People pay big bucks in South Florida for cosmetic surgery, but after surgery, some find themselves in dirty and deplorable conditions while they recover.
South Florida is a top destination for sun, sand and Cosmetic surgery.
Melissa Wrath flew from Las Vegas to Miami for a Brazilian butt lift.
Melissa Wrath: “Miami is definitely a good place to go.”
She is ecstatic with her doctor’s work.
Melissa Wrath: “He did an amazing job!”
But as for where she spent her recovery, she has far from rave reviews.
Melissa Wrath: “It was really traumatizing. It was really, really bad.”
Because Melissa traveled for the surgery, she needed a place to stay afterward.
So she grabbed her phone and looked for what is known as a post-op recovery home.
She found the New Body Recovery Home on Instagram.
It claims to offer plastic surgery aftercare.
Melissa Wrath: “It just looked clean, it looked professional.”
Melissa was set to stay five nights at this house in Southwest Miami-Dade.
But on the third night she bolted after she pulled back her bed sheets and saw a disturbing sight.
Melissa Wrath: “I saw all kinds of blood stains, really dark old blood stains.”
Her roommate Monika Perez also found stains on her mattress.
Monika Perez: “There was blood stains everywhere on these mattresses, and they use shower curtains, to cover it. It was just horrible.”
Under Florida law, post-op recovery homes are considered assisted living facilities if they provide housing, meals, and one or more personal services for a period exceeding 24 hours, which would mean they need to be licensed and inspected.
Chris Nuland, Attorney of Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons: “And it’s my understanding that many of these places are not so licensed. The Agency for Health Care Administration, which regulates assisted living facilities, usually doesn’t know these places even exist.”
That was the case for the New Body Recovery Home.
The state agency told 7News there has never been a licensed facility at this address and admitted they didn’t know the place existed, saying, “Thank you for making us aware of this additional address.”
Shenita Porter is listed as the manager of the New Body Recovery Home, but she does not own the house where it was located.
When we called her, she refused to acknowledge any connection to the business.
No one answered when we went to the home, it looked empty and the mailbox was overflowing.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Joshua Lampert says unlicensed recovery homes are a major issue.
Dr. Joshua Lampert: “Personally, I don’t send my patients to them because there really is no regulation.”
Just weeks ago, police arrested Fidel Clemente.
He faces felony charges for running an unlicensed assisted living facility at a house on Southwest 147th Court.
In 2020, the state cited three other unlicensed recovery homes less than a mile away.
Melissa Wrath: “What I learned from this experience is that it could have been 10 times worse. I didn’t do any research.”
And plastic surgeons say doing that research is crucial before you go under the knife.
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