KUALA LUMPUR: A 48-year-old sales consultant suffered lumps in her breasts and pain after undergoing a silicone injection for breast augmentation.
The victim, who is only known as Chan, said she did the procedure some 20 years ago after a beautician recommended it.
"At first, I went for a facial, but the beautician recommended the silicone injection procedure.
"The beautician performed it, and the procedure cost RM5,000," she told a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong at Wisma MCA on Friday (Feb 23).
Chan started noticing lumps on her breast less than five years after the procedure and the pain came soon after that.
"The pain was unbearable as I could hardly sleep.
"In 2022, I went to a private hospital, and did a mammogram and an ultrasound but it could not detect anything unusual with my breasts.
"Finally I did an MRI and I was told by a doctor that the lumps were caused by the silicone.
"I then went to see two plastic surgeons from the same hospital, who advised me to remove my breasts or live with it the rest of my life," she said.
As all seemed hopeless, Chan said a friend recommended her to go overseas to remove the silicone.
"I did the surgery in Vietnam in January, which cost RM25,000. Luckily, the procedure went well, and I am lucky to be alive," she lamented.
Chan hoped that other women would be careful when going for any type of procedure, especially breast augmentation.
"We should only go to licensed specialists and not those who are unauthorised," she said.
Meanwhile, Chong said beauty procedures or surgeries conducted by unlicensed individuals would often be detrimental to the health of the patients.
"We have encountered various cases where women were enticed by advertisements on aesthetic surgeries on social media and ended up suffering because of it.
"One of the common cases is injected silicone.
"The victims had to suffer immeasurable pain because of this type of procedure," he said.
Chong said those who wish to undergo aesthetic procedures should go to reputable doctors and specialists.
"They should never gamble with their health," he said.
