Nguyen Phan Tu Dung from J W Korea Plastic Hospital in HCM City said in the last month the hospital has treated seven patients suffering complications due to filler injections. The filler used was allegedly of unknown origin.

The most severe case was N. T. T. H., a 40-year-old woman from HCM City. The patient was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. There was a deep hole on the right side of her chest, a necrotic area on her skin and a strange liquid oozing out.

The patient said she had undergone silicone injections twice in the hope of getting bigger breasts. She first underwent the procedure 20 years ago and did it for a second time 15 years ago.

However, from the beginning of this year, she noticed that her right breast became swollen and darker spots appeared. Recently, she noticed a deep hole on the right side of her chest. As it was so painful, the patient went to see a doctor.

Doctors decided to conduct surgery immediately to prevent the necrosis from becoming worse.

"It took us more than five hours to take out the entire lump of silicon, remove necrotic tissue and fill the hole in the patient's chest," Dung said, adding that it was very difficult because silicon has absorbed into fat and blood vessels, causing necrosis of the chest.

The patient is no longer in a critical condition.

After the surgery, she received antibiotics to prevent infection.

Dung said the use of silicone in cosmetic surgery has been prohibited because it can cause side effects and other dangerous complications. Therefore, she urged anyone who is interested in such techniques to do research into the subject and find trustworthy centres that are approved by the health authorities. — VNS