Killing for fat- to enhance the breasts and lips

Very disturbing news out of Peru is that gangs have been arrested for killing people to obtain fat. It is alleged that more than 60 people have been killed and their body fat content removed to be used in cosmetic procedures. Police sources say that so far three gang members have been arrested and have confessed to killing at least 5 people in the past few weeks.

Some of the gang members were arrested carrying the liquid fat in bottles. The suspects say that a gallon of fat is worth at least $60,000. The three arrested gang members have been charged with homicide, criminal conspiracy and a variety of other related charges.

Cosmetic surgeons do use fat injections to enhance lips or breasts. Fat is normally derived via liposuction from the abdomen or thigh and then injected into other parts of the body; the process is laborious and somewhat expensive. However, it is not known how large the fat cosmetic market is. Plastic surgeons do agree that other dermal fillers like restylane, perlane, or juvederm are somewhat expensive and fat is sometimes used as an alternative.