Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE

The 3rd American woman in a month died after getting plastic surgery at the same clinic in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is pictured above in an undated photo. AP Photo/Jim Krane

  • Alexandra Medina, 33, died after undergoing cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic on July 4.
  • She is the third American woman to die in 30 days after undergoing a procedure at the same clinic in Santo Domingo.
  • The Dr. Ureña Arias clinic has been closed while officials investigate.
  • Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.
Advertisement

A New York mother has become the third American woman to die in the last month after undergoing cosmetic surgery at a clinic in the Dominican Republic.

Alexandra Medina, 33, of New Rochelle, New York, underwent a tummy tuck at the Dr. Ureña Arias clinic in Santo Domingo on July 4. She later died of a pulmonary embolism, Noticias Sin reported.

Medina leaves behind a partner and a 14-year-old son, according to the New York Post.

Her death follows the deaths of two other Americans who underwent cosmetic surgeries at the same clinic.

Advertisement

Alabama woman Alicia Williams, 45, died on June 7, and 26-year-old Sharlim Paulino of New York died on June 20, according to El Nuevo Diario.

On a Facebook page Medina's family page created, they said she flew to the Dominican Republic to have the same doctor perform her surgery as the other two victims.

But they allege that Dr. Félix Almánzar pulled out at the last minute and had another doctor take over because he was "scared" after the deaths of the two other patients.

Medina's sister, Maxine David, told CBS New York that doctors in the US refused to perform the procedure unless she lost some weight first, but that Almánzar said it wasn't an issue.

Advertisement

Her family said they warned her not to go through with the procedure after he asked for the full bill up front.

"They are criminals," Medina's mother, Kanny Toro, said in a video posted on the Facebook page. "You don't like your fat? Go to the gym. Workout. Sacrifice some food. Don't do any body procedures on you because there's always a risk ... I urge you, I beg you, don't do this."

"It's a dark lucrative business," Toro added. "That's all they want is money. They don't care about lives."

Read more: The Dominican Republic has a history of 'plastic surgery tourism' that has led to hospitalizations and deaths

Advertisement

On Monday, officials in the Dominican Republic announced that the clinic had been closed while they investigate the deaths.

They said the clinic had only recently reopened after it was previously shuttered for suspected irregularities, Noticias Sin reported.

Read the original article on INSIDER. Copyright 2019.

Follow INSIDER on Facebook.

Follow INSIDER on Twitter.
Dominican Republic Death
Advertisement
Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account