AirSculpt – A “Liposuction Chop-Shop’s” Cover-up of Patient’s Death, Sanctioned/Under-Certified Doctors, Fabricated Reviews, and Photoshopped Images Exposed 

  • Multiple Malpractice Lawsuits Uncovered including AirSculpt Causing a Patient Death 
  • Uncovered Doctors that have Sanctioned by State Medical Boards and/or that Lie About Credentials
  • Advertising Practices in Violation of FTC Rules
  • Misleading Technology Claims
  • Patient Images that Are Photoshopped 

AirSculpt Technologies (AIRS) is a public plastic surgery company that promises patients a safer, less-invasive fat removal/transfer procedure via their “exclusively available” and “patented technology.” AirSculpt’s Founder Dr. Aaron Rollins claims the risk is “roughly equivalent to getting a tooth pulled.” 

We are short AirSculpt. We discovered the truth that AirSculpt has attempted to hide. In our investigation we uncovered:

  • AirSculpt procedure listed as the “cause of death” for a young 37-year-old mother.
    • AirSculpt facilities have continued to lie to patients and claim there has never been a patient death.  
  • Numerous never-before-seen complaints by patients who were seriously scarred, maimed, or disfigured.
    • A patient complaint described it as being “burned from the inside out
  • Suspect doctors with questionable credentials
    • Doctors lying about being Board Certified
      • <65% of AirSculpt’s recent doctors are board certified. 
    • Doctors operating with revoked State Medical Licenses
      • 20% of AirSculpt’s surgeons faced disciplinary action from a state medical board or serious malpractice lawsuit 
    • AirSculpt’s Former Director of Safety that had their medical license revoked for gross negligence that resulted in another patient’s death. 
  • False advertising – AirSculpt employees posing as patients. 
    • AirSculpt posts patient testimonials that say the procedure is safe and painless. In reality, these patients are employees of AirSculpt. 
  • Caught doing more false advertising – Paid influencer reviews w/out disclosure of compensation
    • AirSculpt got called out by a news organization for paying social media influencers to promote the procedure. First, they tried to change the evidence. Then, they tried to delete it.
  • Photoshopped patient images – AirSculpt’s primary marketing technique is showing before & after images of patients. AirSculpt claims their “after” photos are not photoshopped.
    • We employed a forensic expert to analyze the photos – the forensic expert found the images were consistently digitally altered
    • Former AirSculpt employees also confirmed that the images were photoshopped.
    • Metadata for the images even says what version of Photoshop was used.  
  • Patent Not Found – Airsculpt’s website & marketing highlights patent #“0349895872.” We searched US & International patent databases and determined thiskey patent DOES NOT EXIST 
  • Claimed “Technology” is actually commonplace and owned by another company.
    • AirSculpt uses a commonly available FDA approved device that has been sold for decades by a European company, Euromi S.A. 
  • Unsafe Medical Practices – Potentially Exposing Patients to HIV or Hepatitis 
    • Former employees informed us that the company systemically flaunts health codes and safety standards, including by reusing a one-time use disposable surgical device on hundreds of patients. 
  • Dr. Aaron Rollins, AIRS Founder & Chairman’s Suspect Credentials
    • Dr. Rollins was Denied a Washington State medical license for being unqualified to practice surgery and for unprofessional conduct 
    • Washington’s Board of Medicine found he lacked the required medical training to be a licensed surgeon
      • Dr. Rollins surgery residency consisted of 1 year of training while he was on probabtion 
      • At another university his surgery residency there only lasted 13 days.
    • Dr. Rollins lied on his California Medical License application by omitting key details about his sketchy surgery residencies. We believe this could result in his license being revoked.
    • We uncovered that California State Medical Board sanctioned Dr. Rollins for misleading advertising
    • Dr. Rollins is not board-certified in plastic surgery or general surgery.
    • Dr. Rollins HAS NOT completed any full medical residencies in surgery. He spent 1 year of surgery residency on probation and at another university he only attended for 13 days. 

Consumers are smart and savvy and will quickly run away from AirSculpt, a “liposuction chop-shop,” once they find out the true risks they are taking by getting procedures done by AirSculpt doctors. 

Fuzzy Panda Research is Short Airsculpt Technologies (AIRS)

Please see additional disclosures at end of report and in our terms of service.

Any former employees of Airsculpt/Elite Body Sculpture, government agencies or journalists investigating the company should reach out to us via email at [email protected].

Additional Note – A significant portion of any net profits (provided there are any) for Fuzzy Panda Research or any Fuzzy Panda Affiliates will be donated either directly to victims of AirSculpt botched surgeries or to charities supporting reconstructive surgery for needy children (eg. Operation Smile, Resurge International, Smile Train Inc, etc). 

Feel free to contact us if you know of other similar charities we should consider adding to this list. If you profit from our research or view it as valuable, please similarly consider donating to one of these worthy causes. 

Part I – AirSculpt’s Real Results Can Be Deadly

AirSculpt Conceals A Patient Death 

“The risk of infection or complications using this method are roughly equivalent to getting a tooth pulled.”

~ Dr. Aaron Rollins, AirSculpt’s founder — False claims to patients:

We called multiple of AirSculpt’s Elite Body Sculpture locations to hear the risks first hand. Patient liaisons at the offices told us “there are little to no risks.” They told us the worst-case scenario is if “we looked uneven because fat remained in our body.” We asked “is there was any risk of death?” AirSculpt told us time and time again “No, they have not heard of any patients dying.” 

This is a lie.

We uncovered medical malpractice lawsuits by relatives of a deceased patient who recently died as a result of their AirSculpt operation.

San Diego – AirSculpt Procedure = Cause of Death for Young Mother:

A “medical negligence”complaint filed in San Diego states AirSculpt (aka Elite Body Sculpture) and one of their doctors caused the wrongful death of a 37-year-old woman in October 2022. 

During this patient’s AirSculpt procedure:

  • The doctor allegedly “negligently punctured the abdominal wall and perforated her bowel” 
  • Patient repeatedly complained of severe pain in post-operation waiting room.

In the days after the procedure:

  • Patient called Elite Body Sculpture office reporting they were in such severe pain that they were unable to move. She rated her pain a 9 out of 10.
  • The doctor and nurse allegedly ignored and dismissed the patient’s pain, suggesting she take CBD and Tylenol and to “move around” to aid with the “soreness.” They told her that there was no need to come in for further evaluation, the lawsuit states. 
  • The next morning, the patient went to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery to treat multiple serious injuries associated with the procedure, including a perforated bowel and sepsis.
  • The patient died three days after the AirSculpt procedure  

A San Diego coroner determined the cause of death was complications during the Airsculpt procedure and the AirSculpt patient becoming septic following a small bowel perforation. They identified the address of the San Diego Airsculpt office as where the injury occurred.

Source – San Diego Coroner’s Death Certificate for AirSculpt Patient

Conceals Patient’s Disfigurement – Multiple Malpractice Complaints Against AirSculpt Uncovered 

Dallas – AirSculpt Procedure = Patient Seriously Maimed and Disfigured

Our research uncovered multiple other never-before-reported malpractice lawsuits against the company that reveal how patients are now “permanently disfigured” after receiving the AirSculpt procedure. 

A patient in Dallas allegedly suffered severe injury caused by the doctor’s mishandling of the Airsculpt liposuction technology. The doctor used the liposuction tool with excessive force, causing the cannula to break mid-procedure, the lawsuit states. The patient sought medical attention elsewhere to treat the injuries incurred, which included scarring, infection and skin necrosis, but they still suffer from “permanent disfigurement.”

Utah – AirSculpt Procedure = Patient “Burned From The Inside Out”

In Salt Lake City, Utah a patient’s malpractice complaint states they were “burned from the inside out.” 

The complaint states that the AirSculpt procedure resulted in:

  • Permanent scarring
  • Large burns 
  • Immense pain

Chicago – AirSculpt Procedure = “Shark Bite” Disfigurement

A patient in Chicago claimed the procedure caused disfigurement described as a “shark bite” and “two long dents” on their thighs. The lawsuit alleges an AirSculpt surgeon, who is currently listed as a surgeon operating at the AirSculpt studio in Chicago, “negligently and improperly performed the (AirSculpt) procedure.”

San Diego Again – AirSculpt Procedure = Patient Rendered Unconscious 

Finally, another patient’s medical negligence complaint in San Diego alleges an AirSculpt surgeon administered “enough Nitrous Oxide to render her either unconscious or simply without memory of the procedure(s).” Medical records further revealed AirSculpt fraudulently advertised a procedure the studio was not equipped to perform, according to the complaint. 

Unsanitary procedures, inadequate training increase risk

Ex-employees at Airsculpt said lax safety and sanitary practices create potentially unsafe conditions for patients. Several former employees cited how the company systematically reuse mesh medical sleeves that go over the handpieces, which are only designed for one-time use. Directors advised the staff to “wipe them down” or “wash in the sink,” one former said. Even when a new doctor questioned why they were not properly disposing of the sleeves, a nurse explained, “that’s not how we were taught.” 

“It happened all the time… Lord only knows it happened throughout the country”

~Former Employee C

In another case, former employees recalled situations where a doctor had numbed a patient, but was unable to perform the surgery because the only handpiece at the location was broken. 

In an interview, a former Director of Clinical Operations at AirSculpt Technologies described surgeon training as inadequate, prioritizing speed over preparedness.

“A lot is left on the field with respect to training at [Elite Body Sculpture]” 

~Former Director of Clinical Operations from AirSculpt

Six-Month Old “AirSculpt Victims” Facebook Group with 250+ Members 

Unfortunately, these horror stories are not one-offs. Consumer reviews and testimonials reveal hundreds of patients have had negative experiences with the AirSculpt procedure. 

There is a private Facebook group called Elite Body Sculpture/Airsculpt Victims created by a patient in the Fall of 2023. Less than six months after the group was created, it’s already grown to include 250 members. 

The members appear to be seeking to organize a class action lawsuit against AirSculpt.

Part II – Suspect Surgeons 

Dr. Aaron Rollins (AirSculpt Founder) 

  • Denied a Medical License Due to Being Unqualified by One State’s Medical Board;
  • Sanctioned for Misleading Advertising By Another State’s Medical Board
  • Lied on California Medical License Application

AirSculpt’s history of hiring poorly credentialed doctors starts at the top with their founder and 25% shareholder, Dr. Aaron J Rollins.

We discovered that Dr. Rollins, was denied a medical license due to “lacking the necessary medical training and for committing “unprofessional conduct in the State of Washington. This resulted in the state board taking an enforcement action against Dr. Rollins. 

A never before seen medical malpractice complaint v. Dr. Rollins also revealed that he was “sanctioned” by the California Medical Board for “misleading advertisements.

Lying on California Medical License Application – We reviewed Dr. Rollins Medical License application in California and found that he clearly lied on the application by omitting key negative facts such as:

  • Being on probation during his 1 year of surgery residency at UCSF
  • Not being enrolled in a residency program for a large gap (3-4 years) and 
  • He also mysteriously only attended a residency program for 13 days. 

Washington Medical Board Denied Dr. Rollins a License – He Was Deemed Unqualified to Practice Surgery

The Washington State Department of Health denied Dr. Aaron Rollins a physician and surgeon license to practice in Washington because they determined he was not “qualified.” 

That state also subject him to an Enforcement Action for performing surgeries in the state without a license and for unprofessional conduct.

SourceWashington Department of Health License Verification Letter – Dr. Aaron Rollins

Unqualified for a License – Residency Could NOT Be Confirmed 

From the license denial, we discovered that Dr. Rollins did NOT complete the post graduate medical training required to be licensed to practice as a physician and a surgeon in the state of Washington. 

  • The Medical Board COULD NOT CONFIRM his residency at the hospital he claims to have.
    • A University Hospital administrator confirmed for us that Dr. Rollins only participated in 13 days of residency at their Department of Surgery internship.
    • Dr. Rollins also spent some of his residency “on probation” 

Source: State of Washington Department of Health Denial of License 

Unprofessional Conduct – Practicing Medicine WITHOUT a License:

Source: State of Washington Department of Health Denial of License 

Violating Standards of Care:

The Commission found that in the records Dr. Rollins hand selected for them to review that he violated basic standards of care by not performing physical exams on patients and failing to keep proper medical records. 

Source: State of Washington Department of Health Denial of License 

California’s Board of Medicine Sanctioned Dr. Rollins for False Advertising

Via old lawsuits against Dr. Rollins we discovered he has a history of making false allegations and deceptive marketing. In a fraud and medical battery complaint we uncovered against Dr. Rollins for burning a hole in a patient’s face (image), we discovered Dr. Rollins was sanctioned by the California Medical Board for deceptive marketing. 

Source: Sanders v. Dr. Aaron J Rollins – LA County Case No. SC105091 – Medical Malpractice, Fraud

This case was ultimately settled out of court for a small sum since the medical practice had declared bankruptcy and Dr. Rollins stated that he lacked malpractice insurance. 

However, through it we discovered actual examples of similar deceptive marketing that Dr. Rollins used to utilize to deceive these patient’s years before he founded AirSculpt.

At that time Dr. Rollins was pitching a different procedure but peddling similar false promises of a procedure that is: 

  • Safer with No Incisions
  • Shows Immediate Results
  • No Scars (well unless Dr. Rollins burns a hole in your face)

Source – Sanders v. Rollins – LA County Case No. SC105091 – Exhibit E – False Advertising

Lacks Standard Surgery & Plastic Surgery Board Certifications – Dr. Rollins also lacks key industry board certifications to perform plastic surgery. 

Similar, to many of the doctors at AirSculpt Dr. Rollins is:

Substandard Qualifications and Poor Record among AirSculpt Surgeons 

There are two main reasons why surgeons work at Elite Body Sculpture, either:

  1. [the doctor] didn’t want to manage the logistics or
  2. [the doctors] aren’t good enough surgeons to have their own practice. 

Most of the surgeons fit into the latter category, the former employee said. 

We reviewed the certifications for all AirSculpt surgeons currently and recently listed on the AirSculpt website and found:

  • More than 10 surgeons with an “enforcement action” from a State Medical Board
  • LESS than <65% of AirSculpt Doctors are Board Certified
  • At least 2 Doctors are currently operating without a State Medical License.

Uncovered AirSculpt Doctors Lying About Credentials 

We also uncovered multiple doctors who falsely claim to board certifications. 

For example, Dr. Zahid Niazi says he is board certified in “General Surgery” and “Plastic Surgery,”but our searches of both Board certification databases were unable to confirm that Dr. Zahid Niazi had any of these qualifications. 

This same was true for multiple other AirSculpt surgeons.

Source: Dr. Zahid Niazi AirSculpt Profile (note: AirSculpt changed Dr. Niazi’s profile description after we published this report); American Board of Surgery Certification Search; American Board of Plastic Surgery Certification Search

Former employees informed us that AirSculpt knowingly hired surgeons with malpractice records and continued their employment despite concerns. 

AirSculpt’s Former Director for Safety – Had California Medical License Revoked – “Gross Negligence Resulted In A Patient’s Death”

Dr. Ollie “Jay” Jackson was Airsculpt’s Director for safety protocols. The company even featured him extensively in TV interviews.  But just one month after Dr. Jackson’s TV appearance, the California Medical Board launched an investigation which led the board to REVOKE Dr. Jackson’s medical license. 

Source: Elite Body Sculpture KTLA News Hit

The Board found Dr. Jackson had committed multiple acts of gross negligence that led to a patient’s death.

Source – Medical Board of California Disciplinary Order for Dr. Ollie Jay Jackson

Sacramento AirSculpt Doctor Sanctioned for Performing Surgeries While on Opioids 

Dr. Mats Hagstrom, a surgeon currently operating out of AirSculpt’s Sacramento location, has a long history of opioid and alcohol abuse. In 2021, the California Board of Medicine revoked his license after he was reported for operating on patients the “same day he was hospitalized for opioid withdrawal.” 

Since revoking his license, the Board has allowed Hagstrom to operate on AirSculpt patients while on probation, which he violated in 2022. The Board responded by tacking on an additional two years of probation to his existing seven-year probation term. 

Part III – Photoshopped Photos: 

Former Employees & Forensic Image Analysis Confirms “After” Photos are Photoshopped

“I kept thinking, how could this be real? … Because you never know if something is photoshopped or a gimmick and all of the before and after photos were so mind blowing,” 

~Jenny McCarthy said in a promotional video.

We too questioned the authenticity of AirSculpt’s Before and After photos. So we employed an expert in forensic image analysis to analyze the AirSculpt photos and we discovered that most of the “After” images show signs of being digitally altered.”

Multiple former employees we spoke to told us it’s an open secret that the images are photoshopped. 

We also asked former AirSculpt employees about the photos. One told us:

“Some of [the photos] are so blatantly distorted” 

“Every single patient care consultant was like ‘can he [Ethan Lindley] please stop photoshopping these images?’ and he was like ‘that’s how we sell, baby’.” 

~AirSculpt Former Employee B 

Digital Forensic Expert Concluded The “After” Images Were “Photoshopped”

We hired a world-renowned forensic expert to analyze multiple of the AirSculpt digital images to see if we could confirm what the employees had told us. The forensic analyst determined that every one of the images analyzed had been digitally altered.

The expert also noted that they thought whomever did AirSculpt’s image alterations [Ethan Lindley] was lazy and didn’t even seem to try and hide the blatant digital alterations.

Some glaring examples of the digital alterations are:

Example A – ‘Distinctive Birth Markings’ Missing

In this “After Image” where a patient previously had wrinkles & excess fat simple zooming in highlights that the patients “distinctive birth marks” are missing in the “After image.” 

The patients birth marks disappear!

This inconsistency is an obvious sign that the image has been altered. It appears to be that someone used the “AirBrush” tool in Photoshop to hide wrinkles or other irregularities in the skin resulting from the procedure and they inadvertently also removed the smaller, less obvious birthmarks

Additional signs of this image being digitally “altered” were evident when our expert did a shadow analysis of the photos.

Example B – Obvious Photoshop Airbrush Strokes Revealed Under PCA Analysis:

By applying a forensic “PCA” (Principle Component Analysis) filter to the image we can see subtle marks in the color variation of the skin. These marks are obvious signs of the back & forth brush motion in this After image where Airsculpt supposedly gave the patient a “Brazilian Butt Lift.” 

The “side-to-side” brush strokes are highlighted in green below. 

Additional details of image manipulation are revealed when the image is transformed by computing its luminance gradient prior to applying the PCA filter. The luminance gradient should reveal slight shading variations due to the natural texture of human skin. However, a luminance gradient analysis reveals unnatural “zig-zag” lines that appear to be from sloppy brush strokes. These“zig-zag” brush strokes can be seen in this same “After” image on the lower part of the right buttock, directly under one of the arrows.

Example C – Where Did His Nipple Go! 

Shading Contours Reveal Un-Natural Skin Patterns

In Sept 2020, Hindenburg brought you a truck rolling down a hill. 

In Feb 2024 Fuzzy Panda Research offer you the “curious case of the missing nipple.”

(Thanks for reading this far.)

If these after images are NOT photoshopped then what happened to this poor patient’s nipple?

Expert Analysis – Shading contour analysis reveals image manipulation – Shading contours should follow the curvature of the subject’s skin. This can be seen in the “Before” image where the yellow lines show the contours matching the shape of the subject’s pecs, stomach, and arm muscles. However, in the “After” image the yellow shading contours are distorted and unnatural, indicating that the image was changed using a program like Photoshop. 

In layman’s terms, the After image has been obviously digitally manipulated. 

AirSculpt—please give him his nipple back!

EXIF Metadata Even Says “Created in Photoshop!”

We even analyzed the metadata of AirSculpt’s “After” images on the AirSculpt website using “exiftool.”  The images metadata clearly reveals that the images were created on a Macintosh in Adobe Photoshop v22.4.

In this particular photoshopped “After image” zooming in on the patient’s stomach reveals obvious airbrush marks on the patient’s stomach. 

(More Examples of AirSculpt’s obvious digital alterations are in Appendix LP – Lazy Lindley’s Photoshop Job)

Part IV – Fake Reviews & False Ads that Violate FTC Rules & Regulations:

  • When AirSculpt Got Called Out By Investigative Journalists For False Ads They Tried to Delete The Evidence and Quickly Add Disclosures

Marketing is a clear priority for AirSculpt as they push to grow their reach and increase brand awareness, but the advertising tactics commonly employed by the company are commonly deceptive, dishonest and often in violation FTC rules. 

Influencer and Celebrity Marketing in Violation of FTC Rules // Undisclosed TikTok Advertising

“We are also making great strides in growing brand awareness for AirSculpt and believe the investments we are making now are important to our future success.”

Dr. Aaron Rollins, Founder and Chairman -Q3-2023 Earnings CC 

AirSculpt has made big investments in influencer and celebrity partnerships to promote their services in recent years, but often fail to disclose these as paid endorsements, violating FTC rules. 

  • AirSculpt CEO Todd Magazine recently said the “strong consumer response” to AirSculpt’s “brand awareness initiative” with TV Personality Jenny McCarthy prompted the company to invest in a celebrity initiative with NSYNC member Joey Fatone
  • For years, AirSculpt failed to include required disclosures on videos posted to their TikTok channel as part of paid partnerships between influencers and creators, violating federal regulations
Jenny McCarthy is featured on AirSculpt’s TikTok feed without disclosure indicating the material is part of a paid partnership, screenshot captured Jan. 30, 2024.
Jennifer Worman, a style influencer, is featured on AirSculpt’s TikTok feed without disclosure indicating the material is part of a paid partnership, screenshot captured Jan. 30, 2024.

The Capital Forum, an investigative news platform, questioned the company about not disclosing that they were PAYING celebrities and influencers for their positive reviews on January 31, 2024.

First, AirSculpt initially responded by trying to quickly add disclosures retroactively to videos.

Then AirSculpt tried to delete the evidence by removing influencer and celebrity videos from their social media pages.

Videos on AirSculpt TikTok page @airsculpt and @justjazzyidk’s TikTok page have since been deleted. However, recent photos from this Paid Influencer’s (Instagram) which lack any of the required #Ad or #PaidPartnership disclosure are still available.

Employees Pose as Patients in Promotional Videos

AirSculpt has regularly featured its own employees in videos they share on their website and social pages without indicating their employment at AirSculpt in either the video or caption, another clear violation of FTC advertising rules. In the videos, AirSculpt employees are filmed posing as patients during a mid-procedure interview, often conducted by AirSculpt Founder Dr. Aaron Rollins. The employees emphasize how painless, easy and safe the procedure is. 

Chelsea Scherp, regional sales consultant at AirSculpt, as ‘Patient Chelsea’ receiving Power BBL 

Chelsea Scherp, a regional sales consultant at Elite Body Sculpture (AirSculpt), poses as a patient in a mid-procedure interview with Dr. Aaron Rollins on AirSculpt website. 
Source: AirSculpt video featuring ‘Patient Chelsea’ (left); Chelsea Scherp LinkedIn (right) 

In the video featuring Chelsea Scherp, a regional sales consultant at AirSculpt, Dr. Rollins asks Scherp how she heard about the procedure. Instead of disclosing her relationship with the company, she answers: “two of my family members had come in and done their full abdomen and inner thigh and were super happy with their results, so they told me that I should definitely jump on board.”

Ethan Lindley, content and social media director, raves about fast recovery time in mid-procedure interview

Ethan Lindley, content and social director at AirSculpt, poses as a patient in a now-deleted video from AirSculpt website. 
Source: Screenshot from video of Ethan Lindley receiving AirSculpt procedure captured January 2024 (left); Ethan Lindley Facebook (right)

AirSculpt’s Content and Social Media Director Ethan Lindley said he was drawn to AirSculpt because it allowed him to return to work quickly. “We’re going to be doing the procedure and I’ll be at work probably the next day,” he says without disclosing his current employment at AirSculpt. 

Teneea Tate, director of sales, says Arm AirSculpt procedure is painless 

Source: Teneea Tate LinkedIn (left); Teneea AirSculpt Patient Journey YouTube video (right)

A video featured on AirSculpt’s YouTube channel shows Teneea Tate, a director of sales at AirSculpt, receiving the procedure on her arms. “No pain, just some vibration,” Tate says to describe how it feels.  

AirSculpt attempts to delete the evidence after new organization questions them about employees featured in marketing content 

The Capital Forum, a D.C.-based investigative news outlet, asked AirSculpt about the videos featuring employees in January. The company responded by deleting or adding disclosures in the captions of most of the videos featuring employees. 

The video of the director of sales, for example, now includes a disclosure in the caption that states: “Patient is a AirSculpt Employee. #ad #paidpartnership.” Though, employment is still not disclosed within the video. 

AirSculpt Encourages Employees to Write Fake Reviews 

My boss would say, call your mom, call your sister, call your friends, tell them to write a review.”

 – Former Employee C 

In addition to the promotional social content that obscures the ‘patient’s’ employment at AirSculpt, former employees said management incentivized employees to write positive reviews, posing as a patient, on platforms like Google, Glassdoor, Yelp and Real Self. 

Management encouraged employees to create fake emails to write the reviews, promising gift cards, bonuses, free lunch and other forms of compensation in return. Multiple former employees said they even held competitions between AirSculpt locations about who could generate the most reviews. 

“They took advantage of the place they’re in to use kind of scare tactics to make people do those things,” 

~Former AirSculpt Employee A
 Review from Ethan Lindley, AirSculpt’s content and social media director, does not disclose Lindley’s employment at AirSculpt/Elite Body Sculpture. 

Employee Reviews Could Draw FTC Scrutiny

The FTC is cracking down on insider consumer testimonials. They recently proposed a new rule seeking to ban employees from writing reviews about their company without clearly disclosing employment. The rule would also prohibit managers from soliciting consumer reviews from employees or their relatives, as AirSculpt has done. 

The FTC held an informal hearing on the proposed rule earlier this month.  

AirSculpt’s Lack of Technology – Uses A Common FDA approved device & the Key Patent they Claim is NOT Found 

AirSculpt claims to have “patented technology…available exclusively at Elite Body Sculpture” 

The reality is:

“[AirSculpt] has similar technology to literally everyone else,”

~ Dr. Kelly Kileen, a double-board certified plastic surgeon and TikTok creator. 

In fact, the FDA approved device AirSculpt use is manufactured by Euromi S.A., a Dutch company. The device is commonly available to all medical providers. The device was approved by the FDA for Euromi to sell back in 2010, right before Dr. Rollins started claiming that he invented the technology.

Key Patent = NOT FOUND

AirSculpt repeatedly highlights “Patent number #0349895872” on their website and in investor materials. 

However, when we searched for that patent via Google Patents we found that it DOES NOT exist

However, we did discover that Dr. Rollins has been awarded a couple basic utility patents. The relevant patents appear to only be related to adding a motor & longer guidewire to the Euromi machine and another one is related to a method (which appears pretty standard) for how to use the Euromi device during a procedure.

Financial Analysis Shows Declining Productivity:

Our analysis shows AirSculpt’s Revenue per Facility and Revenue per Room has been consistently declining as they have opened new facilities.

  • Revenue per average facility for the LTM YoY is –10%
  • Revenue per average procedure room for the LTM YoY is –20%
  • Cases per average procedure room for the LTM YoY are also –19%

Productivity of facilities & procedure rooms has been consistently declining even with the current fake advertising campaigns. We can only imagine how much it will fall off a cliff once consumers realize the AirSculpt procedure has “allegedly” caused a patient death and online testimonials are from by paid influencers and even the company’s own employees.

Fuzzy Panda Research’s YouTube Video Exposing AirSculpt’s False Statements:

We made a YouTube video exposing AirSculpt’s false advertising, suspect doctor backgrounds, and showing the truth about how AirSculpt’s procedure has harmed patients. 

AirSculpt YouTube Video Link


Conclusion – Short AirSculpt

We are short AirSculpt because we discovered AirSculpt:

  • Lies About Safety
    • AirSculpt is covering up a patient death and other serious patient injuries.
  • Suspect Doctors
    • We discovered doctors lying about qualifications.
    • Sanctioned by State Medical Boards. 
    • And many that lacked Board certifications. 
  • Misleading Technology Claims
    • The medical device and procedure is common-place and AirSculpt is misleading consumers to think they better technology.
  • Fake Reviews & False Advertising:
    • Patient testimonials that are actually AirSculpt employees
    • Undisclosed paid promotions by influencers
    • Fake Reviews by employees and their friends.

Dr. Aaron Rollins was sanctioned by the California Medical Board for misleading advertising around a medical procedure that harmed patients over a decade ago. That company went bankrupt.

Dr. Rollins is up to his same false advertising tricks with AirSculpt. 

Fuzzy Panda Research is Short AirSculpt (AIRS)

Appendix A – Other Sketchy Management & Dr. Rollins Details 

  • CFO Previously Connected to Company that Committed Medicare Fraud 
  • Doctors Allowed to Buy Shares Immediately Pre-IPO
  • Other Sketchy Dr. Rollins

AirSculpt CFODennis Dean 

Previously SVP of Finance At Company Which Paid a Large Fine for Committing Fraud

Before joining AirSculpt Dennis was the SVP of Finance at Surgery Partners who agreed to pay a $41 million fine to government regarding fraudulent billing claims. 

Dr Aaron Rollins = Other Disgusting Personal Details: 

Tried to Bribe Pay an Ex-GF to Get an Abortion – Sent His Boat Captain to Take Her to a Clinic & Deliver the Cash 

According to a civil complaint we found in Miami Dade County:

Dr. Aaron Rollins is the type of guy that allegedly tells a women he wants to have kids with her. Then when she accidentally gets pregnant with his baby the complaint states he not only stops speaking with her but instead offers to pay her $10,000 to get an abortion

Dr. Rollins was also accused of sending his boat captain named “Ron” to deliver the “$10,000 cash payment.” He had his boat captain (wtf!) bring his ex-girlfriend to an abortion clinic and try to coerce her to get the abortion.

If sending your boat captain to try to strong arm an ex into getting an abortion wasn’t disgusting enough behavior, he later decided to top that. 

Dr. Rollins was presented with a photo of his unborn daughter’s sonogram as a Christmas gift…so he responded by telling the mother to please only contact him via his lawyers.  

Appendix LP – Ethan Lindley’s “Lazy Photoshop” Job

Former employees informed us that AirSculpt employee Ethan Lindley is responsible for photoshopping the Images.

We have also caught Ethan Lindley writing fake reviews under his own name. Ethan has also posed as a paying patient in AirSculpt marketing videos of the procedure which AirSculpt has since deleted. (but we have the video archived for regulators like the FTC). 

For fun’s sake, here is a ridiculous photo showing Ethan hard at work.

Photoshop Example E – Ethan Lindley’s Photoshop of His Own Back – All Birthmarks Removed

In this example, Ethan removed all of his own birthmarks from his own back, in the “After” which is incredibly obvious when the image is zoomed in on. 

Note – This image was erased from AirSculpt’s website and Before & After section the very same day that the Capital Forum called out AirSculpt for photoshopping images. But thankfully we had already saved it. 

PCA Analysis Confirms Image Manipulation Our forensic expert did a PCA color space analysis which revealed:

  1. Edits have been made around the waist of the subject to make him appear thinner and more athletically shaped
  2. Unnatural smoothed regions indicating use of an editing tool.

The A & B image manipulation is highlighted by the green arrows in the below after image. 

High Pass Filter Shows More Image Manipulation Our forensic expert also used a “high-pass” filter on Ethan’s photos of his back. A high-pass filter emphasizes shading variation that expose the lower image is manipulated:

  1. Apparent brushstroke paths and 
  2. An unnaturally homogenous skin hue across the subject’s back.

The above examples of image manipulation are highlighted by the green arrows in the below after image.

 Some More Photoshopped “After” Image Analysis:

If somehow you still aren’t convinced that AirSculpt and “Ethan” photo shop the “After” images then here are some more examples of obvious image manipulation by our forensic expert:

Example F – Inconsistent Shading Reveals Image Manipulation

Example G – False Color Shading, Irregular Shading on Stomach, and Unnatural Edge Structure Reveal Image Manipulation. 

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