Doctor who fixes plastic surgery on TV appeals to Brazilian women: ‘Stop injecting illegal substances’

Protagonist of the reality show Botched, which reaches its eighth season on the E! Entertainment, Paul Nassif has seen it all when it comes to plastic surgery gone wrong.

Brazil, which was once the world leader in the volume of plastic surgeries and is now second only to the USA, would be a great fit for the doctor’s work. His routine and that of doctor Terry Dubrow, his partner on the program, consists of reshaping damaged noses, replacing breast implants that have become uneven and even providing quality of life for victims of accidents and burns.

The program is for those with a strong stomach: real images of surgeries, tissues and organs being opened and sutured and patients with faces deformed by botched procedures are part of the duo’s daily life.

In an interview with F5Nassif spoke about the dangers of fillings with inappropriate substances, a practice that is increasingly common in Brazil and which, a decade ago, almost led to the death of model Andressa Urach — one of the most emblematic cases in the country.

In 2014, Urach had a severe infection caused by a hydrogel injection in his legs. After months in the ICU, she survived and underwent procedures again. Two weeks ago, she underwent liposuction and “costal remodeling”, which involves removing bones from the ribs to slim her waist.

“I know that Brazil is one of the leaders in plastic surgery. Unfortunately, procedures carried out by people who are not doctors and are not qualified to do so, continue to happen, which is worrying”, says Nassif.

According to him, the practice also occurs in the USA, but the range of substances used is smaller, since several chemical fillers are banned there. “Pump parties are common here [festas do preenchimento]. They place patients in hotel rooms or people’s homes. As we have few types of approved fillers, what happens is that they inject non-medical products, strange and horrible substances, such as oil or silicone derivatives. This can destroy your body”, he warns.

Since the first season of Botched, Nassif and his partner have been faced with catastrophic results from illegal fillers. “We had a lot of patients who injected these illegal substances into their faces and bodies and destroyed them,” he says.

“And this continues to happen,” he laments. I think one of the best things about doing this reality show is that we educate people not to do that. This is very important.”

“Many are not doctors. They are people who may have had some training in fillers, but who are injecting these illegal products in a completely irresponsible way and deceiving their patients,” he says. “My plea is for people to stop doing this. Stop injecting illegal substances into their bodies.”

LONG-LASTING FILLING

Nassif believes that what drives patients to look for illegal fillers and dubious professionals, in addition to lower prices, is the desire for the procedure to be long-lasting, which is not the case with fillers such as botox and hyaluronic acid, for example.

“What happens is that these patients want something permanent. The effects of hyaluronic acid last about two years, but it still stays in your body. If I’m doing facelift surgery on a person who had hyaluronic acid put in years ago, for example, I can see the filler there, I can find it”, he says.

Nassif remembers that even legalized substances pose risks. “Even when using a safe substance, there are risks. Hyaluronic acid, which is reversible and legal, poses a risk of major complications. It can cause blindness and vascular necrosis. All of these things can happen,” he says.

“That’s why it’s important to carry out procedures with licensed doctors and with safe products. Stop injecting strange substances”, he reiterates.