Forensic analysis of dermocosmetic malpractice allegations in Türkiye

The rapid increase in minimally invasive dermocosmetic procedures has heightened medico-legal scrutiny, particularly regarding non-physician practitioners. Despite this trend, comprehensive evaluations of malpractice patterns and practitioner-related risk factors in Türkiye remain limited. This study retrospectively analyzed 505 cases referred to the Turkish Council of Forensic Medicine between 2018 and 2022, examining patient demographics, procedure types, lesion characteristics, practitioner profiles, clinical settings and forensic outcomes. Comparative analyses were conducted between physician- and aesthetician-performed procedures, as well as across age groups. The majority of complainants were young adult females (mean age 31.6 ± 8.17 years), with laser epilation most frequently implicated (51.5%). Non-physician aestheticians were involved in 73.8% of cases. First-degree burns were the predominant initial lesion (55.3%), while pigmentation (41.4%) and scarring (38.6%) were the most common long-term outcomes. Malpractice was confirmed in 16.0% of cases, with significant differences observed between practitioner groups in lesion type, location and session count (p < 0.001). In this complaint-driven forensic series, lesion patterns varied by practitioner type and setting, highlighting subsets of forensically significant adverse outcomes and practitioner-associated risk factors, rather than providing incidence estimates or comparative risk.