Skincare Company VP’s Sudden Death Was Caused By Routine Cosmetic Injection

The chief medical examiner of New York City confirmed on Tuesday that the senior vice president of skincare company Estée Lauder died after suffering a pulmonary embolism that was caused by a cosmetic injection. 

Kendal Ascher, 56, died suddenly in his husband William Howe’s arms back in February while in their $2.8 million New York City apartment. Ascher reportedly felt lightheaded while taking a shower before collapsing and going limp. Examiners ruled Ascher’s death “accidental.” 

It was revealed on Tuesday that his cosmetic fillers triggered a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot stops blood flow to an artery in the lungs. In Ascher’s case, it was the filler that stopped his blood flow.

“There was no pulse, he was immediately unresponsive, he died in my arms,” Howe told The Daily Mail. “It all happened within eight seconds.”

Howe was not aware of Ascher getting any cosmetic fillers immediately before his death, but he said that five months before the tragedy, the two of them got Botox together, which is not considered a filler.

Cosmetic filler is a gel-like substance that is injected beneath the skin to restore lost facial volume or help the patient appear more youthful, according to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Facial fillers are received by more than five million men and women every year.

Dr. Kenneth Mark, who did not work with Ascher but specializes in Botox and fillers, believed Ascher’s filler was accidentally injected into a blood vessel. 

He told the New York Post that deaths are “extremely rare” after receiving facial filler and “much more classically associated with larger volume injection of fat in the buttocks.” 

Cosmetic fillers are generally safe, but it is important to be treated by a board-certified plastic surgeon with FDA-approved products. 

“Kendal was one of a kind, full of passion and life,” said Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Estée Lauder’s executive vice president and chief brand officer. “He brought the best to everyone he touched — his colleagues, his retail partners and, especially, his field team. When Kendal walked into a room, he lit it up. He was full of energy, kind and funny, and he had a heart of gold.”