Lyndsay Colosimo, 38, has opened up about the horrifying moment she was left on the brink of death after having a botched tummy tuck and boob job abroad.
In a bid to “feel confident” for her 40th birthday, the Florida resident forked out $10,000 for a cheap boob job in May scheduled for Colombia that would have cost $35,000 in a US hospital. Unfortunately, the cheap alternative ended up costing her more as she claims she had to part with a total of $40,000 after the boob job went wrong.
Days after the surgery, the flesh around Colosimo’s wound and her nipples began rotting, and her skin turned black.
She is now warning others about the dangers of having cosmetic surgery abroad following her harrowing ordeal.
“I regret it so much. I went there to feel confident and now I feel embarrassed,” she said.
Colosimo first decided to have the surgery in Colombia after two of her friends went to the same clinic and claimed their results were “amazing”.
“I had a tummy tuck in the US in 2012 and I wasn’t happy with it and wanted it revised with a bum lift,” Colosimo said.
“When I got to the clinic, I was advised on a breast reduction and lift too — something I have always wanted but it wasn’t my priority.
“I decided to have both but I did worry as I felt as though it was too much surgery at once, but you trust the professionals.”
Colosimo was in surgery for five and a half hours before she woke up and everything began to go wrong. Describing the aftermath, she said:
“When I woke up, I didn’t feel right and a doctor was nowhere to be seen. My legs felt numb and I began vomiting uncontrollably. It was the worst pain of my life.
“It continued for a few days and I could see a black spot under my bandage, but I was told it was dried blood and not to worry by medics. I knew in my heart it wasn’t as I was getting worse by the day. Eventually, I saw what was under the bandage and 30 percent of my nipple was black.”
Colosimo claims she was diagnosed with necrosis — dead cells in an organ or tissue due to disease, injury, or failure of the blood supply — and that her nipple and milk duct was surgically removed three weeks after the initial surgery.
What was supposed to be a 20 day stay in Colombia turned into 32 days as she claims there were further complications.
“I had open wounds on my breasts as the implant pocket wasn’t big enough — it is like the incision was made for a C-cup and DD was shoved in,” she said.
“My skin started breaking open, it was terrifying to see. I had a fever and continued to show signs of infections and was encouraged to walk around whereas usually people are told to rest after surgery.
“My stomach began to fill with fluid and puss would seep out of my belly button and massage therapists were sent to my hotel room with razor blades to cut open the incisions and massage the fluids out.
“This is unsanitary and hotel rooms are not sterile environments. Massage oil is also not good near open wounds — I ignored all the red flags as I was desperate for it to make me feel better.
“Unfortunately, I am more educated after the events rather than before. I researched the clinic and seen amazing results with my own eyes, but I didn’t see any of the bad.”
On her return to the US, Colosimo was taken straight to the hospital and claims doctors found an E. coli infection in her breast and told her revision surgery was needed on her stomach.
Following this, she required a wound vaccination weekly and a doctor to change her bandages daily. She was finally discharged from their care on November 20.
Speaking about the traumatic experience, she said: “I was seeking perfection but now I look back and realize I was good enough. Before surgery, I wouldn’t wear a bikini and now I won’t even wear a dress or leave my house. I thought I would feel liberated after, but I feel ashamed. I shared my story on social media to prevent other women going through the torture I have been through.” (Lyndsay Colosimo, LIB)