BESIDES checking on the status of a registered doctor on the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) website, there are several things that consumers can look out for when deciding on a plastic surgeon.
After visiting the beauty centre in Kuala Lumpur, the StarMetro team also visited another clinic in the area, which also offered plastic surgery.
If the patient is unsure, they can also go to other places and seek a second opinion. - Dr Heng Kien Seng The set-up was simpler than the beauty centre and a middle-aged woman who had a mask over her mouth greeted us. When we enquired about getting a nose job, she told us that the doctor was not in and we would have to set up an appointment for a consultation with him.
Noticing the difference in procedures, we spoke to plastic surgeon Dr Heng Kien Seng who operates a private practice in Petaling Jaya.
He said it was important for patients to meet the doctor who would be operating on them to see if the chemistry was right.
“Some doctors might just not click with you or you might feel that the doctor would not do a good job on you. You have to be comfortable with the doctor,” he said.
“During the consultation, I would approach the patients and find out what they want and what their expectations are.
“I would then find out about their medical condition to see if they are physically and psychologically fit to undergo plastic surgery,”said Dr Heng.
He said he would explain to the patient what the surgery entailed, the complications, recovery time and fees.
“If the patient is unsure, they can also go to other places and seek a second opinion,” he said.
Dr Heng said there were instances that he would decide not to operate on patients. “If their expectations are not clear or not what I can achieve, then I would say no. Some people also have health conditions like high blood pressure or heart problems and I would advise against it.
There’s no point of going for a cosmetic makeover if your health problems are still there.
“Then there are also people who go for surgery after surgery but are still not happy with their body. I would make recommendations for a psychological examination,” he said.
Dr Heng explained that there were several reasons why people opt for cosmetic surgery.
“Most people do it to enhance their looks and some to reverse the ageing process. There are also people who do it because of their career demands, like those in the entertainment industry. Enhancing their looks sometimes gives people confidence.
“Some people also do it for health reasons like obesity. They are too big so they just want to remove some fat so that they can move around easily and start exercising. I’ve also had cases where women come in to reduce their breasts because they were having medical problems like shoulder pains and fungal infections below the breasts,” he said.
According to Dr Heng, the more common types of plastic surgery were eyelid surgery, breast augmentation and liposuction while non-invasive treatments like botox injection, fillers and lasers were also popular.
He said if a patient had any doubts about a doctor, they could always check with the relevant authorities like the Health Ministry, the MMC or the Malaysian Association of Plastic, Aesthetic and Craniomaxillofacial Surgeon (Mapacs).
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