The Cost of Backroom Cosmetic Surgery: How A Bronx Woman Paid The Ultimate Price
Side effects caused by our bodies’ reaction to different chemicals used in cosmetic procedures are various and include temporary swelling, scarring and discomfort. If these procedures are performed by unlicensed personnel, we can also add death to that list. This was the case witnessed at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in Bronx, New York the morning of March 17, when a woman’s search for curvier thighs and hips turned tragic. What started as dizziness, vomiting and trouble with breathing ended in cardiac arrest after the silicone used in her procedure – which was smuggled into the country illegally – clotted in her lungs. The medical examiner announced the case as a homicide and concluded the mother of two died of a silicone pulmonary embolism. The examiner also said the injections were performed by a “nonmedical, unlicensed person.”
The price of cosmetic procedures and treatments may still denote a luxury to many patients, but it should never be paid for with their lives. With the economic downturn, it would seem that more patients are turning to their discount medi-spas, or in the case mentioned above, to backroom injectors who are not licensed to use these injectables. Any patient considering a cosmetic procedure, however simple and minor it may seem, should always be aware of the complexity involved with any substance entering the body and realize the ultimate danger an uncertified and illicit practice could pose.
The tragic news of the case in the Bronx may come as a shock to many but it’s only one of many sad occurrences. Injecting silicone into the body has long been popular among the transgender community where a few years ago a 23-year-old in Georgia died a month after receiving backroom injections. Known as “pumping”, the procedure involves a motel room or house and industry-grade silicone which is injected directly into the body (conversely, medical-grade silicone is implanted under the skin in sealed pouches).
The most unfortunate aspect of these stories is that patients are often aware of the risks involved, yet still willing to jeopardize their health, or in some cases lives. Medical advancements in the plastic surgery field have made possible what couldn’t even be imagined a few decades ago and, luckily for us, made safety a priority. Still, it is the patient’s responsibility to be informed before undergoing any cosmetic procedure, no matter how safe the treatment may be. Click here for a checklist of questions to ask your physician before making any decisions regarding your cosmetic options.
Tags: backroom injections, Botox, cosmetic surgery, dr. schlessinger, illegal cosmetic surgery, long island cosmetic surgeon, silicone
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 9th, 2009 at 5:19 pm and is filed under Cosmetic Warnings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
