CBS News Miami Investigates: Here’s how to safely navigate plastic surgery

MIAMI – South Florida has become a top destination for cosmetic surgery, as people flock from all over the country to get nipped and tucked. 

CBS News Miami investigates how to safely navigate plastic surgery.

Several women from different parts of the country told CBS News Miami they traveled to Miami specifically for plastic surgery.

“It just felt very factory-like. Let’s just get you in and get you out,” said one woman from Texas who did not want her identity revealed.

She decided she was ready for a new look by getting the popular surgery a Brazilian Butt Lift or BBL.

“My number one goal was, I wanted to look natural. And I didn’t want to look like I had surgery. I wanted to look like me, just a little more enhance,” said the woman from Texas.

She set out on a journey to find the right surgeon in Miami because the surgery is so common here, but with her living out of state, the search for her doctor was done remotely.

That’s when the red flags started as most of her consultations were not even with a doctor.

“Personally, I felt like in my research that a lot of doctors were more concerned rock star status that BBL’s gave them versus the actual outcome for the patient. Because it could be a life-changing procedure for a lot of women,” said the woman from Texas.

More than 28-thousand people decided to get the body contouring surgery in 2022, a two percent increase from 2019.

While the woman who traveled from Texas says she found the right doctor, not everyone was as lucky.

Tierra Gosha also did not want to be on camera, she instead wants the focus of her story to be on her mother Tanesha Walker.

“Things will never be the same. Holidays, birthdays, feel empty inside,” said Gosha.

Tanesha traveled from Indiana to South Florida for a breast augmentation that her original doctor said it wasn’t safe due to pre-existing conditions.

That’s when someone suggested another doctor.

Gosha says, before the surgery, she spoke to her mom on the phone. “She said, hey Tierra I’m here. She said I will call you when I’m out of surgery. I said okay mom, I love you. She said I love you too. I never heard anything else from my mom.”

Gosha told CBS News Miami that her mother said the new doctor told her mother to come in for surgery, the day after she contacted him.

It was their only in-person meeting, but according to her instead of Tanesha having her breasts done, the plan had changed.

Her daughter told CBS News Miami the new doctor performed a 360 liposuction and a BBL.

According to the medical examiner, the grandmother of 11 died after the procedure

As a result, the Florida Department of Health disciplined the doctor.

He was fined 10 thousand dollars, had to attend a one-hour lecture on safety and complications when it comes to a BBL and keep a record of conducting the procedure with ultrasound technology for 6 months.

“Her medical clearance was not for that type of procedure. So he should have not proceeded to attempt to do that type of procedure on her. She did not go through the proper medical clearance to be done,” said Gosha.

Since 2019 a total of 45 people have died from complications of plastic surgery in Miami alone.

Tanesha Walker was one of them. 21 have died since she did.

Despite the deaths, people are still traveling to South Florida to get popular surgeries like the Brazilian Butt Lift.

“Most of these patients are young mothers.  It’s not just that one person has died. This death is incredibly tragic, but if affects the children. It affects the significant other. It affects the whole family,” said Dr. Pat Pazmino.

Dr Pat Pazmino with Miami Aesthetics has performed plastic surgery for 20 years and is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 

He told CBS News Miami the cosmetic surgery world is always changing and the demand is at an all-time high as more women are inquiring about body contouring procedures.  

That means not everyone is being cared for the way they should be.  

“Many times they would show up having already paid for the surgery. Having somebody who is not a doctor determines what procedure they were going to get. Then they would meet the surgeon five minutes before they were wheeled into the OR,” said Pazmino.

He says that’s not what should happen and insists that surgeons and patients should be creating plans for before, during and after surgery.

“Learn about the patient’s medical history, the patient’s surgical history and then do a physical exam. And all of that together is what the doctor uses to counsel the patient, what’s possible, what’s available,” said Pazmino.

A total of 10 women have died from a fat embolism in Miami since 2019, a complication commonly seen post BBL surgery.

The alarming amount of deaths has led to things like Florida House Bill 1471, which requires doctors to see someone a day before the surgery, the doctor on record to be the one to perform the surgery and ultrasound technology must be used during the procedure to guide where the fat is being injected.

“Really investigate the doctor. Go ahead and google. Google the doctor. Google the address where the procedure will take place. The best thing to do is to go to websites like check your surgeon dot com. They can also go to the Florida Department of Health because these resources only list the legitimate boards,” said Pazmino.

And there’s this advice from one patient to a potential one?

“Do your best to meet with the doctor in person because that’s when you really get an even greater feel of the competency of the doctor and who they are. How they’re going to take care of you because once you’re done with the surgery, their part may be finished but you still have a long road ahead of you,” said the woman from Texas.

Dr. Pazmino also says another way to see If your doctor is the right one for you is to ask questions, like where will the surgery take place and can it be done in an hospital?