Price of perfection: How women are courting death in pursuit of that cool body

Surgeon holding scalpel on woman's belly for surgery. (Courtesy/iStock)

In the wake of the shocking news of a businesswoman who reportedly died while undergoing cosmetic surgery, it is now emerging that some women are courting death to have sexy bodies.

It was reported that Lucy Wambui Ng’ang’a underwent a cosmetic surgery that went absolutely haywire.

The mother of three had on October 18 sought the abortive services at a facility known as Body by Design, in upmarket Lavington suburbs in Nairobi.  

But upon discharge, Mrs Ng’ang’a developed serious complications while at home and was rushed to another hospital in the city where she later passed on.

Her husband, Francis Ng’ang’a, a renowned businessman, painted a horrific picture of what the mother of his children underwent before taking her last breath.

Wambui’s death brings to the fore the risks women are taking in pursuit of cute looks. Some of the process our ladies are undertaking to appear sexy include liposuction, breast lifts, and tummy tucks.

Other life-threatening procedures are skin rejuvenation processes that get rid of wrinkles and skin reconstruction to erase scars and wounds.

There are also procedures to get the right look of the vulva, the butt and the legs.

Cosmetic surgeons and other “body shaping” experts attribute the high number of clients to new technology, which was not available years back. And most of these procedures cost between Sh200,000 and Sh800,000 in some of the clinics. 

Some plastic surgeons say some customers check in the clinics with photos of what kind of bodies they desire to have after the exercise.

In one of the leading clinics in the capital city, aesthetic procedures currently constitute approximately 60 per cent the business and around 30 to 40 cosmetic surgeries are performed each month.

Reportedly, most of the clients who visit cosmetic surgery clinics are older professional women, even though the number of men has been increasing over time.

But success is never guaranteed, with some clinics preferring to have their clients sign consent before going under the sculpt.

Wambui’s husband said the facility, after realizing that the damage had been done, claimed his wife was battling some chest pains after the procedure.

“But when I took a close look, I realised that they had perforated her intestines and they were leaking raw human waste, making her body emit a bad smell,” Ng’ang’a narrated, adding: 

“Upon further inquiry, I was informed that she was undergoing a healing process before she was discharged. But ten minutes after we arrived home, my wife developed some serious complications.”

The businessman said when they arrived at the facility to secure a booking for Wambui, it had been closed and that those who had attended his wife had left. Only the security guards were around.

 Public Outcry

Following public outcry, Ministry of Health officials raided the facility where it was found that it had not been licensed to run any cosmetic surgeries but a beauty spa registered in 2022.

It also emerged that in 2023, Nairobi City County health department had licensed it as a beauty joint but not a cosmetic surgery facility.

Wambui was laid to rest on November 5, 2024 at their Red Hill home in Limuru in an event that was attended by former Deputy President Righathi Gachagua.

The incident lifts the lid on how some women spend millions of shillings inadvertently courting death in risky procedures as they sought appealing body shapes and appearances. 

A quick search on various legitimate clinics indicate that it costs as much as Sh500,000 for one to undergo a safe liposuction in a procedure that takes about three hours and a healing process that takes up to one week.

But in some unlicensed clinics operated by quacks, it is reported that customers pay as low as Sh100,000 and are discharged on the same day to heal at home.

In pursuit of enhanced beauty, some of these women land in the hands of quack doctors who leave them in critical condition or conduct procedures that expose them to life threatening challenges.

Last year, two women reportedly died while undergoing a procedure known as liposuction at a facility along Ngong Road. Liposuction is a fat-removing procedure.

The victims were university students whose families unsuccessfully sought for justice after facility administrators claimed the girls willingly signed consent to undergo the surgery. 

Experts say some ladies are now opting for cosmetic changes owing to peer pressure and from their spouses.

Relationship therapist Nicoletta Mungai says ladies opt for risky surgeries owing to societal pressures.

According to Ms Mungai, sometimes the pressure might not be coming from the partner but the people one interacts with or what they consume on social media.

Even so, she argues that it is better to tell a partner or a friend on how to fix some issues on their bodies without the advice appearing to be a body shaming statement.

“It is better when you don’t criticise or become very sarcastic to someone’s change. Affirming to the person, even when most of the women fight themselves, there is a lot of inner conflict,” she notes.

The therapist says many women do not want to be told they have added weight because it throws their self-esteem downward.  

Counseling psychologist James Mbugua argues that many of those flocking cosmetic clinics are driven by peer pressure and quick money that comes later in life.

“There is peer influence from their women groups, especially those in the middle income groups. The peer influence targets their self-esteem and are made to feel that they would belong more in these groups if they were more ‘beautiful’,” Mbugua explains, adding:

“Many of these groups have come into new money either from business or other means. Their class drastically change and to fit in they have to imitate the behaviour of this class.”

Mbugua also links this to self-esteem needs noting women go to that extra lengths in order to satisfy their felt needs of beauty and body size.

 “So if we address peer pressure and self-esteem; that you are okay the way you are, then this would be a major issue that would help some of our female folk not to get swayed into some of these surgeries,” he states.

According to the university lecturer, instead of focusing on the dangers, it is prudent to also address the psychological needs of those who flock to the clinics for plastic surgery.

“Remember the doctor could also be in this same club of wanting to make quick money, easy money, and also to belong to the club of the men who have made it, so they cut corners. So if we address self-esteem needs, you know this issue. Age may not matter much,” asserts Mbugua.