Keeping up her looks turned fatal for 34-year-old Christina Ashten Gourkani, known as Ashten G. She held an incredible resemblance to reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian. Ashen actually earned money as a celebrity lookalike for the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star.
She recently passed away at a California hospital reportedly after a sudden cardiac which followed her latest cosmetic surgery to fulfill her aesthetic goals of being a celebrity lookalike.
Christina's death was detailed in a recent GoFundMe made by her family, who say they got a call last week from another family member, frantically screaming that she was dying ... something they say "instantly shattered our world."
"In the early morning hours at approximately 4:31am on 4/20/2023 our family received a tragic phone call from a family member who was frantically screaming and crying hysterically on the other end of the line...Ashten is dying...Ashten is dying...," the GoFundMe read. "A phone call that instantly shattered our world and will forever haunt our family for the rest of our lives. After arriving at the hospital shortly after the phone call our family continued living a nightmare as we were informed that her health and wellbeing had continued to decline in a downward spiral for the worse after suffering from a cardiac arrest. Her sudden and tragic passing is currently being investigated as a homicide related to a medical procedure that took a turn for the worse."
According to the San Mateo County's District Attorney’s Office as of May 1st, 2023 Ashten hired Vivian Gomez, 50, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to assist her with her buttocks enhancement. Gomez does not have a license to practice medicine.
Gomez traveled to a Burlingame hotel and gave Gourkani “several injections” of what is believed to have been just silicone on April 19, according to DA Steve Wagstaffe. The coroner’s office is still investigating Gourkani’s death, Wagstaffe said. Shortly thereafter, Gourkani began having health issues, and according to her family’s GoFundMe, she died in the early hours of April 20 from a heart attack.
Ashten isn't the only one who has been seeking plastic surgery enhancements in the last few years. More Black women are getting it done too.
Plastic surgery and non-surgical treatments are on the rise all across the board, it’s starting to seem. First, more men are seeking out cosmetic solutions to their aging woes, and now the news is breaking that another demographic is coming around.
The ABC news program “20/20” is reporting that plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures are on the rise among black women, a demographic that traditionally has not been very keen on getting work done.
“Darker skin has natural protective factors against the sun. So we don’t see the same wrinkling, because sun exposure typically will cause weathering or cracking or folding of the skin,” says Dr. Julius Few, a Chicago plastic surgeon.
This phenomenon gave rise to the expression, “Black don’t crack.”
Also, black skin has more oil than white skin, which gives the skin more moisture and makes it more resilient to wrinkling. But according to stats, many black women don't agree which has given rise to more Black women going under the knife.
From 2005 to 2013, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that black patients increased by 56 percent, with almost 70,000 more procedures. In 2016, 8 percent of all plastic surgery procedures were for black patients. Now, reports are saying that number is over 13% after 2020.
What is cosmetic surgery?
It is surgery that a person chooses to have to improve their aesthetic appearance rather than a surgery done for medical reasons. Any surgery has to be performed taking into mind the duration under anesthesia, the underlying health status of the person undergoing the procedure and the risks associated with the surgery in particular.
Things to keep in mind before going for cosmetic surgery
Cosmetic surgery is not evil, but anything done in extreme is not good. For a safe cosmetic surgery, Dr Taneja says that prior to it, the cosmetic surgeon and anesthesiologist usually go over all the medical and surgical history of the person to ascertain any health issues that would impact anesthesia and surgery.
Those who are undergoing the surgery are advised to avoid supplements that can increase the risk of bleeding during the procedure. The person also needs to stop smoking. If a person plans to undergo body contouring, they should be at a stable body weight.
