The death of 14-year-old Paloma Nicole Arellano during a cosmetic surgery has shaken Mexico and ignited a national debate over the lack of regulation for aesthetic procedures on minors. The tragedy, which resulted in the arrest of the girl’s mother and her partner, who also performed the operation, has prompted lawmakers to push for tighter medical oversight and new legislation known as the “Nicole Law.”
A Case That Shocked a Nation
Paloma Nicole died on September 20 in a private clinic in Durango after undergoing breast implants and fat transfer surgery performed by plastic surgeon Víctor Manuel Rosales, her mother’s partner. Her father, Carlos Arellano, said he was never informed of the operation and discovered the truth only after her death.
According to prosecutors, Paloma’s mother, Paloma Escobedo, participated in the procedure without medical qualifications. She faces charges of negligence and unauthorized medical practice. Rosales, who signed consent papers as the girl’s guardian, is accused of professional misconduct and usurpation of parental authority.
Investigators later found that the COVID-19 test used to justify Paloma’s isolation before surgery had been falsified. The mother allegedly told the father that the teenager had tested positive and would rest in a remote house, when in fact she was being prepared for the operation.
Paloma was hospitalized days later with severe brain inflammation and died after being placed in an induced coma. “They should pay for what they did,” her father said in an interview. “They didn’t just end her life—they destroyed ours.”
The Durango prosecutor’s office confirmed both suspects were formally charged last week. Neither has made public statements.
The case spurred outrage across Mexico, prompting the federal government and President Claudia Sheinbaum to promise close monitoring of the investigation. In the national Congress, Senator Gina Campuzano González proposed the “Ley Nicole,” which would ban purely aesthetic surgeries on minors and impose stricter controls on reconstructive operations. “No adult consent can authorize what the law forbids,” she said. “Childhood is not negotiable.”
Plastic surgeons have also joined the debate. Mauro Armenta, a reconstructive surgery specialist, told BBC News Mundo that while complications can happen in any procedure, aesthetic surgeries on adolescents are risky due to their ongoing emotional and physical development. “Teenagers are still discovering who they are,” he explained. “Their opinions change from one day to the next. That’s why such interventions are rarely advisable.”
Dr. Jorge Arroyo, the surgeon who first publicized the case online, said the tragedy highlights Mexico’s need for regulation. “We’re the third country in the world for cosmetic surgeries,” he noted. “Yet no one has paid enough attention to what that means for young patients.”
The proposed Nicole Law seeks to establish ethics committees similar to those used in other Latin American nations to review procedures on minors.
Meanwhile, Paloma’s father has become a public advocate for reform, organizing protests in Durango and demanding justice. “She was a happy girl,” he said. “She loved volleyball and was about to celebrate her 15th birthday. Everything was ready—the dress, the music, even her dream trip to Europe. I never imagined this would happen.”
Beyond the personal tragedy, the case has drawn attention to Mexico’s booming cosmetic industry. The country ranks third globally for plastic surgeries, after Brazil and the United States, with more than two million procedures performed in 2024, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). Experts say the sector remains largely unregulated, especially when it comes to minors.