Uncertified beauty procedure raises issues

Uncertified beauty procedure raises issues

Evi Mariani, Jakarta

While no official report has been released on the cause of death
for Hilda Pasman, 20, who died shortly after an attempted breast
enlargement treatment on Saturday at a beauty parlor, the case
has triggered questions as to control and monitoring mechanisms
in place.

The owner of the beauty parlor in Kedoya, West Jakarta, Ho
Tjun Tju, or Cucu, admitted she was not certified to give
collagen injections.

"No, I have never been to any cosmetic surgery school, I only
took a beauty course in 1986. But I have been working with
collagen for eight years and I have never had a problem before
this," Ho, 34, a high school graduate and mother of four said on
Monday behind bars at Kebon Jeruk Police station, West Jakarta.

Ho has been named a suspect in the death of Hilda, a resident
of Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, who was on a two-week holiday from
her studies at a Dutch university.

Kebon Jeruk Police chief First Insp. Budi Cahyono said Ho
would be charged with Article 359 of the Criminal Code on
negligent homicide and Article 82 of the 1992 Health Law on
implanting medical substance without licensure.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Indonesian Health Consumers
Empowerment Foundation (YPKKI) Marius Widjajarta urged the
government to take into account beauty parlors that were often
upgraded to beauty clinics without the knowledge nor approval of
the Jakarta Health Agency as regulated.

By law, he added, a beauty parlor only required an operating
license from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

"But if they work with medical tools like tattooing equipment,
syringes, needles and medical substances, they must get a license
from the health agency," he said.

The police said they expected autopsy results from Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital within a week.

Ho claimed Hilda said she was not feeling well when she
arrived at the beauty parlor at 3:30 p.m., but insisted on
proceeding with the treatment.

Hilda was a regular customer, said Ho, and had previously
undertaken collagen treatments: in April, she received 100 cc
injections in both breasts, and on July 20, she had 20 cc of
collagen injected into her nose.

Ho added that when she was injecting the first 40 cc of the
100 cc collagen injection into Hilda's right breast (not left, as
reported earlier), Hilda was seized by a cramp.

"She became very pale. I quickly removed the syringe and
applied cajeput oil on her back and stomach. But she lost
consciousness, so I told my mother to call a taxi and we took
Hilda to Graha Medika Hospital," Ho said.

Emergency room doctors declared Hilda dead on arrival. It is
presumed she died on the way to the hospital.

Hilda's family said she was a beautiful girl and did not need
any cosmetic enhancements.

"She did not tell us she was going to have a collagen
injection that day. She said she was going to a friend's house,"
said Lutfi, Hilda's brother, adding that his sister had come home
to spend her school holiday with friends and family.