The price of beauty
Comestic surgery brings beauty with side-effects

By Adelaide Lau

Dr. Walter King is a reader in surgery and the chief of head and neck plastic and reconstructive surgery of the Department of Surgery at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He said, “Plastic surgery is done to help patients having burn injuries, traumas from accidents and congenital problems.

“Cosmetic surgery is a part of plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery Above: A breast implant for breast reconstruction.
aims at improving the appearance of a person who has not sustained any trauma or congenital problems.

“Taking away the bags under eyes, doing double eyelids, uplifting breasts and having a liposuction are examples of the most commonly done cosmetic surgeries,” said Dr. King.

Said Mr. Fujita Takahiro, 22, a Japanese exchange student at The Chinese University of Hong Kong from Nagoya: “Conducting cosmetic surgeries are very popular among Japanese actors and actresses, but not ordinary people.

“The results are usually satisfactory. For example, Mainoumi is a Japanese sportsman who succeeded in getting five centimeters taller after a surgery and became a qualified sumo wrestler.

“However, it is really expensive. It takes about $15,000 for lifting a nose,” added Mr. Takahiro.

To uplift breasts, Dr. King said that it is common to make a cut at either the armpit or the breast. Then, a salt solution called saline is implanted to enlarge the breasts.

He said, “The breasts will collapse only under very high pressure.

“The successf rate of conducting a plastic surgery is generally over 90 percent.”

However, Dr. King said that surgery designed to counteract aging, such as the facelift, does not last long. With the continuous pull by gravity, wrinkles on forehead recur easily.

Said Dr. Chow Sik Kuen, a private doctor with a clinic in Tsim Sha Tsui: “Nowadays, most of the surgeons use saline prostheses. Saline, which is static, will not pose harm to the body even if the prostheses breaks.
Above: Dr. King

“Saline can also be put in after inserting the empty prostheses into the breasts. Then, the cut can be smaller.”

According to Dr. Chow, every surgery may have its side-effects. Inflammation and scars may be left after the cosmetic surgeries. Wounds may bleed.

Public hospitals also provide plastic surgery. However, with limited staff, resources, hospital beds and operating theatres, priority is given to patients who really need plastic surgery.

Yet, both Dr. Chow and Dr. King suggested that people not seek cosmetic surgeries in beauty salons.

Said Dr. King: “Qualified surgery will not be conducted by professional doctors at beauty salons since they would break medical etiquette.”

Similarly, Dr. Chow said, “It is really unreliable to conduct cosmetic surgery in beauty salons, for the price is too low. You can imagine that it is not realistic to have a surgery of lifting a nose at $600.

“Beauty salons use suckers in the uplift of breasts. The result certainly will not be long-lasting.”

Dr. Chow said that there were patients sought help from him because of the failure of the cosmetic surgeries done in beauty salons. However, these cases are not very common.

Dr. Chow said, “A correction surgery can be conducted for a patient who fails in a surgery for uplifting breasts. Saline prostheses can be added after removing the previous injection.

“Beauty salons use silicon in the uplift of breasts. Although there is no scientific evidence showing that silicon is harmful, the breast will deform if silicon is not embedded in a bag.”

Another faulty surgery done in beauty salons, according to Dr. Chow, is the uplift of noses.

He said, “There is sometimes too much silicon injected in the nose. It will break through the nose tissue and be exposed.

“It can only be corrected by taking the silicon out and insert a smaller amount instead.”

According to Dr. King, patients are under anaesthesia in a surgery and there is no pain at all. Patients may feel pain after the surgery, but it lasts most probably less than 48 hours.

Dr. Chow said that it is illegal for anyone but qualified doctors to own anaesthetic drugs. These drugs are essential in a cosmetic surgery. Beauty salons cannot conduct a surgery without the drugs.

According to Miss Lam Mei Fung, an education officer of the Consumer Council, they receive complaints against the failure of cosmetic surgeries occasionally throughout years.

Asked about cosmetic surgeries, the staff of beauty salons refused to speak on the record.

Posing as a potential customer, a Varsity staff writer contacted different beauty salons through their customers’ hotlines.

A representative of one salon said that the uplift of noses can be done without conducting a surgery. Collagen can be directly injected into the nose.

A staff of the beauty salon said that there is no need to anaesthetize the customers and there will be no side-effects.

On the other hand, a staff member of another salon regarded the uplift of breasts a kind of surgery.

The representative said, “We have qualified surgeons. It is safe and the result is everlasting.

“The patients will undergo anaesthesia and they will not feel painful.”

Mr. Henry Lam, 17, of Sheung Shui, said, “I don’t believe in what the advertisement said. It is impossible to carry out a surgery without any side-effects.”

Mrs. Eva Cheng, 33, of Sheung Shui, said, “I don’t think that I have to do a cosmetic surgery as I believe one’s character is much more important than one’s appearance.

“Besides, the surgical operations of the beauty salons in Hong Kong are not safe enough. They are not as standardized as those in Japan.”

According to Choice magazine , a representative of Hong Kong Medical Association pointed out that it was very dangerous if the surgery was done in the beauty salons without a complete set of surgical instruments. The representative suggested that people who attempted to conduct a cosmetic surgery should consult their doctors first.

November 1995

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