Number of Kenyan Men Seeking Belly Fat Removal Grow

The number of young Kenyan men seeking surgery to remove belly fat has grown in recent years.

Business Daily reports that most men visiting different clinics in Nairobi for the procedure are aged between 28 to 36 years. Most of them are seeking a fat removal and transfer surgical procedure referred to as liposuction.

Prof Stanley Khainga, a cosmetic surgeon and president of the Pan African Association Plastic Surgeons told Business Daily that liposuction is helping men get a more chiselled look.

He clarified that liposuction aims at giving the body a more perfect-looking figure as opposed to reducing weight as many believe. He also noted that its never ‘‘a permanent way to banish fat.’’

Dr Martin Ajujo, a plastic surgery specialist at Nairobi's Surgeoderm Healthcare said about 30 per cent of his clients are men seeking liposuction. “Many men want fat removed from the belly to achieve the six pack look,” he says.

Ajujo said doctors, in some cases, extract the fat from different body parts and use it for other procedures among them facial and hand rejuvenation.

“Rejuvenating fat skin cells is done by harvesting stem cells from the abdomen or thigh fat to transfer it to various parts of the body such as the face or the breast,” says Dr Ajujo.

Prof Khainga said this is one of the main reasons why liposuction has grown popular because other cosmetic procedures can only be done after fat removal or transfer.

Majority of Kenyan women who get plastic surgery seek fat removal from their abdomens, underarms, thighs. The fat is then fined and transferred to the breasts or butt for an enhanced, but a more natural look.

“Women come in to get rid of the small pockets of fat that are not responding to exercises and dieting. Men often target areas like the chest or abdomen to gain a more desirable contour,” Dr Ajujo says.

Prof Khainga said the cost for the procedure varies depending on the volume of fat and combination of procedures done.

“It can be as low as Sh50,000 to Sh350,000 or even much higher depending on the area and volume of the fat removed. The prices also vary because often-time patients require a combination of procedures done,” he says.

“You can go home that same day, be able to walk and even go back to work the next day and after a week of painkillers you should be fine. There is the initial swelling but in three weeks you see the great results after the skin finally contracts,” says Dr Ajujo.

Blood clots, skin or nerve damage, and loose skin where the fat was extracted are some of short term risks of liposuction. One must have an optimal body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 to get a liposuction.

“The person should also be an non-smoker who does not take blood thinners or herbal medications,” Dr Ajujo says.