Rest In Peace, Tiny
Dr. Chang says his whole office might not stock that much filler for every person on the schedule combined. Igho "Tiny" Ubiribo got 40 milliliters of hyaluronic acid injected to his penis in a single sitting at an unnamed clinic in Bangkok and died hours later.
Jackie brings Dr. Chang the TMZ story: a London coroner rules that Ubiribo, a 43-year-old British-Nigerian influencer, died of a pulmonary embolism after a Thai clinic injected hyaluronic acid and lidocaine into his penis, and a postmortem finds matching material in his lungs.
Dr. Chang traces how injected filler can slip into a vein and travel from the groin to the chest, why the genitals carry so much vascular risk, and what a 50 cc syringe looks like next to what a man already has.
Jackie flags the six months it took to name a cause of death as one more reason to think twice about surgery tourism. Dr. Chang's closing advice: a clinic saying yes doesn't make it the right procedure for you.
TMZ, Influencer Dies After Penis Enlargement Procedure
HOSTS
Jackie O'Brien RN, BSN, CNOR
Clinical Director at Cedar Lane Surgery Center
With 12 years of OR experience and training at Georgetown University Hospital, Jackie brings expert-level knowledge in plastic, trauma, general, vascular, and ophthalmic surgery. A proud George Mason alum and CNOR-certified perfectionist, she leads with passion, precision, and a love for all things surgical. Off the clock, she's exploring new restaurants, hitting concerts and wineries, or hanging out with her cat—Biggie Smalls, the real boss at home.
Christopher Chang, MD
Plastic Surgeon
Considered to be one of the top plastic surgeons in DC, Dr. Chang specializes in facial and breast augmentation surgery and has acquired several advanced degrees and training from some of the most selective universities in the country.
Double board certified in plastic and facial plastic surgery, with specialized experience in facial surgery and pediatric reconstruction, Dr. Chang prioritizes precision over trends and thoughtful care over pressure. Based in Washington, DC, he serves a diverse community, respecting each patient's preferences for discretion, communication, and natural-looking results.
About Secret Services
In DC, everyone has secrets — especially when it comes to cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Chang and his sharp-witted team see everything and say nothing — except on this podcast, where every week you'll get answers to “classified” patient questions. Because in an era when aging gracefully and looking natural is easier than ever, it all depends on who you know—and what they're willing to tell you.
Links
Learn more about Washington, D.C. plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Chang
Follow Dr. Chang on Instagram @dcplasticsurgeon @congressionalplasticsurgery
And on TikTok @congressionalpsurgery
Host: Christopher Chang, MD
Producer: Eva Sheie @ The Axis
Assistant Producers: Mary Ellen Clarkson & Laura Mayusa
Engineering: Chris Mann
Theme music: Harry's Perfume - Harry Edvino
Cover Art: Dan Childs
Secret Services is a production of The Axis: theaxis.io
Jackie (00:00):
Okay. So we had to do breaking news. We had to get into this story that we saw on TMZ. The British Nigerian influencer, Igho "Tiny" -
Dr. Chang (00:09):
I didn't know that was his nickname, Tiny. Okay.
Jackie (00:13):
Ubiribo, 43, died on March 6th at a Bangkok Hospital hours after receiving 40 milliliters of hyaluronic acid and lidocaine injected into his penis at an unnamed Thai clinic. On September 4th at the Interwest London Coroner's Court, Assistant Coroner Jean Harkin ruled the death a pulmonary embolism caused by the cosmetic procedure. A postmortem found cellular material in Ubiribo's lungs matching the hyaluronic acid used in the injection. The British Association of Urological Surgeons has repeatedly warned about penile filler. Several other deaths have been linked to enlargement injections in the last decade.
Dr. Chang (00:50):
Jesus. Yeah. I remember we saw this.
Jackie (00:52):
Poor Tiny.
Dr. Chang (00:54):
Yeah, he's a young guy. So I mean, it's crazy. He got penis filler in Bangkok, but then they did the autopsy in. They must have flown his body back to London.
Jackie (01:04):
Yeah. It says British Nigerian influencer, so he probably flew to Bangkok for this procedure.
Dr. Chang (01:10):
I mean, if I got found out that I was getting penis filler and it was all over the internet, I was a famous celebrity like that. I'd probably wish I had died anyway.
Jackie (01:18):
Oh my God.
Dr. Chang (01:19):
Maybe that's in bad taste. I'm sorry, that's terrible. But really now the whole world knows that he wanted to get his penis enlarged.
Jackie (01:26):
It's also worse that he went by the name Tiny. So they said the hyaluronic acid reached his lungs. How does that even happen?
Dr. Chang (01:35):
Anything that you inject could potentially get into your circulation, your blood vessels. And honestly, there's a risk. There's a risk of blocking off the blood circulation to the skin, that's called necrosis, blocking off to distant organs in your eye. You can get blindness in certain areas where the. And then if it travels this much filler, this is a ton of filler. 40 milliliters is insane.
Jackie (01:58):
That's what I was thinking.
Dr. Chang (01:59):
We might have 40 milliliters in the entire office maybe for every patient, but that's a lot.
Jackie (02:06):
They were pushing the limits already on an iffy procedure.
Dr. Chang (02:10):
And it got into the circulation, traveled through the veins from the penis into the groin, into the chest and into the lungs and blocked up his lungs and then he couldn't breathe. That's how it happens. And I feel like we've seen a lot of stuff in Thailand.
Jackie (02:24):
Yes.
Dr. Chang (02:24):
Some real wild stuff coming out of Bangkok lately.
Jackie (02:27):
They're not scared to inject things in weird places, but the article, it references that hyaluronic acid penile filler can wear off in six to nine months. I mean, is it worth it?
Dr. Chang (02:41):
I want to know what's a good result look like. I mean, you've seen a 50 cc syringe. It's like a cylinder. It's probably about the size of a paper towel tube in terms of diameter. And then it's maybe -
Jackie (02:55):
That's a lot.
Dr. Chang (02:58):
To add that to what you already have, it seems aggressive.
Jackie (03:02):
Right.
Dr. Chang (03:02):
It's kind of aggressive.
Jackie (03:03):
Yeah. I don't care what size penis you have. I feel like you're putting, that's a lot to put into.
Dr. Chang (03:08):
You sure you don't care? I'm just saying for the record, Jackie doesn't care.
Jackie (03:13):
When it comes to your starting point, if you're getting penis filler -
Dr. Chang (03:17):
I'm going to have to speak to -
Jackie (03:18):
I just feel like -
Dr. Chang (03:20):
Mr. Jackie to tell him.
Jackie (03:22):
I just feel like you can't put that much into any space that small, even if you have a larger penis. I feel like -
Dr. Chang (03:31):
Right. Just like anything, you have to be able to expand the tissue to a certain degree. Fortunately, penis tissue has a little more distensible tissue, but still you're cramming in a foreign material into a fixed space. And the genital area has got a huge amount of vasculature, so I'm not totally surprised that the Urologic Association is not pleased with that idea and warns the risks because there's a lot of vasculature there.
Jackie (03:57):
Also, just bringing it back when you said, "Oh, they flew his body back." I mean, look at that turnaround. That's horrible. He died on March 6th and they didn't find the cause of death until September 4th.
Dr. Chang (04:14):
Yeah, that's crazy.
Jackie (04:14):
That's crazy. But I mean, when you're having these procedures overseas, who knows how long did Thailand even have his body until they gave it up? It's just another thing to think about with the plastic surgery tourism.
Dr. Chang (04:29):
Yeah. Guys, be careful. Just because somebody says yes doesn't mean that it's the right procedure for you. Be careful out there. Don't do stuff that's off the beaten path. It might seem really special or unique. It also could be really fringe. And so I think that's what I tell patients. Be careful when you're out there. Don't do anything too wild. And if it seems maybe a little risky, think twice.
Jackie (04:54):
Yeah. Tiny died for this.
Dr. Chang (04:58):
Rest in peace, Tiny.
Jackie (04:59):
Yeah. Rest in peace, Tiny.
Dr. Chang (05:00):
All right guys. Thanks for listening to Secret Services, the podcast where we see everything and say nothing except right here. I'm Dr. Christopher Chang, double board certified plastic surgeon located in Tysons, Virginia. Follow us on TikTok @congressionalpsurgery or on Instagram @congressionalplasticsurgery. To send us a classified message or to hear more episodes, go to secretservicespodcast.com. Links to everything we talked about on today's show are available in the show notes. Oops, patient's here. We got to go.