By Maria Famakinwa
Gone are the days when surgical procedures were dreaded and avoided whenever possible because of the risks involved. Today, with the exposure or knowledge of technology, Nigerians, especially women, see nothing wrong going under the knife to enhance various body parts if they are financially capable.
Before this age of plastic surgery, women cherished their natural beauty. It was uncultured and unheard of for any woman to engage in such an act. However, the belief in today’s world is that ‘figure eight’ is the ideal shape for beautiful ladies and women. This is pushing some of them, who are not satisfied with their natural shapes to turn to plastic surgery to actualize their dream curves and looks.
Plastic surgery is a range of procedures that reshape or restore the form of the body. Some ladies, in their quest for body enhancement through plastic surgery, either become deformed or lose their lives. A lady named Nne was one of the unlucky ones who paid the ultimate price in a quest for artificial shapes. She was reported to have approached a Lagos-based plastic surgery outfit, Med Contour, to have a Brazilian Bum Lift (BBL), liposuction, and fat transfer in December 2018, which later led to her death. Also in 2023 came another reported death of a 23-year old girl, Destiny Benjamin, after a hip surgery, popularly known as Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), at a plastic surgery hospital in Lagos State. Likewise, a 36-year old woman identified only as Abiola was confirmed dead last year while undergoing a buttocks enlargement procedure at a clinic in Lekki-Phase 1, Lagos State.
Although the term is usually associated with beautification procedures, some medical conditions might require one to go for it. The popularity of plastic surgery in Nigeria has risen exponentially in the last few years with many women in a quest for the perfect figure.
The Hope spoke with some ladies on their take about plastic surgery. A beautician, Ms Winfred Ebube, who argued that there was nothing wrong with embracing plastic surgery to enhance one’s beauty, revealed that she was considering the procedure because she cherished the idea of having a perfect body.
Asked what her reasons were, she said: “Having a perfect shape commands respect. I want to feel confident and know that every part of my body is the way I want it to be. There is a kind of respect you command with curvy body shapes. Besides, it is advisable for young women who have stopped bearing children to enhance their bodies through plastic surgery, because the rigors of carrying a pregnancy for nine months, going through the agony of labour room, and breastfeeding the baby rob women of their original beauty. To get back the lost beauty, plastic surgery is the answer, ” she said.
Sharing a similar view, a businesswoman, Mrs Temitope Abiodun, explained that some forms of cosmetic surgery have health benefits and added that the process should not be condemned.
Her words: “I don’t see anything bad in enhancing one’s look the best way one can. I am nursing the idea. Very soon, I pray to be able to gather enough money to go for it. Though some are arguing that it is risky, I want you to know that everything in life is a risk. Will you say because people are dying of road accidents they should trek from one state to another?
“Besides, some forms of cosmetic surgery also have health benefits. Liposuction, for example, removes fat from your body which makes you healthier. It helps to reverse serious health conditions, rejuvenate your body, and give you a youthful look. It is a booming business now because many who can afford it go for it. It gives one a younger look. For instance, it is not normal for a girl of 15 to have sagging breasts. This can be corrected through cosmetic surgery. I wish to go for it soon.”
Speaking differently, an undergraduate, Olufunke Aworebi, who observed that many were swayed by the wind of trending things, called for more sensitization and education on the pros and cons of plastic surgery for people to have adequate knowledge of what they are getting themselves into.
She said: “Cosmetic surgery is dangerous and people don’t seem to treat it with caution and fear. When things go wrong, victims can end up disfigured or even dead. A British specialist plastic surgeon, Dr. Rajiv Grover, also warned against it except for medical reasons.
“I can’t do it. The mere sight of a needle makes me weak. I love the way I am. God made me this way for a purpose. More so, what is the guarantee that when I get one surgery done, I will not go for another for correction? What if they make a mistake and it’s worse than before, or there is a leak, rupture, or disfiguration? The major reason some ladies go for plastic surgery is to make their butts a bit more fleshy, a risk I don’t think is worth it,” she said.
A cosmetologist, Adetutu Akinyemi, also revealed that the disadvantages of plastic surgery outweigh its advantages, as she advised ladies to love their shapes.
She said: “If you are too fat, you can engage in regular exercise to trim down. If you desire to gain more weight, you can place yourself on a special diet, instead of going under the knife.
“I want to tell you that many who go for plastic surgery to enhance their shapes do not fully grasp the gravity or potential risks of the operations. They forget that anytime one tamper with the body’s balance, one risks creating a new problem.
“I always advise my customers against it. The idea of body enhancement through plastic surgery should not be encouraged. Some women have suffered serious harm after seeking to enhance their appearance cosmetically. I have no problem with the way I look. I don’t like the thought of someone slicing my flesh to insert something unnatural, all for me to be admired.
“From my findings, I got to know that plastic surgery was originally intended for war victims and soldiers who had been maimed or injured. I wonder how someone without any health challenge that requires plastic surgery will decide to go for it with the risk and complications involved, aside the fact that it is expensive. There is a need for urgent education so that people who desire plastic surgery can have adequate knowledge of the risks involved,” she said.