Weight loss gone wrong

KUALA LUMPUR: A 30-year-old man spent RM80,000 on a weight loss programme but ended up having 30 open wounds, with one as big as a fist, around his waistline.

The man, who only wanted to be known as Lim, said he got to know about the “needleless injection” treatment when a friend suggested that they enter into the cosmetics business in October 2009.

“Initially, I was not interested, but after much persuasion by the friend, who guaranteed a monthly RM50,000 profit, I decided to try the treatment first,” he said at a press conference organised by the Cheras MCA here yesterday.

The former real estate marketing executive said he felt unwell immediately after the injection.

“I started developing blisters at the areas where I was given the jabs. The situation became worse after that,” he said. “When I told my friend about the problem, he told me that it was normal.

“However, after three months, my condition deteriorated,” he added.

Lim said he started having inflammation, though the beauty parlour owner told him that the product was a “bestseller” throughout the world.

Not convinced, Lim decided to seek medical treatment.

“I saw five doctors but none had any idea what caused the wounds. All they could do was to prescribe antibiotics,” he said.

Lim said he started bleeding and there was also discharge from the wounds.

Subsequently, he went to a hospital for an operation, which required him to have his wounds cleaned every day for six months.

“Because of that, I could not work and eventually lost my source of income,” he said, adding that he recovered only in July last year.

Lim said he had come forward to warn others of such a treatment and to prevent them from becoming victims.

(ANN/THE STAR)