A young police officer from New Orleans tragically passed away just days after undergoing a Brazilian butt lift and reported experiencing “extreme pain” post-surgery.
Wildelis Rosa, 26, shared with her family that she was heading to Miami to celebrate her birthday in March. She had recently returned from a deployment in Kuwait as part of the US Army Reserve.
On March 19, Rosa completed a preoperative blood test at Prestige Plastic Surgery Clinic in South Florida. The following day, she underwent a procedure where fat was taken from twelve body areas and injected into her buttocks.
She paid $7,495 for the surgery, which has gained popularity in Miami.
While recovering in a short-term rental, Rosa informed her family about the surgery just three days later. However, her friend Vasquez sensed something was off.
Concerned, she texted Rosa wishing her well. Unfortunately, there was no reply.
The next day, on March 23, a friend found Rosa unresponsive after she collapsed in the bathroom. Despite attempts at CPR, she was pronounced dead.
The Miami-Dade medical examiner announced that her death was caused by a pulmonary embolism linked to a blood clot from the cosmetic surgery.
During a follow-up the day after her surgery, Rosa had complained of “extreme pain” and trouble breathing, with her blood pressure dropping significantly. Friends noted that she appeared pale, had dilated pupils, and seemed to lack sensation in her limbs.
Rosa’s sister mentioned that only the night before her death, Rosa had texted another friend regarding her blood pressure and circulation issues in her legs. Vasquez lamented that if these warning signs had been heeded, her sister might still be alive.
“We have to live with the knowledge that she didn’t need to die like this,” she expressed. Rosa, the youngest of five, had aspirations of working for the FBI, but those dreams were cut short.
This incident adds to a troubling trend of deaths associated with cosmetic procedures in Miami. Reports indicate that Miami-Dade officials have recorded 25 deaths tied to such procedures over the last few years.
While Brazilian butt lifts have existed since the 1960s, their popularity surged in the 2010s due to social media and celebrity influence. Between 2014 and 2015, the procedure saw a 30% increase, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgery.
Currently, it’s estimated that around 30,000 BBL surgeries are performed annually in the US, representing 28% of all cosmetic procedures. Nevertheless, cosmetic surgery carries a high mortality risk, with roughly one in 15,000 patients dying since stricter safety guidelines were put in place in 2019.
Primary causes of death linked to BBLs include fat embolism and venous thromboembolism, wherein fat enters blood vessels and can travel to critical organs like the lungs.
