The family of Danea Plasencia is searching for answers after the 28-year-old died following a Brazilian butt lift procedure at Mia Aesthetic clinic. NBC 6’s Jamie Guirola reports.
A woman who underwent a Brazilian butt lift procedure at a South Florida plastic surgery clinic ended up at a hospital where she later died.
The Miami-Dade Police Department said they received a call at around 11:13 a.m. Friday about a woman in distress at Mia Aesthetics on Southwest 72nd Street.
Family members of 28-year-old Danea Plasencia said the doctor was done with the procedure when the complications started.
"Then they moved her body to the stretcher, and all of a sudden, she became blue," said Marcio C. Ferez, her grandfather.
Plasencia was rushed to Baptist Hospital, where she died. Miami-Dade police are investigating her death.
She was a mother of three children, ages 9, 5 and 1. She just turned 28 six days before.
In a statement to NBC 6, Mia Aesthetics offered their condolences to Plasencia's family and said this was the only fatality they have had.
"Throughout our years of operations and thousands of procedures performed, this is the first and only fatality we have endured," the statement read. "Our team is devastated by this tragedy and feels that each and every one of our patients is part of our family. We strive to provide the most advanced plastic surgery treatment for our patients. Each of our surgeons is board-certified or board-eligible by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and we are constantly evaluating our practices to ensure our patients receive the safest and best care. Despite these practices, serious surgery comes with the risk of rare, unintended and tragic results. We are fully dedicated to investigating why today’s tragedy occurred. We will be fully transparent with our patients and with the public as more details emerge."
A Brazilian butt lift is a popular cosmetic procedure in which fat is taken from other parts of the body and transferred into the buttocks. Plasencia's cousin told NBC 6 that she almost died from a butt augmentation and was hospitalized for two months after.
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"When you go to a plastic surgery place, they tell you very superficially what the consequences might be, but that goes very fast and quick under the radar and all these wonderful things are said to you, and you're willing to pay all this money, but you don't really realize that you're putting your life on the line," Jennifer Perez said.
Plasencia's death is the latest out of at least 12 women who have died in recent years in South Florida either during or after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift surgery. The NBC 6 Investigators have been uncovering details of the deaths for more than three years. The investigations have led to two studies, including one that found out that you are 20 times more likely to die after a butt lift surgery than any other cosmetic procedure.
Earlier this month, the Florida House passed Senate Bill 732, which makes it easier for the state to discipline doctors and clinics where deaths happen. The new law will allow the Board of Medicine to immediately revoke a doctor's license in the case of injury or death, require all surgery centers to be owned by doctors and require a clean record for five years before a doctor can open a surgery center.
