Celebrity Plastic Surgeon Who Died of COVID-19 Reportedly Caught It From Patient Getting Lip Procedure

Renowned Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Payman Simoni has died from COVID-19, which he reportedly caught from a patient while performing a lip enhancement procedure. Now some are asking: Should plastic surgery be allowed in Los Angeles as the city’s cases skyrocket?

Simoni was reportedly performing the procedure when the patient coughed on him. Several days later, she called the medical offices and said she had tested positive for COVID-19. The patient had reportedly not taken a COVID-19 test prior to the procedure.

Inside Edition was with Simoni back in May, for the return of cosmetic surgery after it was initially put on hold at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, the doctor assured us that every precaution was being taken.

“Our patients get tested for the COVID virus prior to the surgery,” Simoni said at the time.

The doctor wore an N-95 mask last May, but it’s not clear what personal protective equipment he wore recently when he performed the lip enhancement that reportedly led to his death.

Simoni reportedly began experiencing shortness of breath soon after learning his patient tested positive for COVID-19. He was placed on a ventilator at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and died last Friday.

“It was shocking,” Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Mani told Inside Edition. “It gives you pause. Anything you do where you’re exposed to someone’s face is a risk. I think it’s important to be very careful.”

RELATED STORIES