KUALA LUMPUR: A plan to slim down went horribly wrong for a young woman recently. She ended up with an infection, scars, swollen arms and a lot of pain.
The woman, who wanted to be known as Nanthini, came to know of a medispa (a clinic-cum-spa) that offered such treatments through radio advertisements and social media.
She visited the medispa where a man claiming to be a doctor gave her multiple injections on the arms to reduce fat.
MCA public complaints bureau chief Datuk Michael Chong, who related her ordeal to the press today, said she was told that the injections were better than another treatment called “fat freezing”.
But both her arms became infected and swollen a month later.
Nanthini said she returned to the clinic where the doctor surgically removed the abscess without putting her under anaesthesia.
“I was in so much pain that I broke down in tears. The lady doctor could not stand seeing me cry so she just left the room,“ she said.
Nanthini said she was initially told that all the three women and a man working in the medispa were doctors but a check with the Malaysian Medical Council revealed that only the man was registered with them.
She said that after the third treatment, she decided to seek help at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre. “I had to undergo another surgery to remove the abscess and I had to stay in the hospital for 12 days,“ she said.
Nanthini said she eventually went to a skin specialist and was told that there was bacterial infection in the fat on her arms. “None of the medicine the specialist has given me has worked. He told me he does not know the type of bacteria that has infected my arms and has referred me to the Selayang Hospital for further treatment,“ she added.
Chong said the fact that Nanthini had to be hospitalised for so long showed that it was very serious.
He caution people against going under the knife for beauty treatment without checking the credentials of those involved.
