Indeed, it is no longer a public secret that among those with riches and deep curiosity, cosmetic plastic surgery can be an effortless shortcut to self-esteem.

From liposuction to tummy tucks, face-lifts to breast augmentations, all are becoming more and more acceptable among the middle-upper class, as the technology and the skills of local surgeons have also become more advanced.

Jane, not her real name, 52, of Pluit, North Jakarta, for instance, has gone under the knife three times because she was not happy with the shape of her nose and eyes.

"I have spent a total of Rp 50 million *US$5,450* to have my nose and eyes done," she said.

"The first nose job I had was not that successful. My post-surgery nose looked weird and funny; therefore I had to undergo another procedure to fix it," she told The Jakarta Post recently.

Jane said she had been more excited than scared before having her face surgically transformed. She chose Jakarta because the technology here had caught up to other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Thailand, which are famous as cosmetic surgery hubs in the region.

Sienny, 30, who lives in Jembatan Lima, West Jakarta, is a Chinese-Indonesian woman who thought her eyes were too slanted and as a result her self-esteem was declining.

"My friends ridiculed my eyes all the time, saying every time that when I laughed, they couldn't see them," she said.

She spent around Rp 3 million on eye enlargement surgery comprising an upper eyelid lift and post-surgery laser treatment in Kota, West Jakarta.

"It helped boost my self-esteem in that I feel more beautiful than I did before," she said, adding that she was also looking forward to having her breasts augmented.

Dr. Danny Wicaksono, a plastic surgeon at a private hospital in Pulomas, North Jakarta, confirmed the growing trend for cosmetic surgery in the capital.

"Reconstructive surgery is far more complicated and expensive than cosmetic surgery," he said.

With advanced ultrasound technology and local anesthesia, cosmetic surgery can now be performed simply and in little time, Danny said.

"The process of removing fat from one area through liposuction, for instance, takes only around two hours.

"Patients can leave the hospital on the same day with minimal post-operative pain," he said.

Danny added liposuction could cost up to Rp 80 million, depending on the number of areas that would have fat extracted.

There are now around 100 licensed plastic surgeons in Indonesia who work under the Indonesian Association of Plastic Surgeons, with more than 50 based in Jakarta, he said.

Although most often associated with aesthetic surgery, plastic surgery also encompasses reconstructive procedures to correct physical impairments caused by trauma or burn injuries.

Ivy, 52, underwent nasal reconstruction years ago after he fell off of his motorcycle.

"The surgeon implanted solid silicone into my nose, which I have to replace at least once every 10 years due to the threat of calcium depositing, or calcification," she said.

If there are similarities among Jane, Sienny and Ivy with regard to plastic surgery, it is that they all agree that there is a risk of addiction, especially when the results of a surgery meet, or go beyond a patient's expectations.

Yati Utoyo Lubis, a psychologist from the University of Indonesia, told the Post that the spectrum of controversies surrounding plastic surgery included addiction and obsession, where the majority of people could become consumed by the need to look beautiful or have a perfect body.

"Because perfection is unattainable, people may continually undergo plastic surgery in the hopes of meeting insatiable personal satisfaction.

"I personally think that the success of plastic surgery is a matter of personal preference. If it improves one's self-esteem and well-being, why not?" she said. (tsy)

Tips for those considering plastic surgery:

* Prepare yourself mentally and consult your decision with your family.

* Because the changes resulting from plastic surgery are often dramatic and permanent, it is important that you have a clear understanding of how surgery might affect you and your family psychologically.

* Consult with licensed plastic surgeons.

* Plastic surgeons will seek honest answers to how you feel about your appearance, how you believe others see you and how you would prefer to look and feel. Other times, they may recommend psychological counseling to ensure the patient's desire for an appearance change is not part of an emotional problem that no amount of surgery can fix.

* Avoid going to unlicensed beauty salons or clinics for plastic surgery.

* Plastic surgery requires medically complex procedures that only qualified and licensed surgeons have the capacity to perform.

* Complications resulting from bad plastic surgical procedures can be multiple and chronic.

Source: The Jakarta Post

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