Aussie man dies after cosmetic surgery in Malaysia

Australian coroner launches investigation into the death of a 31-year-old man who underwent an extreme makeover.

April 7, 2016

PETALING JAYA: Australian authorities are probing the death of a 31-year-old man who died after undergoing an extreme makeover in Malaysia.

Australia’s The Age reports that Leigh Aiple had spent AUD35,000 (about RM104,000) on several procedures, including a 360-degree tummy tuck, extensive liposuction, an upper eye lift, a chin tuck, lip filler, thigh lift and chest sculpting at the Beverly Wilshire Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur, back in May 2014.

He underwent two marathon surgeries within a week, including one which lasted more than 11 hours, and was allowed to fly home without having his post-surgery complications rectified here.

Aiple died of pulmonary thromboembolism associated with deep vein thrombosis, hours after landing in Australia.

“A blood clot in his calf had travelled to his lung and the pathologist found recent surgery and aeroplane travel had been risk factors,” said the report.

His mother, Grace Muscat told the daily that complications arose even after her son’s first surgery. Stitches burst open and wounds seeped for weeks, she claimed. He wrote to her about suffering from fainting spells, blacking out in the bathroom once, lying in his own diarrhoea, as well as experiencing breathing complications.

He flew back on May 11, 2014, and within hours, he was dead.

Aiple, who was bullied as a child for being overweight, was self-conscious after a weight loss left him with loose skin.

The Victorian coroner has now launched a full investigation into Aiple’s death.

A spokesman for the Beverly Wilshire told The Age that Aiple’s case was “extremely rare and complicated”, and reserved comment until a full probe into the matter is concluded.