UNDER THE KNIFE OR SIX FEET UNDER:How far are you willing to go to have a perfect body?

Probably the greatest fear of human beings after dead, is that of getting sick. If humans had a way, they’ll live forever,at least on earth. The body doesn’t remain the same all through the years. The wrinkles soon replaces the smooth skin, the hair lacks lustre and turns grey. The breasts or boobs involutes or for lack of better words frankly just sags. The contour of the body from the head to heels is greatly altered and a figure 8 soon increases by 3 digits and soon turns to a figure 11. There is an obsession to look ageless as the years roll by, the desire to still be able to fit a 40 year old body in a sweet sixteen jeans .The cosmetic industry has turned this passion or rather obsession into a billion dollar industry. While make up gives a temporary illusion of a perfect face and hides a few wrinkles, it cannot increase the size of a breast or hips and hence certain people are willing to risk it all for a more permanent solution. But is there anything like a perfect body? and how far are people willing to go to have it? What happens when going under the knife quickly sends the person six feet under?

According to the American board of cosmetic surgery, Plastic surgery is a specialty dedicated to the reconstruction of facial and body defects due to birth defects , trauma, burns and disease. Plastic surgery is broadly divided into two; reconstructive surgery which focuses of the former definition and cosmetic surgery which is a sub specialty that uses procedures , techniques, and principles focused on enhancing a patients appearance, improving aesthetic appeal, body symmetry and proportions. While reconstructive surgery involves procedures such as breast reconstruction(for breast cancer patients), burn repair surgeries, repair of cleft lips and palate etc. On the other hand, cosmetic surgery involves procedures such as breast enhancement, facelifts, tummy tuck, liposuction , filler treatments and about other 300 cosmetic surgeries.

Perhaps the earliest recorded plastic procedure was the repair of a broken nose as recorded in the Edwin Smith Papyrus, a transcription of Ancient Egyptian medical text which dates back between 3000 and 2500 B.C. Although I wonder why an Egyptian ancient text will be bear that name of an English man, but what do I know after all? Since then. advances in plastic surgery or rather cosmetic surgery has seen many people opt to go under the knife to have a Brazilian butt, an hour glass figure or to just have firmer and bigger boobs.

Popular culture has made it even popular with the likes of Nicki Minaj and other celebrities publicly acknowledging going under the knife. According to the American society of plastic surgeons, new statistics reveal that about 18 million people underwent cosmetic surgery and minimally invasive procedures in the United States in 2018 alone. A study conducted in the United Kingdom sought to establish the motivating factors why people opted to enhance their bodies. The study revealed that women who rated their self-esteem, life satisfaction and attractiveness as low, had fewer religious beliefs and high media exposure were likely to undergo cosmetic surgery.

There is a lot of debate about cosmetic surgery, most of which are based on moral grounds. Some hold the view that life was given and it should take a natural progression-from birth, to childhood, adulthood, aging and death. They hold the belief that no need to try and change what God has already put his paint brush on. The other extreme divide believe that a person has a right to do whatever he wants with his /her body. Afterall, the maker of a decision is the bearer of its consequences. Many may be curious to know where I stand in this issue. I do not overtly believe in either of the two extremes neither will I claim not to have a stand. The issue however with humans is that we believe the world is black and white. This is really a narrow view of the world. There are shades of different colours that exist within the prism of life and we are free to be white, grey, ash or black. If a young man at 25 is bald and having a surgery for hair replacement will make him less likely to slit his wrist, why not? If a lady from Adam has boobs the size of a peanut and wishes it to be the size of watermelons, she might as well undergo breast augmentation. The same people who will judge and make jest of her regardless of her decision. We are a hypocritical generation, quick to accuse in others what we will excuse in ourselves. However, caution must be the watch word. The Hausa have a saying that goes thus ”Garin neman kiba, a kan ramai” which means in a bid to get more, sometimes you lose more.

There a exist a maxim in medicine; ”Primum non nocere” which is Latin for ”first do no harm”. This principle guides the behavior of medical doctors all around the world. In a bid to provide better care for a patient a doctor must not cross the line and cause grave danger. Unknown to most people, not everyone that wears a ward coat or a scrub with an Asclepius pin is a qualified medical doctor. Almost on a daily basis people are murdered by people parading as doctors. A certain danger follows every surgery done on a person, which are referred to as complications. However, most times these do not happen and even when they occur, they are handled by well trained doctors.
Recently, while going through my twitter feed, a story of a certain Dr. ABZ ( name withheld) caught my attention. She had performed a breast augmentation surgery on the patient who came down with terrible complications which though not impossible but it had quackery written all over it. To make the matter worse, it was not the first time patients of the said Doctor have come out publicly via social media to share terrible news after they undergo procedures done by this doctor. Although still relatively new in Nigeria, cosmetic surgery is gaining ground and since it is rarely as complicated as bladder Cystectomy (removal of all or part of the bladder) or brain surgeries, it can be fatal as well. Most people who want to undergo the knife don’t do their own research and end up botched. Most people who know about the complications of plastic surgery did so through the American reality Tv series Botched where two renowned cosmetic surgeons try to reverse damages from previous poorly done cosmetic procedures. It will shock you what people will go through to have a slimmer nose, a bigger butt or breast. Peoples butt has been injected with cement and glue, glue for crying out loud! Florida in the United States seem to be the head quarters of all these botched surgeries or rather Butchery. The Miami beach and the rich tourists seem to have made a lot of the locals there go under the knife to have the perfect Bikini body. The irony of the whole issue is that most of these people after a botched cosmetic surgery will go the beach not in Bikinis but in long robes due to the damage caused by quacks parading as cosmetic surgeons.

In conclusion most cosmetic surgeries are termed elective-this means the person requiring the procedure will live with or without the surgery, in other words they’re optional.My candid advice especially for women or men thinking of going the under the knife is to do their homework and ensure that they choose renowned specialist in the field to avoid stories that ‘botch’ .People must learn to embrace their body. After all, we are all God’s creation and he did not make anybody ugly or less than perfect.We were all good in His eyes after the sixth day of creation. The field of cosmetic surgery is emerging in Nigeria and tighter regulations must be put in place by relevant bodies such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Federal Ministry of health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that all cosmetic surgeries are done in line with international best practices.

Parkwat Walkyes Joshua
July 3rd, 2020.