Cosmetic surgery in Bangladesh finds its niche

Ferdousi Zaman, a beauty conscious lady, travelled all the way to Kolkata to have a breast implant, though this type of surgery is done here in Bangladesh. She took the trouble of travelling with a high hope that Indian surgeons would do a better job for her.

"I fell ill seriously upon my return as the surgery did not work well. I blame the Indian doctors for their carelessness. Then I went to Bangladeshi doctor Professor Sayeed Ahmed Siddiqui. He is a successful cosmetic surgeon. Dr Siddiqui removed the implant and replaced it perfectly to give me back my normal life," says Ferdousi, 27, a resident of posh Dhanmondi area.

Sumon, a child from Rangpur, was found in Dr Siddiqui's chamber. His father Aslam Ahmed came to Dhaka two weeks ago. Few years back, there was a small wound in Sumon's leg. The small wound has gradually turned into a big one. Sumon was taken to many doctors, but no one could actually help him.

Aslam cannot afford to take his son abroad for treatment. Last of all, following the advice of a skin specialist, he brought Sumon to Dr Siddiqui. The surgeon fixed the problem through the replacement of a tissue. Although it cost Aslam a lot, he is happy to get his beloved boy cured.

Rupsha is a young woman from a poor family in Khulna. As she stepped into her puberty, she started growing far on some parts of the face. Initially, it was light and she did not bother much about it. But, gradually it started thickening giving her an odd look and blocking her marriage.

Rupsha's father, a schoolteacher, came to know from one of his relatives about laser treatment. But the poor schoolteacher was worried about the money needed for the expensive treatment. But he had to collect it considering his daughter's future. Rupsha later underwent cosmetic surgery and got rid of the irritating problem.

Encouraging is that some foreigners are also having cosmetic surgery in Bangladesh as they found it dependable and cheaper. Take the case of Sri Lanka's cultural activist Chamila Bandarnayeke, 35. Obesity was obstructing her career as a singer. When she arrived in Bangladesh along with her husband to participate in a cultural function organised by Sri Lankan High Commission in Dhaka, she also came to know about the standard of cosmetic surgery in Bangladesh.

In a cosmetic surgery center in Dhanmondi, she had an operation, 'lyposuction', meaning removal of extra fat through tube or syringe. Impressed by the success of the operation, Chamila says, "The care and skill I saw here in cosmetic surgery are indeed of international standard."

Asma, a model from the Indian state of Gujrat, got the same impression. In Bangladesh, she had rhinoplasty, an operation done to increase the beauty of nose. This operation costs here Tk 70,000 that is about 50% cheaper than in India. The Indian model frankly admits, "The skill and courage shown by Bangladeshi doctors in this type of risky operation is really of international standard."

Cosmetic surgery is a branch of plastic surgery where an individual regains beauty by getting rid of external defects or disparity. Initially, it may be guessed from the name that the main objective of cosmetic surgery is to increase external beauty.

At this age of satellite, this surgery has gained tremendous popularity. This surgery is like visiting beauty parlour by the film and media personalities in the western countries, even in India, as they are crazy to enhance their beauty and avoid aging. Following their footsteps, the well-off people of our country have grown huge interest in it. And mushrooming presence of surgery clinics in posh areas like Gulshan, Dhanmodi and Uttara is the proof of that.

These days there is a huge publicity about cosmetic surgery. But, it was not like this in its early days. People were familiar with only plastic surgery as a treatment. In our country, it was known as the treatment of only burnt and acid-burnt patients. As it was expensive, it was out of the reach of the commoners.

Cosmetic surgery has become an essential treatment for many problems like obesity, bomb-injuries, burning, wounds, acid burns and injuries to muscles caused by traffic accidents. Besides, cosmetic surgery is the last hope for the children with cut lips. Most importantly, this surgery is used in case of the removed cancer-affected breast. At present, the removed breast is newly placed through breast implant. So, the importance of this treatment has increased among the common people even though the cost is still out of their reach.

Prof Siddiqui says, "Like many departments of medical science, people until recently, did not have enough knowledge about cosmetic surgery. Now the popularity of cosmetic surgery in India and Pakistan has influenced Bangladesh. So, doctors here think it has a good prospect. After their higher education and training in countries like the USA, the UK, India and Pakistan, many doctors are practicing in Bangladesh, and they are doing an excellent job."

Research on this surgery is being conducted here now. Journals are also published. So, experts think there is no necessity for the people to travel to India for such a surgery. It is possible to receive treatment and services of international standard here in Bangladesh.

About risks and standard of cosmetic surgery in Bangladesh, Dr Siddiqui, also a consultant of Apollo Hospital, says, "It has the same risks that other surgical operations have. In appendix operation, a person may have infection. Likewise, it may happen to an individual having rhinoplasty. But, there is no reason to be worried about Bangladeshi doctors' efficiencies, as they are confident, skilled and courageous. We're quite capable to provide international standard services."

Dr Subarna Islam, a surgeon at Uttara's Ali Ashraf General Clinic, agrees with her colleague and says, "People from abroad now come here for cosmetic surgeries. The mention of Bangladesh must not cause to raise eyebrows. All the chemicals and equipment are selectively imported. So, we can surely meet the global standard."

The claim of the doctors is strongly substantiated by the fact that patients from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and even the USA come to Bangladesh due to the standard of treatment and its competitive cost. Quite a many private clinics are successfully conducting cosmetic surgeries.

There are some popular treatments, which are improving day by day. They are lyposuction (fat removal), laser treatment (unwanted far removal), rhinoplasty (enhancing the beauty of nose), hair transplant (treatment of baldness), memoplasty (breast implant) and cut lips.

Dr Subarna says, "People are taking growing interest in cosmetic surgery. Therefore, both the commoners and doctors want the government support. Because it is not possible for everybody to get this expensive treatment and we can't reduce the cost even if we want to, as everything are imported. If the equipment can be produced locally or imported at the government level then people can receive the treatment at a cheaper cost."

The objective of cosmetic surgery is indeed to enhance beauty. But, the side effects must be considered seriously. It's relatively new. Therefore, those who are interested should be well informed about the good and bad sides before undergoing this surgery. Sometimes, the side effects can be catastrophic.

There may be both temporary and permanent side effects that vary from person to person. In most cases, skin is affected. There may be complications for using low quality chemicals and equipment. Inappropriate doses also contribute to the complications. But, doctors and patients in our country do not want to talk about the negative aspects publicly.

A skin specialist at BIRDEM, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says, "Most of those taking this treatment are women. They feel embarrassed to talk about the side effects."

Beauty is a very sensitive thing. As cosmetic surgery has a good business prospect, there has been a mushroom growth of some outlets in different parts of the country. They are more concerned about money than standard. And, people do suffer after having treatment from these outlets. Everyone should inquire about the doctors and chemicals beforehand.

Dr Siddiqui says, "In that sense, cosmetic surgery is definitely risky in our country. One will have to pay a high price if the right place is not chosen for the surgery."

Dr Subarna says, "Laser treatment in beauty parlour has become popular now. But we have to see whether they have doctors. If not, no one should go to those parlours."

Experts think cosmetic surgery in Bangladesh has improved a lot within a short time. And cosmetic surgery department is being introduced in hospitals and clinics. If the government can provide support, particularly equipment, medicines and chemicals, people will be able to get cheaper and safer cosmetic surgeries in Bangladesh.

From Financial express