedures on TikTok banned from practising medicine in Ohio, ABC News, July 13, 2023
– TikTok-famous plastic surgeon Dr. Roxy loses her Ohio medical license, New York Post, July 12, 2023
– ‘Dr. Roxy’, the plastic surgeon who livestreamed procedures on TikTok, loses medical license, USA Today, July 12, 2023