There have been several news reports about a woman, Rohie Kah, who is currently lying brain dead in a Florida hospital after undergoing treatments at a local medspa. Apparently she underwent liposuction or carboxytherapy treatments by a physician, Dr. Omar Brito, who is actually an occupational medicine physician. The actual cause of her brain death has not been released.
What is carboxytherapy? This is a fringe-type procedure that is only performed by a handful of physicians in the United States. Carbon dioxide is injected under the skin in an attempt to increase blood flow to the area and maybe even disrupt fat cells. I know of no scientific studies that have validated its safety or efficacy. This is not a procedure that I would recommend at this time, and I would bet 95% of plastic surgeons have not even heard of it.
What's an occupational medicine physician doing performing cosmetic treatments anyway? Just as I, a board-certified plastic surgeon, have no place performing brain surgery, this doctor (and so many others like him) has no place performing plastic surgery.
For more on this tragic story, click here and here.
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
