Plastic surgery is a pretty controversial topic. Some people swear by it, while others find it wholly unnatural. I am personally in neither camp and more on team “do what makes you happy.” However, it’s not every day you hear about an entire family taking the time and resources to get plastic surgery together abroad.
For Veronica Apice, a social media influencer, this trip with her family is as routine as any other family’s beach vacation. In September, Apice detailed on social media the trip she, her parents, and her aunt and uncle all took to Colombia over the summer to get a variety of cosmetic surgeries.
“I always saw my mom get surgeries and I was like, ‘Oh, there she goes to Colombia [to get surgery],'” she told People in an exclusive interview. “That’s just the reality of how I saw my aunts, my cousins, my mother, my grandma, even. I was like, all right, I’m destined for this life.”
Damaris Pauline, her 65-year-old mother, began getting surgeries — from tummy tucks to ponytail facelifts — 20 years ago. Her father Vincent and aunt Luz, also began getting procedures in the US and South America over the years. Meanwhile, her uncle Harry had his first procedure on this most recent trip.
During their first trip as a family in 2023, everyone (except Harry) got a facelift, while Apice got a butt augmentation, liposuction, and breast lift after having gastric sleeve surgery in 2019 and losing a lot of weight. She added a nose job after learning that her dad’s post-op complications would extend their stay.
This time around, Damaris had abdominal work done, Vincent a nose job, Veronica a BBL and breast reduction, Luz an eyelid lift, and Harry a facelift and blepharoplasty. The total cost of the surgeries came to $68,000, plus accommodations and flights, as well as anesthesia, which Vincent covered, People shared.
@veronicaapice Replying to @Sydney Sazant #plasticsurgery #colombia #family #bbl #reduction ♬ original sound – Veronica Apice
The other family members were all happy with their results and claimed to have no issues adjusting emotionally to their physical changes. Apice, however, has had a different experience. In 2024, she nearly died from sepsis from another operation, though it didn’t stop her from trying again over the summer.
“Now, if I walk into a room or anywhere and I’m perceived, I’m like, ‘Are you trying to talk to me because you want to get to know me or did the curves bring you in?'” she admits. “If you have lost weight or had work done, you’re perceived. Obviously, people are going to judge a book by its cover until they get to know the person. It’s a different perspective that I don’t think many people talk about [with plastic surgery].”
Ultimately, they insist they are just like any other family. “We’re just really big lovers. We love everybody, but we’re really in your face, obnoxious. Funny, but caring. If you come up to us, you’ll probably be our new best friend,” Apice shared.
