The ugly side of cosmetics

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.