Investigating Plastic Surgery Clinics | Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller
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BLONDE WOMAN (VOICEOVER): Until recently, the high cost of plastic surgery meant that the only option for some patients seeking exaggerated curves were underground procedures like the silicone shots I witnessed in Atlanta. So this is where we've heard there's a couple of these surgery centers, which is sort of strange because you usually associate plastic surgery to luxury.
BLONDE WOMAN (VOICEOVER): Today, in strip malls on the West side of Miami, a new breed of legal outpatient clinics has emerged, offering layaway plans and rock bottom prices. There's a car arriving. Well, there's a couple of people waiting outside.
BLONDE WOMAN (VOICEOVER): Many, if not most of the clients you see coming in and out of these clinics, seem to be coming straight from the airport with suitcases in tow. So it's been 10 minutes since I've been sitting here. Seeing a bunch of women just go in and out. I mean, it had been described to us like a factory, and that's what it feels like right now.
BLONDE WOMAN (VOICEOVER): Along with breast enhancements and tummy tucks, these centers offer a procedure that can provide even more dramatic results than silicone pumping. It's the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery in America, the Brazilian Butt Lift.
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BLONDE WOMAN (VOICEOVER): The BBL sounds simple: suck out the fat from your stomach and thighs where you don't want it, and inject it into your hips and butt, where you do. This is done side, this is done.
BLONDE WOMAN: Wow, what a difference. We don't want to make it too big. We want to make it look classy.
BLONDE WOMAN (VOICEOVER): In reality, it's the most dangerous operation in cosmetic surgery. Like silicone, if fat is injected in the wrong place, it can kill the patient almost instantly. Dr. Stanley Okoro, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Atlanta, trained 12 years to avoid these pitfalls.
BLONDE WOMAN: But the doctors in Miami's bargain clinics are often far less qualified.
BLONDE WOMAN: In the United States of America, any medical doctor can do plastic surgery.
BLONDE WOMAN: So a pediatrician could do plastic surgery?
BLONDE WOMAN: That's correct. A pediatrician can do cosmetic surgery.
BLONDE WOMAN: And these doctors that aren't plastic surgeons, how much training are they getting before they operate?
BLONDE WOMAN: There are all kinds of weekend courses that these doctors can take in a hotel. It's like a cookbook. The problem is, if you get into a problem and it's not in the cookbook--
BLONDE WOMAN: What do you do then?
BLONDE WOMAN: Yeah. You call 9-1-1.
BLONDE WOMAN: Right.
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