Dem empty Yadira Pérez bum-bum.
Wen e show di picture of wetin im doctor comot from im bum-bum four months ago, e point to some yellow slimy tins.
Di 43 year old Venezuelan photographer tok say, “those small balls na wetin dem dey call biopolymers”. She tok am like say di pile of tissue and dry blood no be her own.
“Some of those balls bin enta di muscle of my right yansh and give me pain wey I no fit handle.”
Yadira bin pay money make dem put di biopolymers for her bum-bum wen she be 26 years old.
Even though she see herself as fine woman wey get beta figure, her boyfriend dat time bin dey obsessed on top di idea say make she get “big booty” and she bin wan please am.
Afta she get di biopolymers, wen her period come dat first month, na so her bum-bum come red, dey hard and hot. She no fit sleep or lie down.
Since den, every time wey aunty flo come na so her bum-bum dey red dey hot dey strong dey go.
Biopolymers na synthetic materials wey dey increase di size of lips, breast and bum-bum.
For 2021, 14 years afta Yadira take dat injection, Venezuela ban di use of “filler substances” for cosmetic surgeries. Oda kontris for di region like Columbia, Brazil and Mexico follow do di same.
Since many of dem dey hidden and informal, no global figures dey on di number of patients wey dem don chook injection of biopolymers.
BBC Mundo call di beauty salon for Caracas wia Yadira collect di biopolymers injection, but dem no ansa.
During di 16 years wey di implants bin dey her bodi, Yadira bin do two laser liposuctions and one surgery to comot am.
For di last surgery, she decide to snap herself to fit record di treatment and recovery. She bin take loan to fit pay for di surgery and medication for Miami, Florida for di US wia she don dey live for di last two years.
Yadira dey part of a group of 44 women from Cuba, Colombia and Venzuela wey dey live for different parts of di US and dey prepare to di surgery to comot dia own implants.
She tell di tori of how she waka from hospitals, clinics and specialists wey no fit find out weda wetin dey do am na because of di implants or give am beta treatment wey go solve her pain.
‘We go do your bum-bum’
Henry bin dey always bring newspapers and magazines wey get adverts for surgery. “E tell me one day say, ‘look dem dey do bum-bum, we go do your bum-bum. Imagine say you get big bum-bum’. At first I no gree but later I say I go please am.”
She add say dem bin go one place wey no even be clinic but dem get operating table wey dem dey do breast implant and liposuction like one kain doctor office for Bello Monte for Caracas.
Na advert make dem go dia. Di adverts claim say dem dey use materials wey dem dey use for Europe and US.
She bin no wan get implants because she reason say her bum-bum no big or small say e just fit her bodi.
No be like she neva do surgery before. She bin get implants wey she put at di age of 21 because she bin get breast cysts wey dem later find out say na cancer cells wey cause dem to do partial mastectomy.
‘Put tape on am’
Di first time wey Yadira and Henry go dat office, dem just see line of women wey dey to collect biopolymers.
Di doctor tok say im be surgeon. E bin show di couple di liquid wey e bin wan inject inside her. E no get label of biopolymer, instead e say e dey expand cells to give ikebe.
Di doctor show im wife wey old like am. E say she get di same tin for her bum-bum for 15 years and neva get wahala. She look cool.
Yadira tok say, “I bin dey very confident so I no even do research about wetin dem dey put for my bodi. Di doctor clean me with antiseptic and give me local anaesthesia and I no see anytin sake of say I lie down for my belle, I no see wetin e use chook me or wetin im inject me. I no feel pain. E just put round band aid for each hole wey im chook di biopolymers and I go house.”
She add say, “wen I see my self for mirror I surprise, Henry say e dey wonderful. At first I bin dey more confident about sex not because of my self-esteem but because of di satisfaction wey dey get from am.”
But sone days later, water start to dey comot and wet her trousers, na im di doctor tell am make she use tape cover am and na wetin stop di liquid.
Red, strong and hot bum-bum
Yadira bin get one small part wey resemble cellulite and Henry tell her make she go doctor to fix am. Di doctor add more liquid but di hole no ever full.
She say, “one week afta dat second injection my bum-bum swell. Den turn red, strong and hot.”
She point to her shoulders say na so her hips and back to follow swell.
She explain di pain say, “I no fit lie down, I no fit sleep on my belle because of breast implants wey I get or my back because of di biopolymers for my bum-bum. To siddon na wahala. Di pain na like wen you match nerve, e dey run reach my legs. If I touch myself e dey get burning sensations.”
What of sex with di Henry wey ask am for di bum-bum, Yadira tok say e bin dey non-existent because of di pain.
As for Henry, “e bin dey demand am from me. E no get patience, e bin wan satisfy im own sexual desire no mata what and im bin no care weda she dey in pain or I dey on bed rest.”
‘You tell us say e dey safe’
Di doctor start to dey chook Yadira medicine to reduce di swelling and pain, every month wen she get her menses di same tin go happun, her bum-bum, back and hip go swell, e go turn red and become very strong and painful.
She tok say, “Henry go follow me hala doctor say shey you tell us say reaction no go dey. Doctor say e dey happun sometimes but e go fix am.”
Na so e happun every month for about a year until one month doctor tell dem say e dey to expensive to dey inject am painkillers cos e no dey charge dem.
Guinea Pig
Di swelling, pain, hardness and redness bin come back every tine wey Yadira get her period, she no fit siddon she no fit work.
She start to go from doctor to doctor but no one sabi wetin dey do am.
Dis na until wen she be like 27 or 28 wen she meet doctor wey bin dey do research on biopolymers. Na dat time time dem find rheumatoid arthritis for her hip.
She say, “I spend one year dey see di doctor wey dey research biopolymers. E bin no sure wetin to do and consult oda surgeons until im recommend laser liposuction. Di doctor bin get two patients wey get biopolymers so we bin dey like im guinea pigs.
“At dat time, I bin dey so desperate, I tell am say I want am make e comot all of am out. E bin no hard to waka but I get pain for my hip and spine.”
‘No inject!’
Henry and Yadira go di doctor wey chook am di biopolymer to tell am wetin dey happun.
One day Yadira comot trouser show her bum-bum for waiting room tell di women for dia say na wetin go happun if dem inject but pesin tell am say no be everybodi e dey do like dat.
She say, “di doctor tell me say e no fit help me again so I tell am say na either e solve dis wahala for me or I go come everyday dey show my bum-bum to scare patients comot.
“So e pay for di liposuction wey di researcher doctor do for me for 2011. Dat doctor comot jar wey dey full wit small small balls comot.”
Di pikin loss
For one year Yadira bin dey fine until 2012 wen di symptoms come back as she get her period.
Her back bin no swell like before but her bum-bum bin strong like blocks and na so dem find say 15% of di biopolymers still dey.
She say “I bin do di second liposuction wey I use my money pay for and I wia girdle for three months E no tay afta dat surgery wey I carry belle.”
Yadira bin born, get her first pikin at di age of 17 and no get infertility wahala. But she miscarry dat belle at di age of 32.
Di doctor bin diagnose her say she get Hashimoto thyroiditis, wey be wen di immune system start to dey attack di thyroid.
E say di miscarriage bin happun because of di irregular activity for her thyroid and e fit be because of her biopolymers.
E bin no clear weda na di thyroid bin make her bodi dey reject di biopolymer or di immune system dey act out of control because of am sotay e damage di thyroid.
Di funny part be say, her bodi no reject di breast implants wey she put na di biopolymers e dey reject.
But she later carry belle and for July 2014, she born boy wey she call Leo.
Pain come back
Afta dat second surgery, Yadira no get pain again for anoda 10 years until last year October wen everytin start to dey swell again. Dis time no be only di bum-bum and back but also di face and hands and for di first time, she get pain for joints.
She say, “I go hospital and as I dey wait for emergency room, I start to dey shake and faint. I tell di doctor say na di biopolymer but she no know wetin I bin dey tok.”
Dem keep am for di hospital for three days but no find anytin and dem say dem no fit comot di biopolymers since e no dey leak as na cosmetic surgery be dat and insurance no go cover am. Dem give her antibiotics for ten days and with time she start to dey recover.
Depression
Di doctor wey Yadira meet bin tell am to comot di implants for her breast too say e fit also dey cause di pain.
Yadira say she bin don dey Miami for a year and a half and bin wan go Venezuela to see her family and say e affect her say dem no dey wen she dey hospitalised.
Na dat time doctor give am antidepressant say her bodi dey behave like dat because she dey depressed but her psychologist say if she take am, she no go fit to bond with her son Leo, so she no take am.
Las-las she decide to find pesin wey go comot di remaining biopolymer for her bodi and she find one for Colombia but di way her immigration status be for US she no suppose comot but di pain bin almost make am take di risk but later e sha calm down wey make am rethink di whole mata.
Surgery and Injury
Yadira tok say “I bin travel for hours for road trip with my friend dey go Ohio dey siddon for hours na so my bum-bum come strong again like rock. I come dey get fever again, like na covid. I feel like I no go fit comot from bed again.”
As she bin dey Ohio, she remember her boyfriend wey make am get di injection, yes Henry, in bin dey call everyday to follow Leo tok but Yadira no gree ansa because she bin dey face all dis because of am.
But e tok say na both of dem decide on am.
“I bin do plenti tins because of Leo papa. I learn plenti tins but inside I lose who I be,” na wetin Yadira tok.
Yadira use plane go back Miami because she no gree siddon for hours. Dis na sake of say she hear about Dr Nair Nayaranan wey tok say e be sabi pesin on di mata of biopolymer for dia.
Na di doctor come declare say im go do open surgery to comot everything instead of di laser liposuction wey she don dey do before.
She say, “before di surgery I fear say I go die for di operating room because of my son Leo. I bin need to collect big loan because di insurance no cover any of di procedure.”
Di recovery bin dey long and painful because for di first three weeks, she no fit siddon. She say “I bin dey stand dey piss.”
She bin find am hard to sleep because of drains she bin no fit lie down for her side.
She say na her pikin, Leo bin dey hlp am to bandage and assist her with everything.
She bin dey stand to work for her computer and di recovery leave am with big scars.
Now Yadira dey try raise awareness about wetin biopolymers fit cause.
She say, “To di pipo wey wan get dem, I say: No do am! No injure yourself like dat!
“And to di pipo wey dey live with di pain, I wan remind you say methods dey. No give up cos hope still dey.”
Wetin be biopolymers and wetin dem fit cause?
Nair Nayaranan wey be di plastic surgeon wey help Yadira comot her implants say, “biopolymers fit dey made of anytin.”
E add say, “most women dey get silicone. But dem fit make dem with bone cement, like wetin dem use reconstruct di bone for di head or skull.”
Nayaranan recently see patient for im office wey come from Peru wey dem chook motor oil for her bum-bum like say na implant.
Di surgeon list out di symptoms wen biopolymer dey cause reactions be:
- Leg pain or difficulty in walking
- Numbness
- Muscle or joint pain
- Difficulty to siddon or lie down for long
- Mental confusion
- Change for skin colour line “crocodile skin”
Di surgeon explain say Yadira get Asia syndrome, wey be aggressive immune system response against foreign agents.
E say “my theory be say di bodi command di immune system to go hyper and cause all this kasala outside di area wia di implants dey.”
E tok say na theory because no scientific studies don analyse di effect of biopolymers for significant number of causes.
E say “e no dey demonstrated how silicone dey affect di bodi.”
But e tok say di biopolymers fit don make Yadiri to lose her pregnancy.
E say, “di tori of Yadira, fine woman wey no need to do plastic surgery to look beta dey happun for my practice again and again among Latina women most especially for Venezuelans.”
Nayaranan want di American Society of Plastic Surgeons to create group wey go specialise on removing and reconstructing silicone implant.
