Going under knife to look good: Make-shift cosmetic clinics thrive in the absence of regulations

With the rise in demand for cosmetic plastic surgery, clinics offering services like hair transplantation, weight loss therapy and facelift are mushrooming in metropolises and other urban parts of India at a rapid pace.

The cosmetic surgery trend is growing in the country and such clinics are becoming an alternative to the high-end plastic surgery hospitals.

The recent death of Kannada actress Chethana Raj, who underwent cosmetic surgery on May 16 at a private clinic in Bengaluru, poses serious questions about the medical ethics of such clinics that are defying protocols.

On May 16, Chethana decided to get 'fat-loss' plastic surgery at Shetty's Cosmetic Centre at Rajajinagar in Bengaluru. However, the surgery did not go as planned, eventually leading to her death.

Weeks ago, the Delhi High Court had expressed concerns over the mushrooming of salons providing hair transplant procedures by quacks. The court asked the Centre and the state government to look into the matter.

The plastic surgeons practising cosmetic surgery in Delhi’s leading hospitals blame the government’s inability to rein in quacks practising such procedures as one of the reasons behind the rise of clinics across the country that offer dangerous cosmetic procedures.

ABSENCE OF REGULATION

Dr Richie Gupta, Director and HOD, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh says there is a pressing need for having a regulatory framework for cosmetic surgeries in the country.

“Any procedure, however minor it may be, always carries some bit of complications. Even a simple injection administration during cosmetic procedures can lead to anaphylaxis and death,” he said.

Noting that a cosmetic surgery can't be performed by any doctor who has just learnt it from a plastic surgeon, Dr Ashwini Kumar Singh, Plastic Surgeon and Senior Consultant in Yathartha Hospital Noida said Ayurvedic and Homeopathic doctors and even assistants working in the clinics perform aesthetic surgeries.

“The absence of regulation is a very big factor behind the mushrooming of cosmetic centres.  Today nobody is checking as to who are the ones performing the plastic and cosmetic surgery in private clinics,” he said.

“This is a totally unregulated sector. Clinics are being run by unqualified doctors and the government should do something about it. The beauty clinics are conducting aesthetic procedures due to lack of regulations,” Dr Lokesh Kumar, Senior Director, Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery of BL Kapoor Hospital said.

THE ‘LOOK GOOD’ SYNDROME

According to plastic and cosmetic surgeons, the growing number of cosmetic clinics is due to a sharp rise in demand for such treatments.

“Predominance of females has decreased as more males are now turning up for aesthetic treatment. Also, earlier only the affluent class used to take these options; today even people from the middle and lower-middle-class are opting for such procedures,” Dr Gupta of Fortis Hospital said.

The aesthetic treatments have become cheap and because of the increased social media influence, people are becoming conscious about their looks.

SHORT TERM INEXPENSIVE TREATMENT

Dr Ashwini Kumar Singh says most people opt for cosmetic surgery in clinics because it is a lot cheaper there, compared to hospitals.

“A cosmetic surgery should be done at a place which is equipped with all the instruments including an ICU unit and in the presence of a qualified surgeon. It can't be performed by any doctor who has learnt it from a plastic surgeon. However, aesthetic clinics don’t offer any of these. Hence they provide surgery at a cheaper rate as compared to that of a hospital,” he said.

Dr Gupta said many aesthetic processes can be easily done, and there is a lot of money involved in such surgeries.

“Aesthetic treatments are being carried out by non-qualified people and hence you see a large number of clinics,” he added.

Moneycontrol has reached out to VLCC for its perspective on the matter. But a company spokesperson declined to comment.