A WOMAN was left with ‘arms like twigs’ and covered in purple scars after botched surgery to remove ‘bingo wings’.
Apinan Duendao says she felt faint due to loose skin after losing a lot of weight.
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The 37-year-old visited a surgeon she had previously used in Bangkok, Thailand.
But after the operation, she noticed that her right arm was an unusual shade of violet and appeared to be missing a piece.
She planned to return to the doctor for a follow-up procedure, but her injuries did not heal, so she filed a formal legal complaint.
Apinan, a beauty salon owner, said: “I used to weigh 17lb (110kg) and I was proud of myself for my weight loss.
“I wanted to remove the excess bingo feathers and become more beautiful, but I couldn’t believe what happened to me.
“My hands were like twigs and I had bad wounds that wouldn’t heal.”
Apinan added that the surgeon instructed her to return five days after the operation to assess the wound, but she never received an appointment confirmation.
“I was so scared,” she said.
“The surgeon didn’t even offer to compensate me for what happened and just referred me to another doctor.”
Apinan claims she was told to pay the second doctor £44,000 (two million Thai baht) to “fix” her problems, but she negotiated it down to £6,500 (300,000 Thai baht).
She filed a complaint with the Medical Council of Thailand, seeking disciplinary action against the surgeon.
He also filed a complaint with the Public Health Committee in the National Legislative Assembly.
“I incurred travel expenses for treatment in Bangkok and needed four doses of sleeping pills along with medication for depression,” said Apinan.
“It has affected my physical and mental health.”
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
My hands were like twigs and I had bad sores that wouldn’t heal
Apinan Duendao
“Bingo wings” is a slang term for the loose skin that hangs on the arms.
Other names include ‘bat wings’, ‘dinner lady’s arms’ and ‘nan fins’.
Surgery to remove this excess skin, often left after significant weight loss, is officially called a brachioplasty or arm lift.
This is usually done with general aesthetics and takes 90 to 120 minutes, according to Nuffield Health.
A private arm reduction in the UK costs between £3,000 and £12,000 depending on the clinic and will be similarly priced in many other Western countries.
But cosmetic surgery is significantly cheaper in Thailand, due to lower labor costs, cheaper medical supplies and a competitive market.
Wherever procedures are performed, there is always a risk of pain, bleeding, infection, blood clots, asymmetry and scarring.
However, experts warn that the risk is higher in countries where standards and regulations are not as strict.
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Surgeon alert
SURGERY is offered in many European and Eastern countries at a fraction of the cost of going privately in the UK.
The procedures often involve gastric bands, sleeves or bypasses – for which there are long waiting lists in Britain.
But when aftercare goes terribly wrong, the NHS is often forced to take over.
Professor Omar Khan, consultant bariatric surgeon at Ashtead Hospital in Surrey, fears people are risking their lives just to lose a few pounds.
He said WalesOnline: “The key issue with any form of surgery is safety.
“For patients traveling abroad for weight loss surgery, there can be real questions about the quality of preoperative assessment and the lack of follow-up care offered to these patients.
“Rare but serious complications can occur and tend to become known one to two weeks after surgery.”
Risks include blood clots and bowel obstruction or narrowing.
“Anyone post-surgery should be able to be checked and treated by their surgeon, especially in case of complications,” added Professor Khan.
“Not only that, but these patients require long-term follow-up and someone to coordinate their care long-term — all of which are absent in patients undergoing surgery abroad.
“When I’m asked about the risks of cost-cutting and weight loss surgery abroad, I like to use the analogy of car insurance: buying a car without insurance might be cheaper, but it’s not safe” .
