Bad News From Thailand

The Huffington Post has recently reported on a death in Thailand from cosmetic surgery. It seems that Thailand is being populated with inexpensive clinics where unqualified people are performing cosmetic surgery. A 33-year-old woman who hoped to become a model died recently from an illegal injection, and this is just one incident. As a board certified cosmetic surgeon, I am very happy the Health Ministry is cracking down on these clinics and arresting large numbers of “beauticians” who have been performing surgical procedures and injections.

They are also called “Bag Doctors.” These unqualified practitioners travel around with their bags of industrial-grade silicone, fake BOTOX®, and other substances that can contain many toxic ingredients. FOX News interviewed the chief advisor to the Public Health Minister, who claimed this was a very serious problem in Thailand even though Thailand is known for its quality medical tourism industry.

The impetus in Thailand seems to be class differences. We in the west often admire the beauty of Asian women, just as we admire other ethnic variations of beauty. However, it seems that different ethnic looks in Thailand are related to class and culture. Women descended from Lao or Khmer ethnic groups are looked down upon. This is because of their presumed working-class ancestry. These women are trying to look like the richer women in Bangkok who have features associated with their Chinese ancestry. Essentially, these women want a better chance at a better life.

The BBC reported on one type of job available to some Thai women to “get ahead.” Athitiya Eiamyai was one of many product promoters or “pretties” who sought cosmetic surgery to promote her career. Unfortunately, her injections, performed illegally, resulted in death. The BBC report ended with this statement, ” Already famous for its counterfeit CDs and DVDs, Thailand now has a growing reputation for cheap and sometimes dangerous cosmetic procedures.”

So what are we really talking about here? In some countries, poverty has coerced women into seeking illegal cosmetic surgery in order to create career options. When I read about a woman in Georgia, or Washington D.C. dying from illegal surgery, I wonder how much of that is going on here? I would like to think that there is not as much illegal surgery in the United States as in Thailand. American women, please do not seek out less expensive alternatives to legitimate cosmetic procedures. I cannot stress this enough. Here are Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery, I want to make sure you are safe. Any good surgeon should have those same goals.

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