Surgery Death Exposes Dangerous Obsession

[Truthiness Inspector]

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (Sept. 7) - Fabiola DePaula's quest for beauty took her to a condominium basement, where authorities say she paid an unlicensed doctor $3,300 for a nose job and liposuction performed on a massage table.

But something went terribly wrong and the 24-year-old nanny died, exposing what investigators say was an underground cosmetic-surgery network used by immigrants from Brazil - a country whose women are world-famous for their beauty and their willingness to go under the knife to achieve it.

"Somebody has to speak out. Go to the Brazilians, open their minds and let them know it's dangerous," said Jacque Foster, a friend of DePaula's. "This is totally beyond unsafe. You have to think about what you are doing."

Authorities believe a Brazilian doctor, Luiz Carlos Ribeiro, performed liposuction, nose jobs and Botox injections for three years in the Framingham area, mostly for the town's large Brazilian immigrant population and mostly for cash.

Police say DePaula, a native of Brazil, went to Ribeiro 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.

More here: http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/surgery-death-exposes-dangerous/20060907141209990013?ncid=NWS00010000000001




This is so sad. There is a picture of this young woman at the link, and not that it matters, but it's a case of there was nothing wrong with her at all. An attractive 24 year old woman died while trying to make herself "perfect," whatever that is, that unattainable thing.

[Poppyseedman]

1. Looking at her nose, I can understand why she wanted a nose job

Of course, no nose job is worth dying for.

[Truthiness Inspector]

2. It looks like a nose

are you saying that she should have sought surgery to fix an average (not perfect) nose?

As if you are perfect.

[Poppyseedman]

3. I'm saying "I understand" why she wanted to have her nose fixed.

not she needed it. She had a large nose for her face

Personally, I think surgery needs to be performed only on people who have disfigurements.

BTW, I am perfect. It's a heavy burden, but someone must do it.

[Truthiness Inspector]

11. With attitudes like yours

no wonder she had cosmetic surgery. Her nose was too large according to who, you...the peanut gallery?

I think it is sad each time a woman alters her body to comply with demands of perfection.

P.S. You are not perfect. If you were, you wouldn't be so shallow.

[blonndee]

4. I think she looked fine--there's nothing wrong with her nose.

Just because it doesn't look like the noses on soap operas and movie screens doesn't mean it's abnormal or unattractive.

[Poppyseedman]

5. Please point out where I stated her nose was abnormal or unattractive

[blonndee]

6. Please point out where I stated that you stated her nose was

abnormal or unattractive.

[Poppyseedman]

7. Since you replied to my post with that comment

I reasonably assumed you implied I thought that.

[blonndee]

8. Not reasonable. I clearly prefaced my comment with "I think."

The word "you" never appeared in my post. In fact, I had more in mind what her own mindset might have been, since the vast majority of us compare ourselves to the celebrities we see on TV and movies, to varying degrees.

[knitter4democracy]

9. I don't know many women who like their noses.

Ask anyone--we all would love a free nose job. If you find a woman who likes her nose, ask her about her thighs or hair.

[REP]

18. Wouldn't Change My Nose, Thighs or Hair for any Amount of Money!

Free nose job? What for? I don't have a deviated spetum, and there's nothing that needs to be done to my legs. My hair - well, I have too much of it, but that's hardly a 'problem.' Good lord, where are you meeting these women who want to chop themselves up?

[knitter4democracy]

20. Girls dorm in college

It was a real snit-fest. Everyone going around talking about what they hated about themselves. I would usually leave.

I'm with you--I've earned every grey hair I've got, I like the lines by my eyes, and my nose is from my mom's side of the family, so I like it. I would like to lose some weight, but that's up to me, not some scalpel jockey.

[wickerwoman]

19. I like my nose.

I wouldn't be me without it. I like my hair too, even though it's frizzy and brown. And my thighs are fat, but I wouldn't change them. Why would I want to look like a cardboard cutout of somebody else's idea of beauty?

I read a great quote one (a riff on Tolstoy) "All beautiful people look the same, but each ugly person is ugly in their own way." I'd rather be ugly and unique than beautiful and generic.

Sorry!

[knitter4democracy]

21. Whoo!!! You rock!

I love that last part. I'm going to say to everyone now.

[Kingshakabobo]

10. Sad. WTF was she thinking? A basement nose-job?

Was 3300 dollars THAT much of a discount to do it in a basement? WOW.

[pitohui]

12. she didn't die of a nose job

she died of complications related to the liposuction, which the last time i checked (admittedly some time ago) is or at least was the riskiest form of cosmetic surgery even when performed in a perfectly legal setting

with elective cosmetic surgery you are not forced into a position where you have to use the doctor on your "plan" or else, you can use any doctor, i'm afraid it's somewhat darwin awardish that her choice was the un-credential'd doc working in a basement

i support a woman's right to modify her body as she desires, but good lord, some common sense would be nice or this right will be taken away

i don't want some busybody deciding for me what "disfigurement" i should have to endure because they don't think it's horrific enough to justify allowing me access to surgery, the young lady in the photo looks terrific to me but honestly we have no idea how much it's been edited and photo-shopped and posed

[Nikki Stone 1]

13. Don't know about Darwin,but it's certainly a punishment for not being rich

If the girl had had money (and not been living on a nanny's salary) she could have gotten a licensed doctor. And that is what is at issue here: the doc was unlicensed.

BTW, I saw her pic and she was a gorgeous young thing.

[Kingshakabobo]

15. I'm wondering what a credentialed doc would have cost??

I would imagine a storefront "real" doc couldn't be THAT much more? No? Maybe she knew someone that used the same quack and didn't die???

Very sad.

[Nikki Stone 1]

16. Most certainly a lot more. Lipo alone is very pricey

My cousin was looking into it and done by a licensed doc in the safest conditions was around 9 grand.

[Blue_Tires]

14. very sad

she was already a beauty

[Truthiness Inspector]

17. Indeed, yes she was n/t