A Thing of Beauty

Going under the knife in the name of looking good used to invite snickers and reproving comments. Not anymore: taking the shortcut to beauty is a point of pride in a world where first impressions are everything, writes Annastashya Emmanuelle.

Her friends turn to Careen Lee for advice when they want to know more about cosmetic surgery.

The teacher and mother of two underwent eyelid surgery about six months ago. She also tried Botox injections to smoothen facial wrinkles, in what she attributes to “curiosity” about the growing availability of cosmetic enhancement procedures.

“Nowadays people tend to judge others by the way they look,” said Careen. “Plastic surgery is nothing to be ashamed of. But it can be addictive when people come back for more when they really don’t need it.”

Despite her warning, she is now considering surgery on her nose because, she added, she “cannot get a perfect fit when trying on sunglasses”.

So much for inner beauty and aging gracefully.

Colloquially known as nip/tuck, cosmetic surgery was seldom discussed even 10 years ago. Today, Careen is among the growing number of Indonesians with the disposable income to modify what nature gave them.

They also are fighting the march of time to remain competitive in the workplace. While aging once meant greater character and attendant respect from others, today it increasingly means simply that you are old.

The Indonesian Plastic Surgeons Association reports an increasing demand for procedures in Jakarta, as well as the major cities of Medan, Surabaya and Makassar.  

“Based on our empirical observations, there has been an increase in the number of cosmetic surgery patients over the past few years,” said the association’s current chairman, Dr. Teddy O.H. Prasetyono.

Popular procedures for women are liposuction, tummy tucks, eyelid crease operations (blepharoplasty), breast augmentation and nose jobs.

The number of male patients also is growing steadily. At AiBee, a luxury esthetic enhancement and after-care facility in the West Java highlands, male patients have accounted for 40 percent of the 400 procedures performed so far. Most have opted for either liposuction or face-lifts.

“Looking fresh can help boost creativity and the work performance of a director of a certain age, especially when they have to work with younger executives,” said hospital CEO Rudy Halimun.

Tastes also are changing from the Western beauty ideal of angular features and high noses. Today, fueled by a growing Asian consciousness, doctors and patients are “looking east”, with the fine features of Korean soap stars particularly popular.

Plastic surgery is already common in other parts of Asia, such as South Korea (where one in 10 adults is believed to have had some form of cosmetic surgery) and Thailand. Dr. Prasetyono predicted it would also develop to become part of the lifestyle of the affluent in Indonesia.

It will then be up to doctors to counsel patients with unrealistic expectations about surgery.

“I have met quite a number of patients who can’t get enough. It’s important that doctors investigate the patient’s motives and take only ‘good candidates,’” said Dr. Prasetyono.

The best candidates for surgery, he added, are those who hold realistic expectations about the results, who have carefully thought through their decision and do not hold misguided aims, such as to lure back a straying husband.   

Dr. Arief Hermansjah, who is known for performing eyelid crease surgery, has handled patients as young as 16 years old. Many are brought in by their mothers after they themselves underwent the procedure.

School holidays are a busy time for Dr. Hermansjah, who also must allay the inflated expectations of parents for their children’s new look.

“Yeni” remembers her own experience of undergoing eyelid surgery in Singapore when she turned 18.

“I’m not too satisfied with the results but it’s not bad either,” she said.

But she added that she also did not mind the original shape of her eyes.    

Some women compare notes on their plastic surgeons in the same way they discuss the schools of their children.

As with the recent trend for women to wear the headscarf, which came after several famous actresses donned the attire, local celebrities also are leading the way in the acceptance of plastic surgery.   

“People are more open about and receptive to plastic surgery compared to the past … celebrities are also talking openly about their procedures,” said Dr. Herbowo Poernomo, medical director of AiBee.

Singer Titi DJ has discussed the benefits of undergoing a tummy tuck and her intention to have breast reduction.

Television talk-show host Becky Tumewu enthusiastically describes her breast augmentation as “life changing … it made me happier, more positive and confident”.

She added: “Plastic surgery is definitely an option but be sure to go to licensed professionals.”

Those are words to live by in a country where charlatans are sure to latch on to the latest money-spinning trend, offering discounted procedures and the likelihood of a botched operation.

There are only 70 licensed plastic surgeons nationwide. Although national medical regulations state that only licensed doctors can perform Botox and other cosmetic procedures, collagen injections and liposuction by unqualified personnel go unchecked.

Suffering in the name of beauty is nothing new, after all. Cheap cosmetics, including whitening creams, containing high levels of mercury and other dangerous chemicals remain on the market.

Only a few years ago, there was the “silicone” trend, where beauty clinics and salons offered treatments to create higher noses and more prominent chins. But the silicone was industrial strength, and most of the patients have suffered permanent disfiguration for their moment of vanity.  

“This kind of business thrives because we are constantly fed an unobtainable ideal of beauty, mostly from the media in the form of re-touched and digitally manipulated ads,” said Dr. Prasetyono.

“People go to these places because they have elevated beauty demands that are not on par with their purchasing power.”’

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