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Another Black-Market Procedure Gone Awry

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This is not the first—nor will it be the last—time we have heard about black-market buttock injections gone awry. Back in March, six New Jersey women were injured as a result of faulty injections. Now, a Los Angeles woman has lost her life after undergoing knockoff cosmetic surgery. According to Fox News, 22-year-old Mayra Contreras passed away on July 24, just one day after being injected in the buttocks with silicone from an illegal cosmetics business.

The Los Angeles Police Department is currently searching for Guadalupe and Alejandra Viveros, two sisters who were in charge of cosmetics business at the time of Contreras’ death. Guadalupe Viveros claimed to be a doctor in Mexico, however, she was not licensed to practice medicine in the United States.

The Viveros sisters were arrested earlier in the summer on charges of practicing without a medical license. Patients complained to police that fillers they were injected with hardened, while others developed infections. The sisters were released on bail and continued to perform cosmetic procedures illegally up until Contreras’s death in July.

The duo was expected in court last Monday, however, failed to appear. Reports claim that Guadalupe and Alejandra have fled to Mexico to avoid prosecuting in the U.S.

This is another textbook case as to why patients must be smart about finding a doctor to perform their cosmetic procedures. There are no shortcuts in the cosmetic industry that are worth risking your life for, and it is important to find an experienced medical professional to perform your surgery or treatment. As always, your health and safety are more important than your beauty.