July 2 (Bloomberg) -- Nine women in New York City have reported fevers, infections and severe pain in complications from cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the Dominican Republic, and many more cases are suspected, the New York Times reported, citing city health officials.

Going abroad to save money on plastic surgery ``can cost your life,'' health commissioner Thomas Frieden said during a bilingual news conference yesterday in the predominantly Hispanic Washington Heights neighborhood.

Recruiters approach patrons in beauty salons, telling them they can help them get cheap liposuction, tummy tucks or breast augmentation, and then arranging for the patient to have the procedure done in the Dominican Republic, the newspaper said. Infections are commonly caused by improperly sterilized surgical equipment, the Times said, citing Dr. Neville Clynes, an epidemiologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The surgeries also have been linked to infections in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Carolina and Puerto Rico, the Times reported, citing the health department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(NYT 7-2 B1)

To contact the reporter on this story: Josh P. Hamilton in New York at jphamilton@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 2, 2004 09:36 EDT