Claudia Aderotimi, 20, developed chest pains and struggled for breath 12 hours after she had the illegal ‘butt enhancement’ silicone injections at a budget hotel.




She was taken to hospital but could not be saved.
A preliminary examination found the silicone filler had leaked into her bloodstream, leading to heart failure.
American detectives are investigating whether she was treated with cheap ‘industrial’ silicone, normally used as a sealant, rather than medical-grade material used in Bosom implant surgery.
It was not the first time Miss Aderotimi had had the procedure.
She is believed to have been treated in November and the latest injection on Monday may have been a ‘top-up’ procedure.
Accompanied by three friends, she travelled from London to Philadelphia for the treatment, thought to have been an early present to herself for her 21st birthday, which was due later this month.
But a day later she was dead.
Buttock enhancement surgery is becoming popular in the U.S., among women who aspire to the shapely curves of Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce.
It is only legal when the silicone gel is contained and sealed within an implant.But illegal injections of the material are also widely available from unlicensed back-room medics.
Last night one expert said having a direct injection of silicone gel – long outlawed in the U.S. and Britain, even for Bosom surgery – is ‘like playing Russian roulette’.
One of Miss Aderotimi’s friends is said to have had the same procedure but survived. Experts warned the silicone could still prove lethal for her in the future if not removed.
Police have searched the homes of the two women ‘doctors’ who injected the silicone and are investigating whether they are part of an organised gang who lure the unwary over the internet.
Last night more than a dozen distraught friends and family gathered at Miss Aderotimi’s home in Hackney, East London.
Her sister Vivian was in tears as she said: ‘We found out on Tuesday. We’re still in shock. We need to think about what we have to do.’
Miss Aderotimi’s mother, a healthcare assistant at Homerton Hospital in East London, said she was too upset to speak about her daughter’s death.
A neighbour said: ‘We are struggling to cope with what happened. One girl died and one girl lived.’
Miss Aderotimi and her friends flew out to the U.S. on Saturday.
She and another woman checked into room 425 at the Hampton Inn hotel, Philadelphia, a mile from the city’s airport, while her two other friends went to a party in New York. They paid around £100 for the room.
Miss Aderotimi had the buttock injections on Monday – thought to have cost around £1,300 – while her friend had the same procedure along with a hip enhancement treatment.
The ‘doctor’ who injected the silicone left soon after and was not there when Miss Aderotimi began complaining of chest pains.
Paramedics were called to the hotel and she was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald hospital where she died 90 minutes after being admitted on Tuesday.
Miss Aderotimi was born in London of Nigerian parents. Yesterday detectives raided the home of the woman they believed set up the illegal operation.
Computer files, emails and telephone records were seized from the house in Bergen County, New Jersey.
Emails from Miss Aderotimi arranging the procedure were among the material seized, but police said no formal arrests had yet been made.
Dr Rajiv Grover, president-elect of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: ‘Buttock augmentation isn’t a very commonly done procedure here, which is probably why these girls have resorted to going abroad.
‘If correctly done, it involves implanting solid silicone implants into the buttock just like Bosom implants.
‘The correct procedure would be done in a fully equipped, sterile surgical theatre in a hospital and the patient would be fully anaesthetised
Last night one expert said having a direct injection of silicone gel – long outlawed in the U.S. and Britain, even for Bosom surgery – is ‘like playing Russian roulette’.
One of Miss Aderotimi’s friends is said to have had the same procedure but survived. Experts warned the silicone could still prove lethal for her in the future if not removed.
Police have searched the homes of the two women ‘doctors’ who injected the silicone and are investigating whether they are part of an organised gang who lure the unwary over the internet.
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