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The dark side of surgery: what could go wrong

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Many people would go to great lengths to have a better self-image. However, we are not all celebrities and we cannot afford mainstream plastic surgery. So, we turn to back-yard procedures instead.

These three botched surgeries will teach us that even cheap procedures come with a hefty price. Fortunately, there is doctors' advice that will help us avoid paying it.

The butt lift
This is a cautionary tale not to trust anyone who is unqualified to perform surgical procedures. According to This is Africa, this poor woman had to have her arms, legs and buttocks amputated to treat life-threatening side-effects of the procedure.

The unqualified doctor
You may remember the woman whose buttocks were injected with cement in 2011. Yes, by another self-proclaimed but unqualified "doctor", who also practised on herself. This resulted in pneumonic symptoms that nearly took her life.

The oil injection
There are few things as bad as unnecessary facial ruin. According to Bossip.com a Korean model who was not satisfied with her good looks, decided to take matters into her own hands by injecting oil into her face, which as we all know, did more damage than good.

What doctors say:

Doctors advise patients to do research on doctor's skills before they consult them. Do not trust quick fixes.

The very reason most people go the backyard surgery route is that cosmetic surgery is known to be expensive.

However, Dr. Jennifer Irvine (private aesthetic practitioner) emphasises that cosmetic surgery can be affordable if you have a treatment plan. Once you set this up with your doctor, you will see clearly where your finances go for body enhancement.

For butt implants, Dr. Jennifer Irvine strongly advises fat as the ideal substance to use. This needs, once again, to be done by a qualified doctor in an accredited institution. 

It is also important to know your anatomy, what your body is made of and how it functions. Seeing that the butt is made of muscle and fat, it hardly makes sense to enhance it with concrete.

For facial filling, the same applies. Rather than using cooking oil, Dr Alek Nikolic advises dermal fillers that contain Hyaluronic acid.

He adds that when we age, the fatty deposits that hold our eye-lids, cheekbones and ultimately, jaw lines in place lose their function. This is where hyaluronic acid comes in. Because it is a "naturally occuring sugar in the human body",  a dermal filler that contains this substance will revive the volume and elasticity of the skin.

Fortunately, this is a non-surgical and affordable procedure.

Hopefully the above will discourage you from taking unnecessary risks with your beautiful and unique body. And if you really want to do it, make sure you save up for a legitimate doctor.

In the event of dissatisfaction with your body nonetheless, it may just be your heart that needs some introspective surgery.

Fortunately, that requires neither nip nor tuck.

For more information, click here.

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