In pursuit of 'perfect' body: The dangerous things women do

From Brazillian butt lifts (BBL) to liposuctions, hip dips, nose jobs and thigh gap creations to name just but a few, Kenyan women are not holding back in their dangerous search for a ‘perfect’ body.  

Despite being told about the side-effects that may even be fatal in some of the cosmetic procedures, whether surgical or not, they still do not mind splashing hundreds of thousands of shillings just to change their looks.

 When the Healthy Nation team visited Dr Pranav Pancholi, a Kenyan cosmetic dermatosurgeon at Avane Clinic in Gigiri, Nairobi, he was busy attending to  Soraya Grace, 37, who had just landed from London for a more affordable botox procedure while Nerima Wanyama,  34,  waited in line to get a butt enlargement that would need four sessions at Sh60,000 per session.

Dr Pancholi revealed that they get 500 to 800 clients per month, from within the country and abroad. The clinic performs more than 200 procedures, from head to toe. 

Hair 

Stem cell hair transplant

This technology uses the patient's own stem cells to treat progressive hair loss.

The transplant removes a small skin sample from which hair follicles are harvested.

The follicles are then replicated in a lab and implanted back into the scalp in the areas of the head that do not have hair.This allows hair to grow where the follicles were taken from, as well as where they’re transplanted.

Side effects: Riskof bleeding or infection at the site of the sample and the injection. Scarring

Face

1.      Botox - a highly purified protein injected into the skin to relax muscles that cause wrinkles.

This is for men and women seeking an enhanced appearance with fewer wrinkles.

Side effects: Vision problems, muscle weakness, breathing problems, loss of bladder control as well as trouble swallowing or speaking.

2.      Face lift- Also known as a rhytidectomy, it is a cosmetic surgical procedure to create a younger appearance on the face.

The side effects: Hematoma, where one develops collection of blood under the skin that causes swelling and pressure, nerve injury, hair loss on the incision sites, skin loss as the procedure can interrupt  blood supply to facial tissues, resulting to sloughing that is expensive to treat.

Nose

Rhinoplasty / Nose job

Rhinoplasty is medically called nasal reconstruction . It is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the nose.

Side effects:  Infection, nasal septal perforation (a hole in the nasal septum), difficulty in breathing, scarring, possibility of revisional surgery and skin discolouration.    

Lips

Lip fillers are a series of injections that shape and plump up lips- they are injected into the upper and lower lip.

Side effects: Bleeding and pain at the injection sites, infection, discolouration, tissue death, which happens if lip filler is injected into or around the artery, lips may be of different sizes and one may experience a cold sore reactivation (subsequent cold outbreaks).  

Ears

Ear surgery or otoplasty changes the shape, position and proportion of ears.

Side effects: Scarring, bleeding, infection and an adverse reaction to anesthesia, changes in skin sensation, allergic reactions, problems with stitches, changes in skin sensation and creation of unnatural contours that make ears appear to be pinned back. 

Neck 

‘Turkey Neck’

Plastic surgery experts disclose that the neck presents a common problem in women above the age of 45, which is called the ‘turkey neck’- an unglamorous term for wrinkled, sagging skin on the neck. It occurs when neck muscles begin weakening and the skin loses its elasticity, or ability to stretch and stay tight.

The neck lift procedure : Using threads,  the sagging skin is lifted from the neck bottom up to the face. 

Side effects: Bleeding under the skin (hematoma), blood clots, thick scarring, infection, skin loss, open wounds, nerve injury and reaction to anesthetics.

Protecting the skin from the sun, keeping the face and neck hydrated and avoiding smoking can help protect one from ‘turkey neck’. 

Shoulders

A brachioplasty involves removing unnecessary skin and adipose tissue from the shoulders and arms.

Side effects: As per the US National Library of Medicine , complications that can occur after brachioplasty include small wound separations, dehiscence, which is the splitting or bursting open of a  wound, seroma( a buildup of clear fluid inside the body) , lymphocele/lymphedema - a  postsurgical complication that develops when the lymphatic system gets damaged during surgery , inability to close the arm, bad scarring ,infection, bleeding, nerve compression/compartment syndrome, neuromas(a benign tumor of nerve tissue that is often associated with pain or in specific types of various other symptoms)  and sensory loss. 

Breast

Breast Reduction- is a surgery undergone by women with large, heavy breasts who in their view experience significant discomfort and have cited neck pains, back pains and numbness or weakness due to the weight of the breasts.  During this procedure, excess fat, skin and breast tissue are removed.

Side effects: Change in breast sensation as the nerves are tampered with apart and inability to breastfeed.

 Breast Augmentation- surgery to increase breast size. Sometimes referred to as a "boob job" by patients, it involves using breast implants or fat transfer to enhance the breats.

Side effects:  scar tissue that distorts the shape of the breast implant, infection, breast pain, implant leakage or rupture, changes in nipple and breast sensation as well as the  implant position changes, which may lead to additional unplanned for surgeries.  

Breast Lift - A breast lift, also known as mastopexy, raises sagging breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to create a more youthful breast contour. The procedure modifies and changes the contour, the elevation,and size of the breasts.

Side effects: Temporary numbness, bruising, changes in nipple or breast sensation, an uneven shape and size of the breasts, discomfort, permanent scarring and trouble breastfeeding. 

Tummy

Tummy Tuck

Also known as abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck is a cosmetic procedure eliminates unnecessary fat or excess skin from the abdominal area.

Side effects:  Swelling and pain, bruising, numbness and tiredness post the procedure,  bleeding, infection and scarring. 

Waist

A cosmetic surgeon performs a ‘liposuction for waist contouring’ to remove ‘stubborn pockets of fat’ from thighs, flanks, abdomen and the back.

Experts highlight that the amount of fat to be removed during the liposuction surgery will be determined by the goals of the surgery. 

Side effects: Complications from anesthesia, bleeding, pockets of fluid forming under the skin, infections, fat embolism, which is when tiny pieces of fat break away and block blood floor, as well as uneven fat removal.  

Buttocks

1. The Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) is a gluteal fat grafting procedure that utilises excess fat collected from other areas of the body like the tummy, arms and legs to add buttock volume and projection, and/or perfect overall shape and symmetry.

In all BBL procedures, once the fat is removed, it is processed and separated from the fluid that was previously injected. It is then re-injected, via syringes or other specialised equipment, into the subcutaneous space of the buttocks. 

Side effects: BBLs are typically noted to have the highest risks and complications in the field of plastic surgery. When fat is injected within the muscle, it may travel in a blood vessel back up to the lungs. Other complications are blood clots, infections, fat necrosis, [when] fat becomes hard and can be painful, contour irregularities, asymmetries, scarring, lumps under the skin in the areas suctioned or injected, loss of skin in the treated areas due to deep infection as well as pain.  

2.  Liposuction – Liposuction, which is currently trendy in the country, is a type of cosmetic surgery that breaks up and “sucks” fat out of the body usually from the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck, chin, upper and backs of the arms, calves, and back.

Side effects: Severe bruising , inflammation, contour irregularities whereby  there is poor skin elasticity, if the wound heals in an unusual way or if fat removal has been uneven, the skin may appear withered, wavy, or bumpy, thrombophlebitis - when a blood clot forms in a vein causing inflammation and further complications, internal organ punctures, kidney or heart failure as fluids are being injected and or suctioned thus changing the body’s fluid level, pulmonary embolism ( fat gets into the blood vessels and travels to the lungs, blocking the circulation in the lungs )  as well as pulmonary edema- when fluids accumulates in the lungs. 

Hips  

Hip dips or violin hips are inward curves on the sides of the body just below each hip bone.

Hip augmentation is a cosmetic procedure that can increase the size and width of your hips.  Women undergo hip augmentation to gain an hourglass figure. For this surgery, fat is removed from buttocks, stomach, or inner thighs using a liposuction procedure and injected into the hips.

Side effects: Bruising, wound infection, changes in sensation, asymmetry, prolonged pain, deep vein thrombosis, fat necrosis, and implant complications; 

Thighs

Thigh gaps - The internet craze for thigh gaps has many women undergoing cosmetic surgeries to obtain them.  A “thigh gap” refers to a noticeable space between one’s inner thighs when standing with knees together. There are three procedures to help one achieve a thigh gap - liposuction, coolsculpting, or thigh lift.  During a liposuction,  the surgeon  will make small incisions along the inside of thighs then use a small tube known as  a cannula to loosen fat cells before suctioning them out.

CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis, is a cosmetic treatment that removes excess fat in stubborn areas. It works by freezing fat cells, killing and breaking them down in the process.

Thigh lifts are invasive procedures that require general anesthesia. During the surgery, incisions are made along the inner thigh before cutting out excess skin and removing fat. Stiches are put in place to help close the incisions.

Side effects: Pain, bruises, excess bleeding, infection, asymmetrical thighs , fluid accumulation as well as vein, heart, or lung problems.  

Vagina

 Labiaplasty is performed to change the size and shape of the inner labia and the inner lips of the vulva. An operation to change the look of the genitals is sometimes referred to as ‘aesthetic genital surgery’. Labiaplasty will not make the vagina smaller or tighter. This requires a different operation called a vaginoplasty.

• Side effects: Excessive bleeding, infection, scarring of tissue, reduced sensitivity of the genitals. 

Vaginoplasty - is a procedure to construct or tighten up a vagina. Vaginal tightening surgery (also known as vaginal rejuvenation surgery, or the ‘designer vagina’) involves surgically tightening the vaginal canal. Having the surgery means being placed under general anaesthetic and facing several weeks of recovery time.

It’s also a type of "bottom surgery" (surgery on the genitals) available to transgender women, or those who identify as transfeminine. It involves the surgical creation of a vagina from existing genital tissue.

Women who go for this surgical procedure also seek to repair congenital defects, which may include creating a functional vagina, preventing blood from pooling during menstruation and getting rid of excess tissue or abnormal structures.

Side effects: Painful intercourse, numbness or loss of sensation.

Those who do it as a gender-affirming surgery have to deal with vaginal stenosis, vesicovaginal fistula, which is an abnormal connection between the vagina and the urinary tract , rectovaginal fistula (an abnormal connection between the vagina and rectum), nerve injury and inadequate depth of the vagina.

Knee

Knee liposuction is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of fat deposits from the inner knee.The procedure is often done in conjunction with liposuction of the thighs to achieve a more contoured look. According to experts, it will only yield results if one maintains their weight and fitness levels.

Side effects: It does not completely get rid of saggy skin and is not recommended for people who smoke or have any serious illness . Other side effects are bruising, loose skin, thermal burns, irregular pigmentatrion as well as excess fluid accumulation.  

Interesting facts and data on search for perfect body

Brazilian butt lift - 1 in every 3,000 deaths

“Based on survey data, it looked like the death rate was as high as one in 3,000, which is a very, very high mortality rate.” -  American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

20-40 per cent

“Like all fat grafting procedures, not all of the injected fat will survive long-term,” says  Dr Jeremy Rubin who is the President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons while  estimating  that anywhere from 20 to 40% of the injected fat will be absorbed by the body during the healing process.

252 per cent

The rate of buttock lift procedures rose 252 per cent from 2000 to 2015

12-year-old

The youngest person to get a liposuction was a 12-year-old girl while the oldest was an 87-year-old woman.

Kenyan celebrities who spent millions on cosmetic procedures

Joan Murugi Munyi, popularly known as Yummy Mummy. The influencer and content creator disclosed that it cost her Sh600,000 for liposuction.

Socialite Risper Faith said she spent Sh450,000 on liposuction.

Socialite Vera Sidika said she spent Sh15 million to lighten her skin.

Former Miss Universe Kenya Rachel Marete Mbuki has in the past disclosed that she underwent a liposuction sculpture and also had her breasts enlarged.

Socialite Huddah Monroe has in past interviews disclosed that she had her breasts enlarged at a cost of Sh1 million while adding that the procedure was botched at some point.

Popular actress Catherine Kamau Karanja alias Kate Actress has undergone a weight loss procedure called the gastric balloon.

Blogger Catherine Kariuki aka ‘Fashionable Stepmum’ has admitted to undergoing a gastric bypass surgery to lose 36 kilogrammes.

Renowned mc and event organiser Thomas Kwaka, best known as Big Ted, underwent a gastric bypass surgery at a hospital in India. He disclosed that he spent about Sh700,000, which included airfare, accommodation and the surgical procedure.

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