Berlin - Whatever killed Michael Jackson, it was not the cosmetic surgery that completely reshaped his face, a German plastic surgeon insisted Friday.

"The medications used during and after the operations do not leave a person harmed," said Matthias Gensior, who is secretary of the German Aesthetic Surgery Association in the town of Korschenbroich.

"One can state pretty surely that the operations had no effect on his demise."

Gensior added that as far as he could tell, Jackson had not undergone any cosmetic alterations recently.

He described Jackson as a classic case of dysmorphophobia, a person's obsessive belief that they are ugly.

"He had a serious personality defect," said the doctor, who added that the singer offered a cautionary example of someone who should never have undergone plastic surgery in the first place.

"The trouble is there are some doctors who will do anything for money," said Gensior. (dpa)