Natasha Singer writes for the NYT:
The most frequent side effects from these beauty treatments are lumps and bumps and lopsided or grossly exaggerated facial features. More serious consequences, ranging from infection to death, have also occurred. Vera Lawrence, a 53-year-old secretary, died in 2001 after having silicone injected into her thighs and buttocks in an apartment in Miramar, Fla. One of the people who gave the injections, Mark Hawkins, is serving a 30-year prison term for his actions in the case. Most illicit beauty treatments in South Florida are offered by immigrant practitioners who live in the state, or foreign practitioners who fly in regularly to treat clients, police detectives say. "We get a big influx of people who got their medical training elsewhere," said Sgt. Hector Llevat, a detective who oversees the Miami-Dade police's unlicensed practitioner unit. "When some foreign-trained doctors get frustrated trying to pass American medical exams, they decide to risk practicing without a license."