Words By – Rita Okoye

She walked past a construction site dressed in a body hugging dress, a well endowed butt, moving in a rhythmic movement. Catcalls rent the air from workmen at the site as they made loud complimentary but sensual comments about her well endowed backside.

The excitement was so much that even the women at the bus-stop turned to see the object eliciting such great excitement.

With the changing times and body preferences changing too, such reactions have become common place.

Gone are the days when people preferred a skinny look. Voluptuous bodies are in! Now, all you see around are models, actresses, and influencers with curvy bodies.

As the pressure mounts, the wish of many girls out there, is to have an accentuated butt and a tiny waist.

To get this highly desired voluptuous butt or boobs, many women are steering towards Brazilian Butt Lift, Liposuction and all kinds of cosmetic surgeries.

According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, Brazilian Butt Lift is a surgical procedure that transfers fat to the buttocks, to make them look fuller.

While Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure used to remove unwanted body fat. It involves sucking out small areas of fat that are hard to lose through exercise and a healthy diet. Many celebrities have gone down the Brazilian Butt Lift route to accentuate their looks.

However, they are not the only ones climbing the bandwagon, but the general female population is also interested in getting the hourglass shape.

According to recent research, most people who get a BBL are between 20-40 years old. Women in this age range are less likely to have underlying medical conditions.

In addition, they may notice better results from the surgery as they are more likely to recover faster and have better skin quality than older patients.

Celebrities Open about their Cosmetic Surgeries journey…
While some celebrities are often secretive about having any work done to their bodies, some Nigerian celebrities have boldly admitted to getting some sort of body works done. Toke Makinwa, a media personality and fashionista, is one of the few Nigerian celebrities who have been open about having done the procedure.
Admitting to having the surgery during a Question and Answer session on her Vlog Toke Moments, she said, Yes, I worked on my body, but my breasts are natural. I had lip filler because I wanted to launch my lipstick brand. Also, I enhanced my body after I got my fibroids removed. I did that because I wanted to feel better in clothes. I do not regret enhancing my body because its the best thing Ive ever done, and I wanted to look curvy, and I love it. Nollywood star actress, Tonto Dikeh on her part had undergone liposuction three times.
The mother of one made the latest development known on her verified Instagram page, where she shared a video of her cosmetic surgery process and wrote; Finally sharing this exciting news l have aggressively tried to burn my stubborn tummy fat, but it has not been easy. After my first Lipo, I was so careless with my healing process and I lost guard on my stomach. So it grew back. And I decided to go for my liposuction again. Another actress, Eniola Badmus had also opened up on undergoing gastric bypass surgery. The former plus-size Script Interpreter, whose amazing weight-loss transformation left fans and colleagues in awe, revealed she underwent gastric bypass surgery in Turkey.
Eniola Badmus, in a chat with City People, said she took the decision to do the surgery when it got to a point that she couldnt control what she ate. In terms of my look, a lot has changed due to a decision made. So, I wanted to surprise everyone and help myself. It is not easy. What I can say is that it got to a point where I could not control what I eat. I eat anything so far it is edible, so from there I knew something fishy was going on. Now, I have lost over 33kg, she stated.
Big Brother Naija double wahala ex housemate, Khloe Abiri also went under the knife to get a curvier figure.
The reality star had shared a video of her undergoing Lymphatic drainage massage which she uses in maintaining her new figure. She revealed that the procedure is always highly recommended by plastic surgeons during the recovery stage following cosmetic procedures.
Khloe further stated that despite being over two years since she went for the surgery, she still continues her routine of massage to constantly give her the desired result.
Mercy Eke is another Reality TV star who is open about her BBL. The winner of the BBNaija Pepper Dem season 4 proudly said hers was done to make her look more attractive to sell her brand. I did it for myself. I did it to enhance my confidence. I wanted to look good in what I wear. Im into fashion. I have to have a certain type of body for myself. I feel like those ones that are hiding the truth, they probably dont have the confidence; they feel like they did it for someone. But I did it for myself. I did it to sell my business. So, I dont think there is anything to be ashamed of in enhancing your body, she maintained.

Financial Implications of Cosmetic Surgeries
These surgeries also dont come cheap. The cost of a BBL varies depending on a range of factors, including location, the surgeons expertise, and the technology used.
The average price of a BBL in the UK is above £10, 000 (About N5million). Some hospitals in Nigeria; Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Abuja are already specialising on these surgeries. While some are successful, there are reported cases of complications leading to death.

The risks involved…
There is no harm in improving your look if it gives you a confidence boost, but there are risks involved in securing that desired body or curves. According to Doctor Osho Daniels, a Lagos State based medical practitioner, women who go for BBL do so as a result of a decrease in their self worth. They dont have self belief that their body parts are adequate. So, in order to get their perceived body size they go out of their way to secure some form of augmentation.
Some have these in plants in Nigeria, some fly abroad to have theirs; but overtime, they start having side effects because they are foreign bodies. Implant surgeries have been discovered to cause high risk of infection. This can overwhelm the person depending on the presence of other comorbidities. This could lead to death. Dr Daniels further noted that some women die of depression when the surgeries dont turn out the way they had envisaged. After the surgery they might have what is called Body Dysmorphic disorder because a part of their body has become deformed.
There are also complications that are common to every surgery; e.g. Anastasia, a substance used to numb some parts of the body to avoid feeling pain during surgery; some patients do react to it. When its overwhelming people die during surgeries.
Again, the patient might lose a lot of blood during the procedure which can also cause death. In some cases where they inject some substances in the butts area to increase the size, this might cause necrosis; that is death due to decay.

What the church says…
For Pastor Ebenezer O. Odia of Living Faith Church, Cannanland Ota, he believes that only when one is at health risk that any form of surgery can be advised and not to beautify any part of the body already perfectly designed by The Maker.
Quoting 1st Corinthians 6:15, he says Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
So, unless it is life threatening or severe health challenge, then going through surgery could be advised.
But the bible is totally against tampering with your body parts for beauty purposes. You must be dealing with low self esteem to ever contemplate any type of cosmetic surgery. Any man that will love you genuinely will love you for who you are and how you look, he stated.