You may have heard the recent stories about Pricilla Presley and others who went to a cosmetic surgeon they thought would give them legitimate procedures, only to have him pump them full of what can only be described as Argentine motor oil. Some of it was actually high-grade silicone, but the rest was a product used for lubricating car parts in Argentina. That doctor, Daniel Serrano, who has since been dubbed “Dr. Jiffy Lube,” was imprisoned when this was uncovered. While the media went ballistic over it a couple weeks ago, this actually occurred “years ago,” according to Presley’s agent.
Trouble in the Philippines
While the Presley story is bad, especially since she’s not the only one Serrano got to, what was going on in Iloilo City, Philippines is almost worse. The Philippines has been reported to be one of the world’s fastest growing places to get cheap cosmetic surgery. In fact, it’s been said that cosmetic surgery is one of the Philippines “growing industries.” As a result, illegal cosmetic surgery practice is booming there, too.
In Iloilo City, one of the cities where this multi-billion dollar industry is going on, a charlatan of the Nth degree has been practicing cosmetic surgery without even having a medical degree for years. What’s a bit more theatrical than this is that he wears a surgical mask at all times, so no one can identify him. He goes by the names Eugene De Rossa, Dr. De Rosa, or Dr. Eugene Dela Rossi. What’s interesting, and a little disturbing, is that many of his patients knew he wasn’t a legitimate doctor. To add to his legend, he is rumored to have practiced in other cities around the Philippines. He seems to be a sort of Keyser Soze character.
Botched Nose Jobs
Dr. De Rossa/Rosa/Dela Rossi is reported to have botched nose jobs and practiced inside hotel rooms. The hotels comped him for years, allegedly because he was treating the “high society” of Iloilo City. This all ended when the hotels grew tired of cleaning out trash cans full of bloodied gauze and cotton balls.
One patient from Ilongga went to the “doctor” to have the bags beneath her eyes done, and was convinced by a friend to get a nose job as well. For the first three days, she says was fine. However, the tenth day saw her nose begin to swell and become infected. A Japanese cosmetic surgeon who she turned to said it looked like she had been injected with a glue gun instead of silicone.
After-Effects
The Iloilo Medical Society is warning the public about the “doctor” and is reminding people that only those with cosmetic surgical training should be performing these procedures.
The rise of cheap surgery in many countries has brought in many people looking for procedures that may be out of their price range in the States or Europe. However, is this cheap price tag worth the risks? Some of these doctors may be cut from the same cloth “Dr. Rossi” is, and do not have their patient’s welfare in mind when they are performing in dingy basements, hotel rooms, or other back alley butchers. Think about this tale before you decide to go overseas for your cosmetic surgery.
If you are interested in any cosmetic surgical procedure, please contact an experienced cosmetic surgeon in your area.
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