In 1953 he began working at a Brazilian hospital . On December 17 , 1961 , a burning circus tent fell on 2,500 spectators in the Brazilian city of Niterói . Pitanguy treated burn victims for weeks on an emergency basis . He later referred to the event as life changing , as it taught him that for many , physical appearance was critical to living . Pitanguy founded a private clinic called '' Clínica Ivo Pitanguy '' in the Botafogo section of Rio de Janeiro where he operated on clients and trained surgeons
a burning circus tent fell on 2,500 spectators
Niterói circus fire
Ivo Pitanguy