Dr Adan: Why many kenyan women, as well as men, come to me for cosmetic surgery

From the expert

When I met Dr Abdullahi Adan, a plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic Surgeon at Karen Hospital,  he was waiting for a patient scheduled for a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck in about an hour. She had travelled all the way from Abu Dhabi.

While some procedures require going to the theatre some don’t. Some, Dr Adan says can be done on a walk in walk out basis. They are simple procedures like injecting fillers in the lips to make them larger for a sexy pout. He also has many walk in patients in need of botox treatments to get rid of wrinkles.

Needless to say, like any other surgery, there is always a chance something could go wrong.

However, Dr Adan a surgeon with 12 years of experience, five as a general surgeon and seven as a plastic surgeon explains that they do their best to ensure the procedures are successful. “Infections could occur, though they are manageable,” he says.

But he recommends that the patients clear the dispensed doze of antibiotics to avoid infections. “It is important to ensure you use a competent board certified surgeon,” he stresses. “You can’t afford to play Russian roulette with your body,” says the certified surgeon.

Incidentally, there are only five board certified surgeons in Kenya, says Dr Adan.

Why many go for surgery.

Dr Adan says that most of the women tell him they are not comfortable with their bodies, which eats into their self-esteem. “Some even suffer from a moderate level of depression,” he reveals. A good number of the women want to look young as well, he says.

But there are exceptions.

“Severely obese patients (120kg and above) are advised to lose weight before any procedure,” advises Dr Adan. Also, in diabetic patients, the sugar has to be controlled first, he says.

After one is fully healed and recovered, they are advised to exercise moderately and eat well.

However, plastic surgery is not just confined to women. Dr Adan says that men too, go for tummy tucks and an operation to reduce their breasts, especially if he has ‘man boobs’.

He warns of the dangers of falling for cheap Internet offers. “I get a lot of botched cases from Thailand and India,” reveals Dr Adan. “It is advisable to get a personal reference as opposed to googling,” recommends Dr Adan.

On the safety of Silicon as filler, Dr Adan says it has no association with cancer at all.