{"id":110,"date":"2018-04-11T05:43:54","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T05:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/columbiacosmeticsurgery\/?post_type=project&p=110"},"modified":"2018-04-24T21:51:12","modified_gmt":"2018-04-24T21:51:12","slug":"part-4-safe-surgery-now","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/project\/part-4-safe-surgery-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 4: Safe Surgery Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Part 4: Safe Surgery Now” text_orientation=”right” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/cover.jpg” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”on” custom_css_header_container=”height: 200px;”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”||||||||”]In 2014, Beltr\u00e1n had received a breast reduction, but the then-20-year-old journalist\u2019s unhealed wounds reopened after she was prescribed improper medication, leaving her physically and emotionally scarred. Beltr\u00e1n went public with her case, and a photo of her bare, scarred breasts was published brazenly across the front page of a major Colombian newspaper, El Espectador<\/em><\/a><\/span>, in 2016. Later that year, the issue was brought to international attention by the documentary Colombia: Under the Knife<\/em><\/a><\/span> by Al Jazeera.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Lorena Beltr\u00e1n” url=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/project\/lorena-beltran\/” portrait_url=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/beltran3.jpg” background_layout=”light” _builder_version=”3.0.106″]“There is certainly a crisis in medical ethics.”<\/em>
\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.106″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/beltran.jpg” _builder_version=”3.0.106″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”14px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n

Lorena\u00a0Beltr\u00e1n brought the subject of plastic surgery malpractice to public attention when she appeared on Colombian newspaper El Espectador. (Photo | Lorena\u00a0Beltr\u00e1n)<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″]<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile most of the procedures in Colombia are carried out by suitably knowledgeable and experienced surgical specialists, others are not,\u201d Al Jazeera reported. \u201cSuch is the money to be made from performing aesthetic surgery that it’s attracted medical practitioners who haven’t necessarily achieved the relevant and required qualifications.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result,\u201d said the broadcaster\u2019s Latin America Investigates<\/em> program, \u201cpatients \u2014 who can find it hard to distinguish between the validity of one set of professional diplomas and another \u2014 are being put at risk of horrible complications: disfigurement, disability and even in some cases, death.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”||||||||”]<\/p>\n

Beltr\u00e1n has now become the face of plastic surgery activism. She started the campaign Cirug\u00eda Segura Ya (Safe Surgery Now), which raises awareness of malpractice and is lobbying the Colombian government to tighten regulations that would help shut down clandestine clinics. Beltr\u00e1n and other victims of malpractice such as Paula Andrea Moreno and Liliana Fragozo, are also part of mutual support group on Whatsapp.<\/p>\n

For Beltr\u00e1n, there are three problems with plastic surgery in Colombia. For one thing, she argued, state departments such as the Ministry of Health are failing to exercise adequate control over the issuing of plastic surgery licences, are failing to properly inspect and shut down clandestine clinics, and are failing to successfully prosecute surgeons operating in blatantly unprofessional ways that threaten the safety of unsuspecting patients.<\/p>\n

Second, said Beltr\u00e1n, Colombia\u2019s political leaders need to ratify legislation that would increase transparency and monitoring of the industry and prohibit anyone except properly certified plastic surgeons from performing invasive operations. And third, Beltr\u00e1n insists there should be a national awareness and prevention campaign that advises women on best practices when it comes to finding a qualified surgeon operating in a safe, certified clinical setting. \u201cI think there\u2019s those three components, but there is definitely a crisis in medical ethics,\u201d said Beltr\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.106″ module_alignment=”center”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Bill to regulate plastic surgery” url=”http:\/\/www.senado.gov.co\/mision\/item\/24609-plenaria-aprobo-proyecto-de-ley-que-reglamenta-el-ejercicio-de-la-cirugia-estetica-en-colombia” background_layout=”light” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ body_font=”||||||||” body_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”80%”]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of this law is to regulate the practice of aesthetic plastic surgery, aesthetic medicine and medical surgical specialties with formal competences in medical and surgical aesthetic procedures in Colombia; and establish other provisions related to procedures, supplies and medications applied to patients, their records, and responsibility of those who practice medicine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”law blurb” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_orientation=”center”][\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”||||||||”]The bill<\/a><\/span> would require plastic surgeons to have a specialization in plastic surgery, implement an insurance system to deal with medical complications, keep a public national registry of qualified surgeons and oversee the quality of materials such as implants and injectables used in cosmetic surgeries.<\/p>\n

In December 2017, the bill passed its third reading and will soon face a final debate in the Colombian senate before it can be passed into law.<\/p>\n

However, legislation regulating the industry has been proposed in the past without success. \u201cA very strong lobby has been made, and it\u2019s caused proposed bills to be filed and voted down multiple times,\u201d said Beltr\u00e1n. \u201cI\u2019m worried that Congress has other very important preoccupations such as the Peace Process. We say that we\u2019re running against the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transparency and Awareness<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the meantime, said Beltr\u00e1n, it is important to run an awareness and prevention campaign. Her media appearances have prompted a public outcry over women\u2019s horror stories, while government health ministries have run small campaigns warning about plastic surgery malpractice.<\/p>\n

Beltr\u00e1n said she would like to see an advisory system developed for women seeking plastic surgery that would steer them to qualified surgeons and licensed clinics. Currently, it can be difficult to check a surgeon\u2019s or a clinic\u2019s credentials. The plastic surgeon\u2019s licence may not be reflective of their training, and to check if a clinic is licensed, a prospective patient needs to check the clinic number under the health department\u2019s website, an imperfect degree of vetting that can also be a complicated and confusing online process.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″ text_font=”||||||||”]<\/p>\n

For prospective plastic surgery patients, Beltr\u00e1n said that those planning to go under the knife should take their own mental health into consideration. \u201cIf plastic surgery will improve your self-esteem, then probably yes, but if the plastic surgery is to find a partner, or a better job or better salary, then probably not,\u201d advised Beltr\u00e1n. \u201cThink of your motives and always do it in safe conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Lorena Beltr\u00e1n” url=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/project\/lorena-beltran\/” background_layout=”light” _builder_version=”3.0.106″]\u201cThink of your motives and always do it in safe conditions.\u201d<\/em>
\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/lorena2.jpg” parallax=”on” custom_css_header_container=”height: 150px;”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Liliana Fragozo” url=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/project\/liliana-fragozo\/” portrait_url=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/colombiacosmeticsurgery\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-11-at-4.42.22-PM.png” background_layout=”light” _builder_version=”3.0.106″]\u201cI have a clear objective: to make girls know that they don\u2019t need surgery to love themselves.\u201d<\/em>
\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″]Body Positivity<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Beltr\u00e1n campaigns for tighter regulations and greater awareness, Liliana Fragozo \u2014 the woman who suffered complications after an implant was put in backwards by the same doctor who operated on Beltr\u00e1n \u2014 focuses on the underlying social issues driving patients toward cosmetic surgery. As a mother of three daughters, Fragozo now preaches a message of body positivity. \u201cWhat message am I giving my daughters? That to be pretty and accept themselves they have to have surgery and fix what they don\u2019t like? Or to accept themselves as they are because what is beautiful about them isn\u2019t just their bodies?\u201d asked Fragozo.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.106″]Fragozo recalled her youngest daughter \u2014 who was nine at the time \u2014 pleading with her mother not to get surgery. \u201cThis for me was psychological imprisonment. What are you exposing your family to? It\u2019s not worth it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth it to risk your blessings, your family, your home and your emotional stability for unscrupulous people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll these things I\u2019ve lived through serve a purpose. I don\u2019t want dead girls in the operating room. I don\u2019t want women to feel defeated because someone calls them ugly or fat, or that they don\u2019t deserve love because of how they look,\u201d said Fragozo. \u201cI have a clear objective: to make girls know that they don\u2019t need surgery to love themselves.\u201d
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Fx898RCqBww” admin_label=”Fragozo video” _builder_version=”3.0.106″ max_width=”80%”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”off” show_next=”off” prev_text=”Part 3: %22Cheated%22″ _builder_version=”3.0.106″ title_font_size=”20px”][\/et_pb_post_nav][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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