BUTTERWORTH: The public has been advised to choose licensed aesthetic surgery experts to avoid becoming victims of botched operations.

       The caution came after the National Consumer Action Council (NCAC) in Penang discovered that a plastic surgeon’s clinic was a beauty shop adorned with “medical certificates” that were not recognised in Malaysia.

       The NCAC acted following a complaint from a woman who claimed to suffer from extreme itching and rashes after she got a nose job done at the said clinic.

       NCAC national complaints department head Alston Tan said they had received multiple complaints from people who experienced bad side effects from unlicensed aesthetic shops.

       The woman had a rhinoplasty procedure done in which a cartilage was removed from the back of her ear and inserted into her nose.

       “She experienced terrible side effects, including itching and redness, which lasted for months, and had to seek medical treatment at a proper clinic.

       “When we visited the shop, we found that its equipment was rusted, and the certificates on display were from a different country and were not recognised in Malaysia.“The medical supplies they offered were controlled items but were not issued by the Health Ministry as they were from another country.

       “Their doctors were foreigners and the place was not a clinic – it operated as a beauty shop,” he said at a press conference in Butterworth.

       Tan said it was important to know that only doctors with special licences could purchase such medical supplies here.

       “Although their certificates may look authentic because they were issued in a different country, these documents are not recog- nised by our Health Ministry,” he said.

       Tan urged the public to be aware of the dangers of going for aes- thetic surgery at unlicensed operators.

       He added that these procedures could even result in death, citing a case reported in 2020 when a bride-to-be died after a liposuction went awry.

       Tan advised those who wished to have cosmetic procedures to go to licensed aesthetic clinics.

       “Be aware and ask questions. Check to see if the certificates are real and know that only a licensed clinic can carry out these types of surgeries.

       “Ask for their licences as they must be on display and they must be issued in the name of the person carrying out the procedures and not that of another employee,” he said.

       Tan said consumers in Penang could call NCAC’s hotline at 011-2078 7822 during working hours.