The ugly side of cosmetics
This is a time when many believe a bit of lipstick, some eyeliner and a dab of powder is no longer enough in putting their best face forward. Many women are trying sometimes dangerous cosmetic enhancement treatments to give them the physical edge. The Jakarta Post's Rita A. Widiadana, Maria Endah Hulupi, Bruce Emond and contributors Dr. Injil Abu Bakar and Asniar Sahab examine the ugly risks.
JAKARTA (JP): University student "Dina" knew exactly what she wanted when she went to a South Jakarta beauty salon: The sensuous lips of hit singer Jennifer Lopez, combined with the diminutive chin of actress Winona Ryder.
From an affluent family, used to wearing chic brand-name clothes and driving a limited edition BMW, Dina already had almost everything she wanted.
But her flat nose and apple cheeks had not won her the Prince Charming she desired.
Friends told her the answer to her problems was the beauty salon, where she could be transformed in 24 hours into a celebrity lookalike.
She was willing to pay the price to be beautiful, forking out Rp 15 million for the operations.
The result?
Her nose is now bulbous and crooked -- and her cheeks have been left swollen, with the skin peeled bare.
She is only one of perhaps thousands of victims of unqualified beauticians performing cosmetic enhancement, now the rage among everyone from celebrities to housewives, businesswomen to students.
It has become a guessing game to speculate about which female celebrities have had what cosmetic procedures.
Singer Krisdayanti has challenged anyone to prove the rumors that she has gone under the knife, with a payment of Rp 1 billion waiting if they can. Sixty-something singer Titiek Puspa invites journalists to examine her hairline to see if there are any nicks and cuts indicating her baby-smooth skin is due to anything other than clean living and a good beauty routine.
People, women in particular, have become obsessed with concepts of beauty shaped by local and international images.
For some women, visiting a beautician or cosmetician is nothing different from sizing up what is on offer on a restaurant menu and placing an order
Want to get rid of those sagging bags under the eyes? Blepharoplasty will do the trick. Have a problem with ears at right angles? Otoplasty will put them in place.
And for that pesky trouble area of the nose, to make it a bit perter or slim it down, rhinoplasty is what is needed.
As gravity takes its toll, there is also the face-lift to tighten things up.
Some surgeons are making use of lasers to erase wrinkles by vaporizing a different number of skin layers in different places. Another treatment is dermabrasion which involves scraping off the uppermost layers, with minor bleeding, to reveal the new skin underneath.
Dr. Lula Kamal, who is also an actress and TV talk show host, believes it is fine to have plastic surgery as long as it is done safely. "Be honest, don't tell lies. If it makes you feel good, that's OK."
Motivation
But others are more circumspect. Inferiority complexes, psychological and personality problems may be the real motivation for cosmetic surgery -- and a new nose may not soothe the emotional turmoil.
It may make matters even worse.
"I've seen so many friends undergo surgery and the results were frightening," said designer Adjie Notonegoro.
Dr. Lee Chui Tho, a dermatologist from Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, once asked an Indonesian doctor why Indonesians were obsessed with white skin and beauty.
"Some of them left Indonesia for Singapore on Monday morning, and returned to Indonesia by the first flight on Tuesday morning already with white skin."
He also wanted to know what was in the "miracle" injections described to him by patients which could transform a dark- complected woman into a fair one.
For the wealthy, Singapore and other cosmetic surgery hubs are the destinations of choice.
But for those who also want to look beautiful but are cash strapped, the risks with unscrupulous beauty "doctors" are high, even though they may not realize it.
Horror stories abound. A 25-year-old housewife, Christiani Yulianti, was reported dead soon after having a silicone injection for breast enlargement at a beauty parlor in Surabaya, East Java.
A woman from Malang, also in East Java, told Nova women's tabloid of how she was left disfigured after having silicone injections in her nose and cheeks. The pictures of her before -- a bit jowly but still attractive -- and after, with her cheeks swollen grotesquely, tell her whole, horrible story.
Victims
Dr. I Gusti Agung Rata, a dermatologist from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta, once estimated that in the capital alone, the number of patients falling victim to cosmetic- related problems reached 450 per week.
Cases range from minor problems to serious ones due to the use of fake cosmetics and various forms of surgical complications. He advised prospective patients to consider all the risks before making an appointment to see a beautician or plastic surgeon.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are only 14 doctors in the country accredited to perform plastic surgery. However, with lots of prospective customers in this lucrative field, an increasing number of doctors are now performing plastic surgery despite never having trained in the field.
Gusti cautioned that a qualified surgeon is no guarantee against complications. He said people must find out all the details of the pre and postoperative treatment, as well as the potential risks of cosmetic procedures by discussing the mattered with their doctors.
Despite the warnings, a large number of untrained doctors and beauticians have expanded their services to areas outside of the capital, such as Sukabumi and Indramayu in West Java, Tangerang in Banten, Banyuwangi in East Java and to parts of Sumatra, preying on the ignorance of people.
Mrs. As Jaffar, chairwoman of the Indonesian Beauty Parlors Association, frequently warns the association's members against illegal practices. "But there are thousands of beauty parlors operating in Indonesia," she said.
Since the government has not yet implemented any regulations or legal enforcements to monitor the sale and usage of cosmetics or to control plastic surgery, people continue to take risks when they decide to undergo surgery for a more beautiful appearance.
It is probably unwise to undergo surgery for the sake of fashion. A pair of lips a la Jennifer Lopez may lose their attraction five years down the road.
But it seems that "accepting" and loving oneself are not easy to do. Unfortunately, however, that is the only thing capable of putting an end to our status as "victims" of our beauty dreams.