Yefta Moenadjat: Cosmetic surgery a 'short cut' to beauty

With society teaching us that a pointy nose, proportional breasts and hips and a slim build make the perfect female body type, some women are willing to go under the knife to achieve this manufactured ideal.

Yefta Moenadjat is among the country's plastic surgeons that women turn to when they want to make changes to their appearance.

Personally, Yefta believes a person shouldn't be judged by their looks, but acknowledges that "the look" does make a significant contribution to the success and careers of some people, like celebrities.

"I know that many (Indonesian) celebrities have had plastic surgery. I can tell by their looks. My fellow surgeons have also shared the names of the celebrities they have treated," Yefta told The Jakarta Post in a room at the M.H. Thamrin International Hospital in Central Jakarta.

The 50-year-old surgeon, who claims to have performed breast-enlargement surgery on a popular singer, praised several celebrities for publicly admitting they had undergone cosmetic surgery.

Popular singer Ruth Sahanaya and prominent television host and MC Becky Tumewu are two celebrities who have had breast-enlargement procedures.

Meanwhile, pop diva Titi D.J. had a tummy tuck and breast reduction.

The media reported that some celebrities had plastic surgery done at a clinic in Ciawi, Puncak, West Java. The clinic is reportedly managed by Indonesian and Brazilian surgeons.

Yefta acknowledged the clinic and said it was a favorite among celebrities.

"People are beginning to accept cosmetic surgery. It's an individual's right to decide what they want to do with their own body," said the graduate of the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine.

Aside from improving one's look, he added, aesthetic surgery might help improve a patient's self-confidence.

"These days, it's not only celebrities but many business executives that also undergo aesthetic surgery to improve their looks."

He said the price of cosmetic surgery depended on how complicated the procedure was, putting a range of between Rp 50 million to Rp 150 million per procedure.

The father of two, who also practices at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta, said cosmetic surgery was risky, just as other surgery was.

Ahead of conducting a procedure, he said, a doctor would first examine the physical and psychological conditions of their patient, including their health history.

"We do not fulfill a patient's demand for a certain body size or certain kilograms of fat shed. That's why we call it 'body shaping'.

"We advise each patient the best body proportion for them," he said.

Plastic surgery failures -- swollen noses and chins as well as bleeding and infections, that many cosmetic surgery patients have experienced -- were caused mostly by an inadequate medical evaluation and expertise, he said.

He said failed surgeries were mostly conducted by unskilled people -- who in medical circles were referred to as "plasticoids", operating in beauty parlors -- or medical doctors in clinics that were not aesthetic surgeons.

"Most of them show certificates claiming to have plastic surgery expertise from Taiwan. In reality, they have only attended a one-day seminar, not even a course."

Yefta, who has attended numerous courses on plastic surgery in Taiwan, Australia and Singapore, said medical doctors -- including internists or experts on certain diseases -- had also conducted cosmetic surgery.

"Although a doctor might have expertise in diseases related to the nose, ears or eyes, it doesn't mean they can perform surgery on those body parts."

Last year, a noted boxing promoter reportedly died of heart failure after undergoing a tummy tuck procedure -- or in medical terms, abdominal lipo plastic surgery -- at a clinic in Central Jakarta. The surgery was reportedly conducted by a foreign surgeon.

Yefta suspects the surgeon had taken too much fat from the patient, causing flood pressure to the heart.

"So, when we do tummy tucks, we never promise the patient we will remove a certain number of kilograms of fat. It really depends on the patient's condition," he said.

Yefta said scars from aesthetic surgery were mostly unseen. In the case of a tummy tuck, he said, the scar is hidden in the so-called "bikini line".

Another way to remove fat, he said, was to undergo liposuction. Lipo, or lipoid, is a medical term for fat. In a liposuction procedure, the fat in certain parts of the body, such as the arms, is sucked out using a small pipe, which is similar to the pipe used in heart surgery

"The (liposuction) procedure is simpler than a tummy tuck as it does not require surgery or 'the opening of the body'. We just make a small hole in the arm and suck out the fat. Many beauty parlors offer liposuction."

However, Yefta warned patients should be aware that unskilled practitioners could remove important fat located directly under the skin, which was needed by the body. Its removal could affect blood flow, he added.

"It could be dangerous if you took all the fat, including the important fat. Only a trained surgeon is able to determine the limit for fat removal," he said.

Yefta said a tummy tuck was merely a "short cut" to achieving a proportional body. However, he said diet and exercise did not work for some people for many reasons, such as the body's tendency to retain fat.

"For some people, they retain fat, even though they exercise and maintain a diet. In this case, fat could be reduced through a tummy tuck," said Yefta, who frequently presents papers in local and international seminars, including in Vancouver, Sydney and Taipei.

When asked whether a patient would accumulate fat again after having surgery, he answered: "It's possible. It depends on the patient's dietary pattern. If they eat as they did prior to surgery, then they could return to their previous condition."