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The life of Paloma Nicole Arellano, 14 years old, was soon cut after breast implant surgery in a private clinic in Durango, Mexico.
It all started with cheating, the local press said. Carlos Arellano, Paloma’s father, received a call from his former partner the day before the tragedy unfolded. The girl’s mother informed him that, after being positive for Covid -9 at school, two of them would travel to Durango Mountains to isolate a cabin that had no telephone service. Worried but confident, Carlos does not suspect the dark reality he hid behind the mother’s lie.
The truth did not appear until Paloma’s funeral. During the service, Carlos discovered that his daughter had not died of illness complications, but from a cosmetic surgery process that had been secretly undergoing.
On September 12, while her father believed she stayed in the Durango mountains, Paloma underwent breast growth surgery. The surgeon was not a stranger: it was Víctor “N”, her mother’s current partner, who performed the process with her consent but not Carlos. The surgery, which should have been one step towards a supposed cosmetic improvement, triggered a cataract of destructive medical complications.
What followed was a week of agony. The consequences of surgery were critical: cardiopulmonary conception and severe enlargement of the brain that led doctors to cause coma and connect the 14 -year -old with a ventilator. Only then, when the situation was desperate, the mother decided to contact Carlos to inform him of the situation of his daughter.
“At funeral, some relatives told me that her breasts were bigger than she had before and when I mentioned it to her mother, she told me that she wasn’t true that she didn’t know anything. Daughter, and certainly: she had breast implants.
Carlos went to the prosecutor’s office and reported the incident. He pointed out the doctor, Paloma’s mother, the hospital and all those involved in what he calls “cover” as directly responsible for his daughter’s death.
Social pressure against necessary treatments
Paloma’s death raises alarming questions about the pressure of beauty patterns, driven by social media platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok, which are increasingly affecting young adolescents. It also creates talks on the responsibility of health professionals and parents to ensure the consent and safety of minors in selective surgeries.
For Claudia Gómez, fashion expert and director of Estilo de Vida magazine, this case is not just a story of premature death, but a classic example of social pressure associating and increasing cosmetic surgery between adolescents.
“We have cases of girls who, both young and 9, talked about surgery, living enslaved to beauty and more of beauty, focus on” what people say “on social media, stop eating, going to inappropriate places, everything is a madness.”
According to the fashion expert, the problem is also found in the made images often depicted by artists, celebrities and influences.
“It is vital now that parents make it clear to their children that what they depict in the social media is false ideals, the reality is different and that beauty is not only natural but also spiritual and spiritual,” he said.
Teenagers aged 13 and 19 are increasingly looking for cosmetic procedures
Until a few years ago, cosmetic surgery procedures were considered an exclusive procedure among older adults. However, experts confirm that plastic surgery has gained popularity among younger patients and has begun to convert the genetic landscape.
2024 statistics still reflect these trends. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that in 1996 14,000 cosmetic procedures were performed in adolescent patients. The number increased to 286,690 cosmetic procedures in patients between 13 and 19 to 2024. Of these, 263,342 were minimally invasive and 23,348 were surgery.
“In the case of minors, we have two situations: one where minors are deeply affected, that is, parents say that their children no longer enjoy the activities they did once.
It has been mentioned in some cases, such as boys with very large breasts looking for a reduction or girls with breast asymmetry, which means that the breast is larger than the other, even cases of girls with very large breasts that prevent them from participating in sports.
“Then there are procedures where one is basically good, it looks like everyone else, but they want to change their appearance, they are looking for more cosmetic procedure and most medical professionals would be extremely reluctant to perform surgery in those cases when it comes to new patients.
Procedures that demanded more than young people
Demand focuses on both surgery and non -invasive treatments. The most popular procedures in 2024 included:
- Breast Reduction (only patients with cosmetics): 5,325 cases
- Nose Review (rhinoplasty): 4,810 cases
- Liposcopy: 3,117 cases
- Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia Surgery): 2,942 cases
- Breast increase (implant placement, both for primary and for review surgery): 2,774 cases
- Ear Surgery (Otoplasty): 1,706 cases
1 in 6 parents do not approve surgery in minors with no restrictions
To understand parents’ views on the possibility of their children undergoing plastic surgery, the University of Michigan conducted a national poll for children’s health at the CS Mott Children’s Hospital. The report revealed that in the United States there is a largely careful attitude despite the social normalization of these practices.
The basic find included:
Limited conditional approval: 1 in 6 parents (about 16%) believe that adolescents should be allowed to undergo non -surgical cosmetic procedures for any reason, if they have a parental license.
Bullying is not sufficient reason: 50% of respondents have strictly said that intimidating or harassment due to physical appearance “is not a valid reason” for a teenager to turn to these procedures.
Real demand at home: The study quantifies direct interest, indicating that 1 in 14 parents (about 7%) recognize that their teenager has asked them about the possibility of submitting a non -surgical cosmetic procedure.
The decisive impact of social media
But the risk is not only the social pressure experienced by adolescents is also in the growing number of people with unconditional or doctors who often use social media as a marketing tool to provide services that are dangerous to patients.
“Always look for a certified plastic surgeon. Really good doctors usually take their patients through referrals from other patients, not just something in the social media, to do as much research as possible.
In the case of minors, the doctor informed the parents to wait until their child to reach 18 or 19 years old.
“Unless the child’s life is not negatively affected and perhaps irreversible – unless they leave their activities, they do not want to go to school or reduce their grades – we will always advise that the later the best.”
In cases where only one parent is seeking cosmetic or surgical treatment for their children, Hollenbecks stated that the United States is usually sought to approving both parents before proceeding with any cosmetic surgery.
“As a doctor, you wouldn’t do anything knowing that comes against the will of one of the parents, I suppose you could cheat on a parent, maybe all families experience different situations, but I don’t think any doctor would do something knowing that he would stay against one.
Paloma case: a reflection of deception
Paloma fought for her life for seven days straight, but the consequences were irreversible. He died on Saturday, September 20th at the Santa María Clinic in Durango, Mexico, according to Yadira de la Garza Fragoso, Attorney General Durango.
On September 21, the adolescent’s father appeared before the prosecutor’s office, stating that he wanted to file a complaint and that the teenager would be given an autopsy.
“It was a breast surgery, which he and his family had confirmed at the funeral and asked for this to be done in accordance with the law,” said Yadira de la Garza Fragoso, Durango’s Attorney General.
According to the claim, both parents initially agreed not to seek autopsy and were based on the hospital’s death certificate, which showed that the cause of death was a brain edema resulting from respiratory disease.
“We are investigating a possible lack of care on the part of the mother, a criminal offense examined in our code, placing a minor who was under care and care in dangerous situations,” the prosecutor said.
“The doctor also examines whether there was a bad practice in the surgery performed on the teenager.
Sadness in action
Paloma’s story emphasizes how cosmetic surgery has gone from being a taboo subject to a socially acceptable and accessible tool, especially among an ever -increasing population, the fact that parents such as Carlos Arellano believe they should be monitored.
After his daughter’s death, he began a social media raising campaign that addresses the dangers and social pressure facing young people to achieve a perfect natural image.
Under the slogan “Girls do not need implants”, she has requested a course of parents on September 27.
“We cannot continue to smooth out the sexualization of girls or allow the ambition of some adults to endanger their lives.
