By Stephen Stirling
A Flushing beautician who disfigured the faces of two of her patients while performing cosmetic surgery without a license was sentenced to five years in prison Monday morning, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The DA said Patricia Villegas, 54, of 43−40 147th St., received the sentence at Queens Criminal Court in Kew Gardens after being found guilty of second−degree assault and unauthorized practice of a profession charges in October.
“The defendant held out the false promise of being able to provide her victims with a more beautiful, youthful appearance,” Brown said in a statement. “Instead, she caused them great bodily harm by performing medical procedures she was neither licensed or capable of performing. As a result, both of her victims suffered permanent scarring — both physically and emotionally — and had to undergo multiple facial surgeries.”
Villegas was the president of Altiva New York Spa, Temple of Beauty and Renewal, which she ran out of her residence, the DA said. The spa also formerly did business as Altiva Medical Spa at 1540 York Ave. in Manhattan, according to Brown.
Brown said Villegas told the two women — then 26 and 29 — on separate occasions that she could address various facial imperfections by administering facial injections at a cost of more than $1,000. Between November 2002 and December 2003, Villegas injected the two women’s faces with substances typically used in cosmetic surgery, such as collagen and cortisone, Brown said.
After receiving the treatments, Brown said both women began experiencing substantial pain and physical injuries, including infections, swelling, distortions on their faces and lips and, in the case of the 29−year−old woman, burning and the loss of lip function.
Brown said both women have undergone multiple facial surgeries and have permanent scarring as well as hard lumps that remain under their skin. Substances removed from the victim’s faces were, according to Brown, consistent with silicone, which can be dangerous when injected into the face.
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e−mail at sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 138.
