Brazilian butt-enhancing celebrity cosmetic surgeon vanishes after patient dies

Denis Furtado was considered capable of performing magic on women’s bodies, in particular their bottoms, and became known throughout the country for his expertise.

The 45-year-old’s Instagram account belies his popularity with 650 000 followers.

But now he is wanted by police after Lilian Quezia Calixto died just hours after a butt enlargement procedure at his home in the swanky Barra de Tijuca neighbourhood.

Calixto had travelled 2 000 kilometers from her home in Cuiaba to see the surgeon to the stars.

But following the controversial injection of acrylic glass filler, Calixto started feeling ill.

Upon arriving at hospital on Sunday, she was suffering from a racing heartbeat and hypertension, and after four heart attacks she died.

Soon after, Furtado disappeared, and is now wanted for homicide and criminal association, while his girlfriend, who some media claim was also his assistant, has been detained.

The news has caused shock waves throughout the industry — Brazil is second only to the US for the number of plastic surgeries carried out.

The Brazilian Plastic Surgery Society (SBPC) was quick to denounce Furtado, saying “the growing invasion of non-specialists in the specialty has provoked more and more fatalities like this one”.

“You cannot perform plastic surgery inside an apartment. Many people are selling a dream, a fantasy to patients in an unethical way and people, weakened, are often attracted to low prices, without considering whether or not the conditions are adequate,” SBPC president Niveo Steffen told AFP.

Steffen said the injection of synthetic biopolymers or polymers, like acrylic glass, is very dangerous and has caused dozens of deaths among women in Latin America, especially in Venezuela.

He said Furtado’s case demonstrates the “trivialisation of cosmetic procedures by unspecialized professionals, who often aren’t doctors and are putting people at risk”.

According to the G1 internet site, Furtado has been charged by police four times for illegally practicing medicine and crimes against consumers.

– AFP