Lessons from liposuction tragedy

Tuesday September 12, 2006 ins: Cosmetic Surgery News Tag(s):

Technorati Tags: liposuction, cosmetic surgery

Last July, something gruesome happened in Framingham, Massachusetts. A young woman died of complications brought by liposuction done in a condominium basement. Fabiola DePaula, 24, went to Ribeiros in order to shed off some fat. Three days after the surgery, she died.

Police say DePaula, a native of Brazil, went to Ribeiro first for a nose job on July 27, then died three days later after the liposuction. According to the autopsy report, DePaula died of complications from the liposuction, including pulmonary fat emboli, or fat particles in the lungs.

[Chicago Tribune]

The death of this young Brazillian woman must once and for all drive home the point that whenever you want to have something done, do it with the right cosmetic surgeon, at the right place. This is where DePaula failed. And that failure cost her her life.

Liposuction is not like changing the color of your hair or getting your nails done. This is a major surgery. And in every major surgery, there are risks. Only an experienced and a board-certified cosmetic surgeon would be able to tone down the risk factor to the minimum. Unfortunately, DePaula’s doc is not certified to do lipo. Likewise, appropriate tools and equipments have to be around in order to ensure that the operation goes well. Obviously, a condo basement doesn’t have this luxury.

May this tragedy serve its purpose. Those who do underground cosmetic surgery should realize that earnings they get from putting the lives of their patients on the line is just not worth it. Likewise, patients who desire to look their best should also make intelligent choices. After all, they are the ones who are going to receive the biggest blows when things don’t work out right.

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