| Malaysians taking risks with cosmetic surgery |
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| Tuesday, 28 November 2006 | |
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The council ruled on July 27 that Muslims are forbidden to use Botox — which has prohibited substances — for cosmetic purposes. Since then, another fatwa has been issued that forbids skin bleaching but allows liposuction. However, despite the enthusiasm of Malaysians for cosmetic surgery, there have been reports of pain and disfigurement following botched breast augmentation procedures, intense swelling after eyelid surgery and facial paralysis from Botox treatments. The National Consumer Claims Tribunal in Malaysia received over 200 complaints last year for cosmetic treatments that went wrong. Most of these related to skin damage following treatment at beauty salons. The manager of the Tribunal, Darshan Singh said that they are seeing an increase in the number of complaints each year. "It’s a big industry. Some of the complainants came to us after using whitening products that caused severe swelling and rashes. They had to be hospitalised. "Asked why they used the product, the answer was so that they could be fairer and therefore, more employable." Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr Teoh Siang Chin has expressed disappointment that the industry is free of any significant regulations and that there appears to be no desire by legislators to introduce such regulations. "Despite many tragedies, it is regrettable that action by the health authorities has been slow in coming," he said. Doctors are reporting an increase in the number of patients they are seeing following botched cosmetic surgery in unlicensed clinics. Existing regulations only cover the rules for registered medical practitioners, said Dr Teoh, while "all sorts of interventions of questionable value and even some harmful ones are being advertised, administered and hidden from safe monitoring." "Qualified plastic surgeons, for instance, take between four and eight years after their basic medical degree to complete their training and are subject to strict ethical and professional codes and standards." Plastic surgeon Dr R. Angamuthu estimates that for every procedure performed by a legitimate cosmetic surgeon, more than 10 are performed by what he termed "fly-by-night" practitioners and "quacks". He claimed that these quacks are usually from China and Taiwan, and are recruited by beauty salons. "Among the common procedures offered are double eyelids and nose jobs, breast augmentation and lipo-suction," he said. He attributed much of their success to aggressive advertising and marketing, with clinics often promising unrealistic results and not even mentioning potential complications that can arise from cosmetic surgery. "Quacks usually work with beauty centres who convince their clients to undergo the procedures. |
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