ANOTHER death has occurred during follow-up treatment for liposuction at a beauty salon in Kuala Lumpur. The deaths of Datin Fatimah Wan Chik in October last year and Noraini Mohd Ghazali last Tuesday (”Beauty salon sealed after death” — NST, March 28) are tragedies that we should all take seriously.

Many people, especially women, tend to seek liposuction and slimming pills to reduce their weight. The latter is more popular because it is cheaper. While some choose to exercise and maintain a good diet, others tend to opt for easier solutions.

I would like to highlight the risks associated with liposuction and slimming pills.

It is important to remember that liposuction is a surgical procedure and it is not risk-free. The risks and complications range from mild to potentially life-threatening.

Complications include brain damage and adverse reactions due to anaesthesia, cardiac arrest, internal blood clots, excessive bleeding, severe drug interactions, allergic reactions to medication and nerve damage.

Before undergoing such a procedure, one must undergo blood tests, as well as a physical exams to ensure that the procedure will be safe.

Slimming products should be approached with care. Recently, the Health Ministry cancelled the approval of three slimming products because they contained a scheduled poison, Sibutramine, which could lead to high-blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.

There are four types of diet or slimming pills. They are appetite suppressants, fat blockers, fat burners, and diuretics or laxatives.

Appetite suppressants increase metabolism by stimulating the hypothalamus and nervous system. This causes the heart rate and blood pressure to increase to promote weight loss. This can also be very dangerous when the blood pressure rises too high and causes a heart attack.

An increase in heart rate leads to damage of the heart valves. Appetite suppressants are known to be addictive in some people and in men it can cause erectile dysfunction.

Based on research done by Shekelle et al., ephedra (a component in some slimming pills) can cause adverse reactions, including psychiatric symptoms, autonomic symptoms, upper gastrointestinal symptoms and heart palpitations.

While we wait for policy changes, we, as consumers, have to assume a very high degree of responsibility. We should not fall prey to illegal clinics and salons offering treatment packages that sound too good to be true.

One should get more information about the products for weight control and check with the National Pharmaceutical Control Board or the Health Ministry. This should be done when purchasing the cosmetics or drugs.

Before seeking cosmetic treatments, one should make sure that the practitioners have a valid operating licence and that they use registered substances or drugs.

MOHANA PRIYA, Malaysian Association of Standards Users, Petaling Jaya

Source: NST – March 31, 2009