For the uninitiated, the alphabet BBL might draw a blank. Not so for aspiring and practising socialites in our big capital cities of Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

For the latter, BBL stands for Brazilian Butt Lift, a procedure that augments the look of your buttocks in addition to removing fat from other parts of your body and transferring it to the buttocks area for a more voluptuous appearance.

Plastic and cosmetic surgeries

Once upon a not-too-distant time, engaging in plastic surgery was almost taboo. There were few practitioners in the country anyway, and most were to be found in the teaching hospitals where they mainly performed corrective surgeries on patients with natural conditions such as cleft lips, club feet and mastectomy patients.

OBGYN Consultant and Surgeon, Dr Loretta Ogboro Okor tells Vanguard that patients of such procedures must exercise caution on many different levels, saying the side effects are not to be joked around with, as they are potentially fatal.

”You will remember that the Brazillians have all these festivals and they are very body image conscious, so they are very focused on all these cosmetic surgeries and BBL is one of such.

“ Before BBL people got butt implants, but BBL became better and more fashionable. In the immediate term there is the risk of bleeding whether we like it or not, because tissues are being cut and incisions are being made”.

A high risk procedure

Ogboro Okoh advises BBL patients to patronise the right practitioners who will carry out proper investigations.

”Some of us bleed a lot more than others and in the Nigerian situation people don’t usually do check ups often so we don’t even know what is wrong with us. Some people even have Von Willebrand disease, where you bleed a lot.

“First few days after surgery are very painful and people are asked not to lie on their back. Imagine if someone already has gastro esophageal reflux disease or cardiac conditions and have to lie on their tummy for the first few weeks. The pain is real, swelling and bruising. Over time the skin may be discoloured”.

Lumps and bumps can appear on the intermediate run and of course, scarring and some form keloids. Blood vessels can become blocked and cause thrombosis, which can be fatal.

You can have fat embolism and that can go into the lungs. You can have fat necrosis. Blood vessels can clot and form a haematoma in the immediate postoperative period and blood will just be gathering there.
A serious skin infection can happen, called cellulitis.

These are the reasons ladies are made to wear compression garments immediately post op”.

Obeying gravity

Ogboro Okoh says infection is a big risk and recommends optimum hygiene before going in for the procedure.

“On the long run, what will your BBL be 10 years down the line or maybe when you are 60 or 70? The fat that is transferred will now start obeying gravity and maybe some fat has necrosed, so before you know, it is drooping on one side”.

Area targeted exercises

“They will tell you that the procedure is safe between the ages of 18 and 55, but I think a moderate lifestyle with proper exercise would help. Even just doing squats can make your bum come out.

I see some people using what they call BBL creams. Some of these creams have hormones. People have risks for certain hormone based cancers. The question is, is it really good for you? “

Targeted family size

The surgeon told Vanguard that BBL should be done when subscribers have completed their targeted family size, adding that moderation is key for best outcomes.

“Some surgeons will tell you it doesn’t matter but these people are looking for their money. You are going to expand during pregnancy, so you have to wait at least two years. You can’t get pregnant immediately.

BBL and fertility

“There is no clear cut link between BBL and fertility. However, there are certain infections that people have had which would make pregnancy a challenge”.

Weight loss pills, injections

A new class of weight loss medications have suddenly appeared in the horizon. Ozempic is the most favoured by Nigerian socialites, many of whom can now be seen sporting new, unusually slim body frames.

Though this class of drugs has been treated as prescription drugs in other countries and very much available in pharmacies, a false scarcity has been created in the socialite circles, with supplies sold only to the highest bidders. Sources claim a dose can go as high as 500,000 naira, as treatment, once proceeded, must be continued.

Though it can be a highly beneficial drug, Dr Ogboro Okoh warns of potentially harmful side effects.
“These groups of medications were used to manage type 2 diabetes. What was found as a side effect was weight loss. What the world is now trending and using it for is the side effect of these medications. The pharmacological names are Semaglutide with trade name Ozempic, then Tirzepatide, which is called Mounjaro.

“It will reduce your appetite and slow down the movement of the digestive tract and reduces the release of glucose from the liver. It is technically going to decrease your appetite. It also helps the pancreas to create more cells to make insulin”.

Adverse effects

Nausea, vomiting, constipation and jaundice are some adverse side effects of these drugs, according to Ogboro Okoh, who recommends full medical checkup before administering.
“It’s also been found that people who take these medications should not have a history of thyroid problems. In terms of weight loss it’s very effective”.

Fertility

”Anytime we lose weight, we improve our fertility- sperm count in men and ovulation and regularity of cycles in women. In fact in a situation like PCOS, once you lose weight you have treated that condition. We also know that when blood sugar levels improve, fertility increases. Ozempic actually works by decreasing inflammation in the body and when people are trying for babies we tell them to take vitamin E, an antioxidant.

However on the flip side, we still have concerns and research is still ongoing”.

Testosterone

“There has been talk that Ozempic can reduce testosterone in men and that can affect sperm count, but studies have not been concluded on this.

Results are showing that people who don’t want to get pregnant, once they start using Ozempic, they just start being super fertile. We now have Ozempic babies. Look at the side of the fence you are before you start taking these medications.

If you are taking birth control pills and you are taking Ozempic you might be setting yourself up for failure.

Again, she urges users to adjust their diet and lifestyle to get the best benefits, favouring diets rich in fiber to tackle constipation and arresting gastro paralysis and intestinal obstruction.
She also recommends physical activities for sustained weight loss, saying research is still evolving.

For celebs, visibility is currency

Part of being a celebrity is being seen. In the world of Nigerian celebrities, visibility is everything, particularly in this social media age. You must not only play the part and be seen to be playing the part, but you must also look the part. Competition is frenetic and new players are joining the queue every single day.

The recent wedding of afro pop crooner, popularly known as Davido with his long-term partner, Chioma saw video plays as high as one billion views on their official pages alone.

Black might be beautiful, but Nigerian celebs prefer a different kind of beauty, the type that shines even when there is no light.

From Bobrisky to Iyabo Ojo, there is hardly any successful female celeb whose skin tone has not significantly changed over the years. Even the men are not spared, particularly those of Southwestern stock in Yoruwood and indigenous pop music.

Bleaching or toning?

“There’s a big difference between bleaching and toning”, says Anthonia, a youth corper who recently completed her service. “Pimples, sun and things like that change the skin tone, especially poverty.

Many ladies don’t want to bleach but they don’t want different patches of colours on their skin, hence the use of creams”. With a dismissive laugh, she declined to reveal if her own skin tone is natural.
Asked if she is aware of the dangers of using skin colour changing creams, whether for bleaching or toning. Tonia says: “there’s nothing new in these things. The end justifies the means”.
Chemical peels have also become common cosmetic procedures.

Creams containing glycolic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid or pyruvic acid are applied to the skin in the spa. These acids destroy the upper layer of the skin, called the epidermis and this is subsequently peeled off to reveal a fresher, smoother, lighter layer.

No NAFDAC numbers- NAFDAC

Many of these bleaching or toning creams are mixed by untrained individuals who obtain the ingredients from unregulated black markets in the Agege and Ojota areas of Lagos, according to informed sources.
Pharmacist Ebele Perpetua Anto, Deputy Director, cosmetics and medical devices, drug evaluation and research at NAFDAC, says even those sold on shelves do not all have NAFDAC numbers.

In a sensitization workshop on dangers of bleaching creams and regular controls, Anto revealed that skin bleaching has become an evolving health problem whose patrons believe they will achieve a higher level of relevance and acceptability.

77% of Nigerian women bleach — WHO

According to Anto, the demand for skin lightening products are on the increase, despite sensitization efforts. Due to the negativity attached to the word “bleaching”, she said new words have emerged such as toning, whitening, lightening, fading, exfoliating, peeling, brightening and so forth. The use of bleaching agents is also gaining popularity in baby and children products.

Citing a WHO 2018 study, Anto claims 77% of women in Nigeria regularly use skin lightening creams. The same study claims skin lightening is one of the fastest growing beauty industries worldwide, estimated to be worth $31.2 billion by 2024.

Risk of cancer

Encouraging cosmetic producers to register with NAFDAC, she enumerates the risk of cancer as one of the side effects of using bleaching agents.

Others are premature skin ageing, damage to the kidney, skin burns and skin infection.

“Elevated mercury levels in the hair, blood and urine can damage the nervous system and affect an unborn child. Various agents, including the natural ones, can cause allergic reactions “, she said as she called for the shunning of such products.

Tight fitting garments

For those who cannot afford the luxurious results of BBL and other cosmetic, invasive procedures, there are clever, figure enhancing undergarments to the rescue; but while some are just soft, lush and curve inducing, others are dangerously and viciously tight, putting the ribs, lungs and other body parts in danger.

Cause and effect

Dr Ogboro Okoh offers explanations and alternatives. “That being said, I don’t think it’s really a crime to want to change what is not very good about one’s body. Some lack proper self esteem and think when they do such, it would boost their esteem.

Women need to develop an internal level of self esteem and this can be got from the home growing up from the parents and those around them.

Life is not all about how they look but more about what they have between their ears.

Beauty, naturally…

Quincy Ayodele, a WHO certified naturopathic medical practitioner with decades of experience, has worked with hundreds of celebrities and helped them achieve their goals of slimmer physiques and better skins towards the goal of holistically healthier lifestyles.

In Quincy’s world, there are no diseases eradication, not to mention beauty goals, that cannot be reached by the use of herbs and plants that can be found within our own environment. This includes the attainment of a more voluptuous body frame.

With the World Health Organisation’s official recognition of naturopathic practitioners following their outstanding success in the handling of COVID 19 cases in their respective countries, Ayodele is convinced more Nigerians will begin to embrace their natural and more sustainable procedures, in their quest for beauty.

[Vanguard]