Makeup Artist Gets Plastic Surgery in Dominican Republic, Dies of Infection

A makeup artist had died from complications of plastic surgery after getting the procedure done in the Dominican Republic.

Jesmy Tapia, 30, had traveled to her native Dominican Republic for a liposuction procedure on her buttocks and to have breast surgery. She was treated for postoperative infection at a hospital in the Dominican Republic when she died in the intensive care unit, according to a Crime Online report.

However, it is not yet clear which facility had performed the plastic surgery on Tapia. Officials have not yet publicly spoken about her death.

Tapia's family issued a statement and denied that Tapia was anemic. She was survived by her two children.

Her family added that they will provide additional details in due course but are currently requesting privacy to grieve their loss.

Tapia's Plastic Surgery Procedure

A person familiar with the matter said that Tapia and another woman had gone in early May to the Dominican Republic, according to a Daily Mail report.

However, Tapia's friend did not encounter any problem and is recovering from the operation.

Tapia's aunt and local journalist Liza Collado said that the mother of two worked as a nurse in the geriatric unit of a hospital.

Collado added that Tapia had a passion for her second job as a makeup artist.

Tapia was a resident of New York in the Far Rockaway sector of Queens, according to a Whatsnew2day report.

A funeral service was held for Tapia in Santo Domingo. It is not yet known whether Tapia will be buried in the Dominican Republic or flown black to the United States.

Plastic Surgery in the Dominican Republic

More than 23,000 plastic surgeries were performed in the Dominican Republic in 2018, with more than 18,000 of those were foreigners.

Dr. Myla Bennett, an Atlanta-based plastic surgeon, said that Dominican Republic does not follow the same U.S. regulations about how much body fat can be removed in one surgery, according to The Guardian report.

Bennett said that this increases the likelihood of heart failure and other consequences during procedures.

The safe surgery advocate added that people continue to fly to the Dominican Republic as they can get their dream bodies for a lower price.

Bennett said that ladies want a particular shape, such as an exaggerated form with a small waist and huge hips and butt.

She added that a lot of surgeons in the Dominican Republic do it really well.

Hector Cabral is known for the practice. Cabral does his procedures at the International Center for Advanced Plastic Surgery.

Cabral had also hit the headlines nine combined times when patients died on their operating tables.

Cabral keeps his own Instagram account, publishing client testimonials of their before and after photos. He also refers to his past clients as his "dolls," particularly "Cabral barbies."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had released a warning in the past against visiting the Dominican Republic for surgery.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston released a report in 2019, stating that the Dominican Republic could be the most dangerous place in the world for plastic surgery, according to another Daily Mail report.

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