Good looks for sale
Several men and women who want to enhance or reduce the size of various parts of their bodies are getting cosmetic surgeries done for them at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre (RPS&BC) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
Advertisement
Nowadays, cosmetic surgery has become more popular for average people. Ordinarily, cosmetic surgery is regarded as a science that enhances the looks of a person.
Cosmetic (also called aesthetic) surgeries are, therefore, procedures done to alter a part of the body that a person is not satisfied with.
It seems, however, that there’s more to cosmetic surgery than aesthetics, and functionality or utility may often come into play when cosmetic surgery is chosen.
For example, in the heat of arguments over Labiaplasty (a procedure done to alter part of the female genitalia) as cosmetic surgery, researchers published a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2008 to the effect that only 37 per cent of women who went in for the procedure were solely motivated by aesthetic reasons.
A larger percentage did so for either functional or both functional and aesthetic reasons.
However, cosmetic surgery remains a highly controversial subject and some people disagree with it.
They believe that cosmetic surgery involves risk, which may cause serious diseases such as heart attack.
Other Trending Stories
Can we trust the surgeons? Can we change our appearance to whatever we want by getting cosmetic surgery? Do we play God when we opt for cosmetic surgery?
In an interview with The Mirror, the Director of the RPS&BC, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, explained that there is a growing interest in cosmetic surgery among Ghanaians who can afford such services at Korle-Bu.
“When you talk about cosmetic surgeries, people think they can only be done abroad. Interested people come to our centre because they know we have certified surgeons who would let them look the way they wish and desire without undue complications.”
Dr Ampomah said it is not only women who avail themselves of the highly specialised services that the centre offers; men also seek such services to remove tribal marks and scars, among others.
Common cosmetic procedures
According to Dr Ampomah, some of the common cosmetic procedures include the tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), whereby the abdomen is reshaped and firmed.
During this surgical procedure excess skin and fat are removed from the middle and lower abdomen, with the aim of tightening the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall.
Tummy tucks are more popular among women after pregnancy and people who have lost a great deal of weight and do not like the sagging that sometimes results from this.
This procedure may also improve the appearance of stretch marks, especially those located below the navel.
He mentioned Mammoplasty as another class of cosmetic surgeries that people request. That is medical terminology for breast enlargement or augmentation (popularly referred to as a “boob job”), which results in the breasts being enlarged and given a firm “jacked-up” look.
“This is carried out because the woman feels her breasts are too small (micromastia), but also if one breast is larger than the other, or if the breasts have changed after pregnancy and/or breastfeeding.
“Breast implants may also be considered by patients who have had their breasts removed (mastectomy), as may be the case with breast cancer. Breast implants come in many sizes, shapes and profiles,” he stressed.
Dr Ampomah said male breast reduction (gynecomastia) is also a common thing they do. The procedure can also be carried out on men who have abnormally large mammary glands.
Advertisement
“This condition is much more common than people think. Some males may have just one breast affected, while others have both,” he intimated.
He further mentioned facelift (rhytidectomy), the surgical elimination of wrinkles, as another common procedure. The aim is to make the patient's face look younger. Excess facial skin is removed without tightening underlying tissue - the skin is then redraped on the patient's face and/or neck.
Referencing a wildly popular topic in Ghana these days, Dr Ampomah agreed that “buttock augmentation (BA) and buttock lift (BL) are also sought-after procedures.”
He explained that, “the BA procedure enhances the appearance of the buttocks by making them larger, while the BL procedure lifts the buttocks so that they protrude more and have a tighter, more pert appearance. Contrary to popular rumours, the surgeon does not always need to insert implants for these surgeries. A scarless technique can be used for buttock lift.”
Advertisement
Cost of cosmetic surgery
According to him, the cost of surgery at the centre is not so high, compared to what is charged overseas. However the price depends on the extent of work, size and nature of cosmetic surgery required by a client.
“Depending on the surgery, we could charge say GH¢7,000 for a particular surgery. However, as compared to the USA, a tummy tuck, for instance, could cost about $7,000, without including air tickets, visa fees, accommodation, and feeding”.
Caution for potential patients
Dr Ampomah revealed that due to their strong adherence to professional ethics, they do not perform cosmetic surgeries just because a client wants to, but also the specialists examine the nature of the condition being presented first to see if it genuinely merits an alteration.
“There are people who feel bad about the way their head, nose or other parts of their bodies look, simply because they were often teased as children and this has negatively impacted their self-esteem. Such cases are purely psychological, and the client needs to be counselled rather than placed under the knife for a surgery,” he stressed.
Advertisement
Dr Ampomah advised potential patients to get as much information on their preferred procedure as possible especially the limitations and possible risks of any procedure.
“Do not allow anybody to try to persuade you to do something you had not considered doing before consulting him/her,” was his advice.