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Volume 32, Number 6—June 2026

Dispatch

Adverse Outcomes of Travel-Related Cosmetic Procedures among US Residents, 2014–2024

Kiara McNamaraComments to Author , Adam Rowh, Rhett Stoney, and Kiran M. Perkins
Author affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Table 2

Examples of select consultations and adverse outcomes related to travel for elective cosmetic procedures reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014–2024*

Location of procedures, y Pathogen(s) No. patients Procedure(s) Description Outcome(s)
Dominican Republic, 2017 NTM 52 Liposuction with and without fat transfer; breast augmentation; abdominoplasty Multiple strains of NTMs identified, suggesting widespread infection prevention and control lapses across multiple clinics and surgical providers. Extensive case-finding methods used, including call for cases through Epidemic Information Exchange, state-based health alert systems, Infectious Disease Society of America’s Emerging Infections Network, and American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ email distribution list (14)
 >11 patients received >1 antibiotic; >14 patients required therapeutic surgical procedures; 1 death reported
Florida, USA, 2017 NTM 3 Gluteal augmentation 3 patients from 2 states developed surgical site infections attributed to NTM after cosmetic procedures Outcomes not documented
Procedures completed sequentially on same day by same surgeon in rented operating room
Dominican Republic, 2018 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 3 Abdominoplasty; gluteal augmentation; liposuction 3 patients from same state of residence developed surgical site infections after cosmetic procedures performed at 3 surgical centers abroad by 3 surgeons. 1 clinic associated with prior healthcare-associated outbreak of NTM.
Wound cultures from 1 patient identified methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. No other pathogens reported
 Outcomes not documented
Florida, USA, 2022–2023 NTM 19 Gluteal augmentation; liposuction with and without fat transfer; abdominoplasty Postsurgical infections were identified among 19 patients; of those, 15 patients from 9 states underwent cosmetic procedures at the same clinic and met the investigation’s definition of a confirmed case (2). Mycobacterium abscessus was identified from wound cultures from all confirmed cases. Case-finding methods included a national call for cases through CDC Epidemic Information Exchange. Surgery center where procedures were performed was closed, and therefore, infection control practices could not be evaluated. Evaluation of infection control practices at another clinic where the same staff worked identified gaps in personal protective equipment use, medical device reprocessing, and environmental cleaning and disinfection >6 case-patients required intravenous antibiotics; >1 patient hospitalized; >4 case-patients required additional interventions, including computed tomography–guided percutaneous abscess drainage, needle aspiration, incision and drainage, wound debridement, and surgical skin excision with drainage

*Consultations were defined as a verbal or written request to CDC from health departments for investigation and technical assistance in response to reports of patient harm resulting from breaches in healthcare infection prevention and control. CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; NTM, nontuberculous mycobacterium.

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References
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Page created: April 17, 2026
Page updated: June 02, 2026
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