If you're thinking of going to the DR or Colombia to get a butt job, you might want to reconsider. A Bronx woman who went to the Dominican Republic for a boob job wound up with an infection that could have literally killed her. And according to the New York Health Department, she's not alone. This has happened to a number of other women. How scary is this?
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Linda McFaline had visited the Dominican Republic for a boob job. The last thing she expected was to contract an infection that nearly cost her her life. "I almost died. Look at my breast, I have a hole in my breast, just because I wanted to look better and have a better body," she told the New York Daily News. "And it almost cost my life."
The surgery caused her to contract a bacterial infection called Mycobacterium abscessus/chelonae on the skin and soft tissue. According to the New York Daily news, this particular infection has been found in eight women in New York City including McFaline and two in Connecticut.
But here's where it gets really crazy. Eight of those women who also contracted the same infection, got surgery at the very same facility that McFaline went to. It's called Centro International de Cirugía Estética (CIPLA) in Santo Domingo. She had gone to update and reduce breast implants she had done 10 years ago. But what she probably didn't know was that the clinic she went to wasn't a licensed facility. The doctor that performed her surgery refused to speak to her or anyone that contacted him regarding McFaline's infection. Seriously, how shady is that?
Sure, the breast reduction only cost her $5,300 but it wound up costing her even more to fight the infection. McFaline spent $10,000 alone just removing the implants. That doesn't include other medical expenses.
This is nothing new, though. Back in 2004, the New York Times did a feature on Latinas from New York City who were going overseas (specifically to Latin America) to get plastic surgery and coming back with serious infections. In 2014, a 28-year-old Bronx woman died while getting a tummy tuck and liposuction in the Dominican Republic. This keeps happening. Folks see how much more affordable plastic surgery is in countries like Dominican Republic, Colombia, or Costa Rica and they wind up getting procedures done at facilities that aren't necessarily licensed to perform these kinds of surgeries.
"Life is too short to waste your life in surgery," McFaline said. I couldn't agree more. And if you're really thinking about that boob job, butt job, or liposuction, make sure to thoroughly do your homework. Just because it claims to be a medical facility doesn't mean it's legit.
Image via iStock
