Jeanette Bengtsson died in a hotel room in Turkey after undergoing cosmetic surgery.
Now doctors warn of interventions abroad.
– You don’t know which doctor will operate, says Inkeri Schultz, senior physician in plastic surgery at Karolinska University Hospital.
33-year-old Jeanette Bengtsson went to Turkey to have a butt enlargement – a so-called Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) – but never returned home. The clinic she paid to perform the procedure sent her on to another clinic and seven hours after the operation she was discharged.
Jeanette also reportedly had to walk a kilometer with a nurse just a few hours after the operation to withdraw the last money that was required. Even though she paid for 48 hours of aftercare. A few hours after discharge, Jeanette died alone in her hotel room.
A sequence of events that would be completely unthinkable in Sweden.
– I’m completely numb, how can this happen, says Inkeri Schultz.
Fatty clots can travel up to the heart
On its website, the Swedish Embassy in Turkey urges Swedes to consider the pros and cons before deciding to travel abroad for a cosmetic procedure.
In a BBL, fat is sucked from a place on the body where there is an excess and then it is injected into the butt.
The fat needs to be spread in such a way that it can be nourished and grow firmly. It works best to inject it into muscles, but precisely in the muscles behind the butt, there are also veins that can bring fatty clots up to the heart and lungs.
So with the BBL procedure, the fat must be injected more superficially under the skin. If the fat is still injected into the muscles, there is a risk of blood clots.
– There are skilled plastic surgeons in Turkey as well. The problem when you go abroad is that you don’t know which doctor will operate or which nurses are available or anesthetists and nurse anesthetists. And what kind of follow-up is there afterwards, what hygiene rules do you have, what antibiotics and thromboprophylaxis do you give, says Inkeri Schultz.
Cool music in marketing
BBL is considered the world’s most dangerous operation, but several Swedish women still go abroad to perform the procedure.
– Partly it is about the price. But the very first reason is marketing. It is in a completely different way than here in Sweden. It’s fast clips, it’s cool music and before and after pictures. It feels very accessible, says journalist Caroline Kernen, who made a documentary series about the phenomenon for Sveriges Radio’s P3.
Went anyway
Jeanette’s family had managed to cancel the procedure trip to Turkey twice before. But the third time it was not possible to persuade Jeanette.
– She kept it a secret until two weeks before the operation. Then we all went in and tried to rule this out. But whatever we did and other friends who pushed… it wasn’t strong enough, says father Håkan.
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