BATON ROUGE – A woman who died undergoing a cosmetic procedure in South Florida was enticed to a doctor there because of significantly cheaper prices, friends told WBRZ Friday afternoon.

Kizzy London, 40, died after being rushed to a hospital in Miami Thursday. She was at Jolie Surgery Center in Miami when she went into cardiac arrest. Surgeons called for an ambulance and London was transferred to the hospital where she died.

Friends in London's North Baton Rouge neighborhood said she had three kids and sought out a more affordable cosmetic procedure in Miami. Jolie, the medical center, advertised “Christmas Specials” on its website and the doctor the surgery center listed as London's physician was the most affordable.

London's death comes amid a questionable wave of deaths involving women traveling to Florida from other states seeking cosmetic surgeries. In June, a 30-year-old woman died while having an unidentified procedure. A few months earlier, in March, a 25-year-old died after a “Brazilian butt lift” - a trending procedure among women.

In 2016, a 29-year-old also died during a procedure.

The Miami Herald newspaper reported women are lured to clinics in Miami through websites promising low-cost surgeries. Clinics use social media and online advertising, the newspaper reported, and doctors offer financing at high interest rates.  

It's not clear what procedure London was undergoing.

London's doctor, Arnaldo Valls, charges $3,500 for “Brazilian butt lifts” - a sculpting procedure on a patient's rear. Valls has been practicing since 1969, according to Florida health records.

The surgery center said Dr. Valls has never lost a patient, has a “clean record” and that “the incident has impacted him greatly.”

In a statement sent via web message on Jolie's website, the facility wrote: “We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of our patient...”
“Cosmetic surgeries, like all surgeries, carry some degree of risk.”

The facility wrote Dr. Valls “sends prayers to the loved ones of the patient.”

The Miami-Dade Police department is investigating the death, authorities confirmed.

Friends and family did not want to be interviewed on television about London's death.  

**********

Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz