In the last decade, the booming plastic surgery industry has received an average of nearly 20,000 complaints every year. Many of these failed cosmetic surgeries resulted from illegal injections which cost several thousand yuan but were in fact poisonous.
(Ecns.cn) -- An increasing number of Chinese people now depend on cosmetic injections to boost their self-esteem; some even believe that a facelift can cure their unemployment woes or that a breast enhancement will improve their marriages.
Yet such cosmetic treatments can be dangerous, especially if plastic surgeons are unqualified and bogus dermal fillers (which can plump up thin lips, soften facial creases and remove wrinkles) are used.
Despite the risks, more and more Chinese women are lining up for such procedures, and experts say a massive number of side effects from cosmetic injections are expected to occur next year.
Suffering in silence
On a Thursday morning, Dr. Li Qingfeng, director of the plastic and reconstructive surgery department at Shanghai No. 9 People's Hospital, observed two patients who had been disfigured by unsuccessful cosmetic injections administered at beauty parlors.
Li claimed to see two or three similar cases every day, and that the total number could reach several hundred a year, reported the Southern Metropolis Weekly.
According to Li, cosmetic injections, which reduce the signs of aging and improve body shape by injecting medicine or dermal fillers into the muscles, have become an increasingly popular therapy in recent years.
Such injections are surgical treatments that are only legal at licensed professional hospitals. Yet over the last decade, illicit injections have expanded greatly in China, resulting in a fully established industrial chain.
Xiao Peng (alias) was one of Li's patients. Her nose had been red and swollen for days, and she suspected the cause was the rhinoplasty she had received last April. According to Peng, the surgeon had used a "quality" hyaluronic acid product worth 3,000 yuan (US$475) to reshape her nose.
But after six months the procedure had backfired. Before going to the hospital, Peng believed the doctor could help her remove the problem easily, but it has not been that simple.
According to Dr. Li, hyaluronic acid is a common ingredient in skincare products and has been approved in many countries to fill soft tissue defects such as facial wrinkles. In China, it has been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), but the product used in Peng's injection might have been illegal or of poor quality, added Li.
Because the body absorbs the hyaluronic acid after the injection, it becomes very difficult to remove it, noted Li. Moreover, curing Peng's problem will cost up to ten times as much as that very injection.
Not surprisingly, victims like Peng usually hope to avoid media exposure. Though there are hundreds of millions who have suffered from failed cosmetic treatments, few choose to report their cases to supervisory authorities for fear of bringing shame on themselves and their families.
Pricey poison
For doctors of plastic and reconstructive surgery, nothing is more disturbing than harmful ingredients – some of which are very poisonous and can result in severe pain – that cannot be removed from a patient's body.
Li Shuhua is one such patient; she suffers from poisonous dermal fillers in her breasts. Li is the wife of a renowned successful businessman, and has long kept her symptoms secret out of shame.
But as the pain became harder to endure, Li finally visited Dr. Xie Ting, an expert with over 20 years of experience. Xie said he would never forget the first time Li, who was pale and running a high fever, came to him for help.
According to Dr. Xie, there were dozens of holes in Li's chest, some connected and some not. They were like timbers that had been damaged by termites, and the size of the largest hole was big enough for four fingers, he added.
The condition was the result of a breast enhancement injection in which a product called "bioactive protein oil," which cost 140,000 yuan (US$22,176), was used, said Li. Yet only a week after the procedure Li felt pain in her breasts, and three months later there were visible black spots on the skin.
Dr. Xie has operated on Li over ten times, which has cost her around 800,000 yuan (US$126,720), yet the holes will never completely heal.
Sick industry
In the last decade, the booming plastic surgery industry has received an average of nearly 20,000 complaints every year, according to the China Consumers' Association.
Many of these failed cosmetic surgeries resulted from illegal injections which cost several thousand yuan but were in fact poisonous.
Driven by high profits, various unqualified hospitals and clinics, illegal operations and unapproved products have appeared one after another in the plastic surgery industry.
Experts predict that large numbers of women who have opted to artificially hide the natural effects of aging with costly cosmetic procedures – especially those not approved by the SFDA – could face unexpected side effects and even facial disfigurement.
It is advised that beauty seekers use only licensed doctors, hospitals and clinics in the future. Such authorized healthcare providers will use approved products and strictly vet people whose skin or physical conditions are suitable for cosmetic injections.
Copyright ©1999-2011 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
