You wouldn't think she needed surgery: Death from breast augmentation surgery

Stephanie Kuleba had a charmed life: captain of the varsity cheerleading squad at West Boca High School in Florida, a near-perfect grade-point average, Barbie-doll looks and a ticket to the University of Florida, where she hoped to start her journey toward becoming a medical doctor.

Her friends said she was "perfect," so when Stephanie died Saturday of complications from breast augmentation surgery, none of them could understand how the girl whose success in life "was a sure thing" could perish in such a strange and devastating fashion.

"She was a role model for a lot of people," said friend and classmate Vicky Goldring, 16. "She was incredibly smart. She wanted to help people. She was just a happy 18-year-old girl."

While no official cause of death was released by authorities or Stepanie's family, many of her friends said she suffered a severe reaction to anesthesia given to her during a breast augmentation procedure Friday night.

Paramedics were called to an outpatient surgery center in Boca Raton, Florida, and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she died Saturday.

With her long blonde hair and shy smile, Stephanie charmed people from an early age, friends said. A talented athlete, her path toward cheerleading began with competitive gymnastics. At 11, she had placed first all-around at a gymnastic invitational event in Tampa, competing in bars, beam, floor and vault events.

She had brains to match her beauty, friends said, earning a GPA above 4.0, acing advanced placement courses and earning an acceptance letter from the University of Florida, where she planned to head after graduation, imagining a career as a doctor.
"If you knew her, you wouldn't think she needed that [surgery]," said a friend. "She's perfect."

In recent years, doctors have been performing an increasing number of procedures such as breast implants, liposuction and tummy tucks on young women and even girls as young as 14.

The enormous popularity of reality TV shows like Extreme Makeover have fueled the desire of adolescent girls to alter their bodies permanently, and they are finding more surgeons willing to oblige them. Breast implants and liposuction are now bestowed by parents as graduation or birthday gifts. Some doctors say they have performed breast augmentations on Baby Boomer mothers and their teenage daughters. From 2002 to 2003, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of girls 18 and younger who got breast implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326.
Among all age groups, cosmetic implants have skyrocketed in popularity, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Last year, according to the ASPS, about 247,000 women got implants for augmentation, compared with 32,000 in 1992.

Anesthesia is a way to control pain using medication. In rare cases, an allergic reaction to local or general anesthetic can create health risks or even cause death.

Advice to people thinking of surgery at outpatient centers: Ask who’ll give the anesthesia.

Read another breast augmentation story.

Thanks to Kevin Deutsch for the source story in the March 24 issue of the Palm Beach Post.

Do my breast implants have a warranty?

"My plastic surgeon told me that my saline implants should last forever," said Krista Schell.

Krista, age 29, lives in Thornton, Colorado, and works for the state. She had breast enhancement surgery in 2003 by a California doctor. The same doctor performed a second operation in April to replace a deflated saline implant that had collapsed and made her left breast look "hollow." Her implants were still under warranty. In November, she had a third operation, by a Denver surgeon, who removed both implants and extensive scar tissue. The implants had also caused rippling, a lump around one nipple, and pain. "If you look at the negatives, you would talk yourself out of getting implants," she said.

About a third of patients had a second operation within four years of their initial surgery, according to a study by Allergan, a maker of breast implants.

"With breast implants, informed consent is much more fuzzy because each doctor has his own perspective on how long they last, making it difficult for patients to realistically calculate the risks and benefits," said Dr. Eugene Goldberg, a biomaterials professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He teaches a class in which he uses breast implants as a case study of a badly engineered medical device.

Dr. Linda Huang, a plastic surgeon in Denver, tells patients their implants should be removed after ten to 15 years. She has removed implants from more than 1,000 patients.

Advice to women considering breast implants: Consider that you may well need more operations than the initial implant surgery itself.

Browse for related stories in the index at the very bottom of this page.

Thanks to Natasha Singer for the source article in today's New York Times.

She was the inspiration for "Hey Mama:" A death after cosmetic surgery

Donda West, mother of hip-hop mogul Kanye West, may have died because of complications from surgery, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said Monday.

An autopsy may make clear the cause of death. West's publicist, Patricia Green, told CNN earlier Monday that West died after undergoing a cosmetic surgery procedure.

Publicist Jo-Ann Geffen said West contacted the surgeon again two weeks ago to say she was ready to go forward, but the surgeon said he needed a medical clearance before he would perform the surgery.

"I always insist on a medical clearance for women over 40, and in this instance it was particularly important because of a condition she had that I felt could have led to a heart attack," the surgeon said, according to Geffen's statement.

Geffen said she was scheduled to see an internist for the appropriate tests, but never made the appointment.

Donda West was a major influence on her son's life, as the music producer-singer-songwriter has often said -- including in lyrics to some of his songs. She regularly attended her son's concerts, and was at his performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Earlier this year, she released a book she co-authored called "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar." She retired from her post as professor and chair of the English Department at Chicago State University in 2004 to become her son's manager, according to the Kanye West Foundation Web site. Donda West was the inspiration for the song "Hey Mama."

Advice to those thinking of cosmetic surgery: Be sure to consult your regular doctor first.

Read a very different elective surgery story, or read CNN's source story by Karen Bonsignore, K.J. Matthews and Lola Ogunnaike.