"Only when you become better, can the beauty of this world be interlocked with you." People often see similar propaganda in some advertisements for medical aesthetics, and these words have invisibly intensified the appearance anxiety of society. Therefore, there are still people who are eager to try all kinds of incredible plastic surgery projects.
There is such a breast enhancement project, which claims to have an exclusive patent in the country, and it does not require surgery to be hospitalized, and only one injection is needed to achieve the purpose of breast enlargement and body beautification. Consumer Lan Lan was deeply moved by such publicity and spent hundreds of thousands of yuan on breast augmentation, but the result was unexpected.
27-year-old Lan Lan is currently 7 months pregnant, thinking of the baby that is about to be born, Lan Lan is excited, but she begins to worry about the future breastfeeding.
Lan Lan: I am also struggling every day because of breastfeeding, whether or not to give my child my milk, I have to give up this one.
Lan Lan's distress stemmed from a breast augmentation surgery two years ago. In 2022, Lan Lan went to a cosmetic plastic surgery institution in Beijing called Chu Meiren at the introduction of a friend, and they claimed that there is a latest breast augmentation technology, no surgery, no need to fill the prosthesis, only need to extract the breast augmenter's own blood tissue for culture, and 20 minutes can make the breast magically bigger. This new technology has a scientific and technological name, "CRT Autologous Collagen Regeneration Patented Technology Breast Augmentation".
The person in charge of the institution told Lan Lan that their technology enjoys an exclusive patent in the country, and the cost of the operation is as high as 1.94 million yuan, but because of the introduction of acquaintances, the operation fee can be directly reduced to 540,000 yuan. Although the cost of the operation was still very expensive, Lan Lan had the urge to try.
Lan Lan told reporters that her classmates and friends have also had breast augmentation surgery, but they are all filled prostheses or fat, not only with scars, but also somewhat unnatural. This new technology is an autologous regeneration technology, and there is no knife edge, so the effect must be more natural and safer.
With a longing for beauty, Lan Lan paid 546,800 yuan for the operation and walked to the operating table. The operation was as the person in charge of the institution said, it only took 20 minutes before and after, and there was no incision on the chest, but it increased by two cups at once.
The posture is upright, which makes Lan Lan radiant for a while. But as time went by, Lan Lan gradually found that the originally symmetrical chest gradually appeared one high and one low, and she often felt pain and discomfort. Considering that it might be a temporary discomfort, Lan Lan didn't care, but during a physical examination, Lan Lan was stunned by the question of the breast ultrasound doctor.
Lan Lan: The doctor who did the breast ultrasound said, "Why do you have a prosthesis?" I said that I have breast augmentation, but it is my own, and he said that you are definitely not your own, and I suggest you go to a big hospital to have a look. I was scared at the time.
After spending 540,000 yuan on surgery, I wanted to be beautiful safely and naturally, but the results of the physical examination showed that the filler may be my least favorite prosthesis, and Lan Lan seemed to be a bolt from the blue.
At the beginning of 2023, Lan Lan came to Chumei again to ask for clarification. In an office building in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the reporter saw that the three English letters of CRT appeared prominently on the top of the building, and when you walked into the courtyard gate, the CRT logo could be seen everywhere. Here, Lan Lan met with a director of this beauty and plastic surgery institution surnamed Jin.
The person in charge of this agency insisted that Lan Lan's chest surgery was a purely autologous technique, and some symptoms and manifestations were normal. But in the days that followed, Lan Lan felt a constant tingling pain in her chest and an irregular lump appeared.
In the first half of 2023, she had examinations in two hospitals with apprehension, and the diagnostic report of one hospital showed that the double breast implant had changed after surgery, and there were multiple abnormal signals around the implant, which was considered to be leaking, while the examination results of the other hospital also showed that the unknown injection filler on Lan Lan's chest was not autologous tissue, but a prosthesis.
Wang Tao, Department of Plastic Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University: The density of one's own tissue in imaging should be consistent with the surrounding tissue, but if an unknown breast filler is injected, its density is different from the surrounding image, and the imaging performance is obviously stratified. Therefore, as soon as she was examined, she knew that what she did was a prosthesis, not an autologous tissue.
Considering the uncertainty of the nature of the unknown injection, the doctor advised Lan Lan to remove the injection as soon as possible and undergo breast reconstruction surgery.
Wang Tao, Department of Plastic Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University: Most of the injections are like yellow ointments, and we think that this thing is very aggressive and can flow. The amount of (filler) taken out after evaluation is about 200 ml, which is still a lot. After the removal, her breasts were completely deflated and unaesthetically pleasing, so we re-implanted her with a new implant to maintain the shape of her breasts.
The reporter learned that the removal of unknown injections and the implantation of prostheses cost Lanlan more than 200,000 yuan for surgery, which is not counting the cost of post-inspection and maintenance. The doctor revealed that despite the maximum amount of rinsing, there are still a small number of unidentified fillers that cannot be completely removed, and there may be some unpredictable health risks in the future.
The doctor determined that the filler on Lan Lan's chest was not autologous tissue, so what was it? The reporter came to the Beijing Qingxi Technology Research Institute, where Lan Lan's filler sample was tested. The main person in charge of the sample testing told reporters that the test results of the Lanlan breast filler sample showed that the protein substances of related animal sources were matched, such as camels, bats, chimpanzees and other species.
Jiao Xuyang, Beijing Qingxi Technology Research Institute: We refer to the Chinese pharmaceutical industry standard, which is the standard of YY/T 1849-2022, and combine fluorescence quantitative PCR and protein mass spectrometry methods to finally analyze the animal-derived components.
Originally, it was for the word "autologous" to spend a lot of money on breast filling, but it turned out that the filler was not autologous, but contained animal-derived ingredients such as camels, bats, and chimpanzees. The reporter learned in medical institutions that the injection of animal collagen into the human chest may have health hazards such as allergies and infections.
Lanlan: How can I have bat or camel collagen in my body? I have to take the risk of it because no one knows what it is. When I feed my baby, I wonder if it's safe? Will there be a little bit left in my body, because it's impossible to shave it clean, and no doctor will tell you that you can shave it clean, and I think that's unacceptable to me.
Filling, inspecting, taking out, and reconstructing, the orchid cost almost 1 million before and after, but it left two deep scars and unknown health hazards.
On the website of the State Intellectual Property Office, the reporter found that in 2010, Bai Jin, the doctor who performed breast augmentation surgery for Lanlan, had applied to the National Patent Office for the related technology of "autologous collagen regeneration", but it was not passed.
Xiang Yixin, lawyer at Beijing Bindao Law Firm: They said that the breast augmentation technology had been patented, but in fact they sent only an application, and the application was considered withdrawn in 2012.
Not only that, the reporter inquired on the website of the National Health Commission and found that Dr. Bai Jin, who operated on Lanlan, was only a general surgeon in a tertiary hospital in Beijing. Not long ago, when the reporter came to Chu Meiren again to investigate and interview, he found that the door was locked and the building was empty.
In order to protect her own rights and interests, Lan Lan sued the first beauty beauty plastic surgery agency in court. A few days ago, the court of first instance ruled in favor of Lan Lan. It was decided that the defendant company should refund the plaintiff a total of 744228 yuan for medical services, examination fees, and testing fees. Although the case was won, because the beauty agency closed down and the person in charge disappeared, Lan Lan's losses were not recovered.
At the same time, the reporter learned that not long after Lan Lan had breast augmentation surgery, her mother was attracted by the immediate surgical results, and also found this cosmetic plastic surgery team and spent more than 600,000 yuan to do the same breast augmentation surgery. At present, there is also a tingling deformity in the chest.
Different from traditional cosmetic surgery, light medical aesthetics or micro-plastic surgery mainly uses injections and photoelectric instruments, and these procedures have been favored by more and more beauty seekers in recent years because of their small wounds, fast recovery and obvious results. The entire medical aesthetic industry has also launched a wide range of beauty and body care programs, and the number of practitioners and personnel has proliferated rapidly. It is worth noting that because many light medical aesthetic projects are relatively simple to operate, they have attracted a large number of unqualified personnel to enter, resulting in uneven quality and endless problems in the medical aesthetic industry.
When the Zhengzhou Municipal Health Commission conducted a law enforcement inspection of the medical cosmetology industry, it was found that a medical cosmetology institution had injected topical smear products used for pelvic lubrication directly into consumers' faces through a water booster instrument.
At the Beijing Municipal Health Supervision Institute, the reporter saw various instruments and injections recently seized from illegal medical cosmetology institutions. There are not only cosmetics that act as illegal injections of drugs, but also fake hyaluronic acid, fake botulinum toxin, unknown channels, and photoelectric instruments without safety guarantees.
Wang Jiamin, a staff member of the Beijing Municipal Health Supervision Institute's Crackdown on Illegal Medical Cosmetology Training Room: Some of the confiscated medical cosmetology equipment, according to different principles, are mainly divided into optical, acoustic, electrical, and other instruments, including injections. Like photorejuvenation, carbon dioxide fractional laser, picosecond laser, ultherapy, Thermage, skin boosters.
Medical and health institutions in Beijing, Henan and other places have found that a considerable proportion of "light medical cosmetology" institutions have relatively simple project equipment and few operation steps, and some institutions and practitioners do not have relevant medical qualifications.
The reporter noticed that some embroidery shops, beauty salons, and even massage parlors have also aimed at the market of light medical beauty and carried out related businesses. But some practitioners have not earned a penny, but they are first disfigured by unknown products. Ms. Liu is the owner of an embroidery shop, and at the beginning of this year, a friend approached her to discuss a light medical aesthetic treatment, and took a product to inject her into her chin, so that she could experience it first.
Without a license from a medical cosmetology institution, a doctor's license, and the source and composition of the injected drugs were unknown, Ms. Liu rashly underwent chin injections. Soon Ms. Liu's jaw was swollen and ulcerated, and she had to go to the hospital for a filler peel.
Light medical beauty is in the ascendant, but it has become a hot industry for complaints in recent years. According to the latest consumer tips released by the China Consumers Association, at present, problems such as incomplete licenses, over-scope operations, unlicensed employment, non-standard operation, unclear channels of medical products, and illegal injection of external drugs are becoming the focus of complaints in the medical cosmetology industry, especially in the field of light medical cosmetology. Among them, the complaints that have increased the most are the injectable beauty projects encountered by Ms. Lan Lan and Ms. Liu. Many consumers fail to cosmetic and have to undergo plastic surgery and repair.
In the outpatient department of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the reporter noticed that nearly half of the patients who came to the clinic had serious problems after doing injection medical aesthetic projects in informal places, and they came here to seek repair.
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences: For example, when I go to the clinic, I see a maximum of 40 consultations a day in the morning, and when I do surgery to remove (fillers), I can see up to 16 to 20 people, which is close to half. Take out the mainstream or regenerative products of injections, those irregular collagen, growth factors, and fake youthful injections, these things are liquid, and it is good to get in and out well.
According to doctors, many patients think that injectable medical aesthetics is just injections, which is similar to beauty and skin care, so they ignore the qualifications of doctors and diagnosis and treatment places, and do not check the batch number of injection drugs. It may only cost a few thousand dollars at the time of injection, but the repair process is quite long, and it is difficult to recover completely.
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences: The steamed face and steamed bun face are excessively swollen and deformed, and some local ulcers and epidermal ulcers caused by inflammation form a permanent scar. At present, there is no good technique that can take it all out, and even if it is taken out 80 or 90 percent, it is impossible to return it to the way it was before the injection.
According to the doctor, because the injection medical cosmetology project is mostly operated in the area with abundant blood vessels, the technical requirements for the operator are very high. At present, many practitioners in beauty institutions do not have medical qualifications, and easy illegal injections may bring great risks. And once there is a problem with this kind of medical aesthetic treatment, the consequences are often very serious. Some consumers have been blinded by injection of hyaluronic acid in informal medical and aesthetic institutions, some have hemiplegia due to temple filling, and some have even been turned into vegetative people by illegal medical practitioners.
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences: If the product is injected into the blood vessels, it will cause local skin necrosis in the light case, blindness in the heavy case, and flow to the lungs or brain to form pulmonary embolism, cerebral embolism, and even life-threatening.
In the investigation, the reporter noticed that the "light medical beauty" projects such as injections and optoelectronics belong to the category of medical plastic surgery, and a considerable number of institutions do not have a "medical institution practice license" at all, and the operators do not have a doctor's qualification certificate, and even have no fixed place, hotels, office buildings, and private residences can become their operating sites. If something goes wrong with consumers, they can quickly run away from regulation.
At the same time, the reporter also found that some medical aesthetic institutions prefer to adopt invisible sales methods such as acquaintance introductions and mobile phone software to attract customers to reduce consumers' vigilance. Some illegal medical aesthetic institutions also like to use some incomprehensible English letters or ambiguous names to create the impression of foreign and authoritative, so as to induce consumers.
Zhan Jie, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Supervision Institute: I often see the anti-aging center of XX, XX research institute, etc., these institutions feel that they are medical institutions from the name alone, and even have a strong academic nature, but some may only be the qualifications of life beauty institutions or technology companies.
What is worrying is that in recent years, the medical beauty industry has become hot, and more and more minors are also deeply involved. Some informal medical institutions use low-price marketing gimmicks such as "affordable medical aesthetics" and "1 yuan medical aesthetic experience" to attract underage consumers to "enter the game" and promote various projects and products. At present, the relevant departments are jointly carrying out special rectification of outstanding problems in medical practice activities to protect the health and safety of consumers. Here, we also remind consumers to look at the effect of medical beauty rationally, not to ignore the risk, life should be beautiful, and don't let the same "artificial beauty" occupy all the colors of life.
(Source: CCTV News Client)