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Kim Kardashian attends the TIME 100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, in New York. (Invision/AP)
A dangerous trend is lurking around us and it may have to do with celebs such as Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez.
More and more women are turning to illegal black market injections to have a bigger derriere.
These injections are not medical-grade silicone used by plastic surgeons, rather they contain anything from kitchen oil and cement to industrial silicone, and the exterior flesh wounds sometimes are closed up with super glue to prevent anything from leaking out.
Dr Qassim Ahli , Consultant plastic surgeon, Dermalase Clinic. (Supplied)
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Dr Qassim Ahli , Consultant plastic surgeon, Dermalase Clinic, explained the notoriety of illicit surgeries done in the shadows. "This is all illegal and these people injecting patients are not doctors.
"They use unauthorised products. So the various injections performed in salons or apartments are illegally done without right permissions," he said.
The plastic surgeon added that instead of using medical-grade silicone implants that stay contained, the illegal substances injected travels in the body like a regular injection.
Dr Ahli treats at least one patient a month, who seeks his help after having gone through an illegal practitioner. "Forty to 60 per cent of women who have taken such injections end up with complications, which can come as early as one or two weeks after the procedure or 10 or 15 years later," he said.
Dr Jay Calvert, internationally-recognised plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills and visiting doctor at Dubai’s Aesthetica Clinic. (Supplied)
Meanwhile, Dr Jay Calvert, internationally-recognised plastic surgeon from Beverly Hills and visiting doctor at Dubai’s Aesthetica Clinic, said these illegal injections are just awful. “I saw a patient who had rocks of methyl methacrylate… She asked me to take the bits out, and I said we’ll do a little test, we’ll take one out and see how it goes. In the US they use silicone, free silicone, engine silicone, mineral oil, they put anything and it’s a disaster. Ultimately it finds its way out of the skin or it becomes walled off in these scarred up nodules."
Dr Ahli said: "Some patients complain about migration, where two or three years following the illegal procedure, they feel their fillers moving up to their lower back or down towards their thighs. We’ve also seen cases where they inject patients in the breast, and what happens is that the fillers become heavy, move downwards.”
Complications include darker skin colour, inflammation, lumps and infection, he added.
The unlicensed practitioners use unsterile materials, in an unhygienic and unsterile area, using unsterile tools, which all encourage bacterial growth, thereby leading to infection.
Dr Ahli said: "The problem with infection is it damages the surrounding area as well… and results in dead cells and pus formation. Infections can have graver consequences and the patient can be disfigured.
According to Dr Ahli, this trend is increasing in popularity due to the tempting price tag, apart from word-of-mouth recommendations. "I advise patients who had these unfortunate injections to expose the unlicensed practitioners and put an end to this illegal practice,” he added.
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