The 'buffalo horn lip' beauty craze in Thailand

Many women are willing to spend thousands of dollars to have their lips 'cut' into buffalo horn shapes, creating a beauty craze in Thailand.

Appearing in Thailand 5 years ago, but recently buffalo lip surgery has become popular and is spreading to other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Young girls compete to have their lips cut because they believe this will bring them fame and money.

This beauty trend started on an online plastic surgery forum called Dungdong. Forum participants said they wanted to imitate the image of actress Patcharapa Aum Chaichua and rushed to doctors to get lips like Patcharapa. A lip reduction surgery in Thailand costs about 33,000 baht (about 21 million VND).

Actress Patcharapa Aum Chaichua with lips that young people are racing to imitate.

But it's getting worse, and some plastic surgeons are trying to stop it. "It's become a national problem, all because of the internet," plastic surgeon Chamnong Chirawichada told the Bangkok Post.

A typical lip surgery in Thailand.

Dr. Chamnong said he has turned down thousands of requests for lip augmentation over the past few years, even doubling the price to discourage women from undergoing the dangerous procedure. But many still come to him and keep asking. If they are not satisfied, they will go to another beauty center.

Buffalo lips are created by removing flesh from both sides of the upper lip, making the upper lip thinner and the middle lip more prominent. However, the problem is not the shape but the complications that can occur with lip surgery. Those who have had the surgery find it nearly impossible to close their mouths or their upper lip disappears completely when they smile.

Famous Thai plastic surgeon Dr. Adunchai said that many Asians have thin lips but still request lip reduction. And instead of measuring the lips when assessing the patient, some doctors deliberately skip this step to make money. Plastic surgery forums also warn about the harmful effects and unsuccessful surgeries, but that does not seem to scare young girls away.

There have been many botched lip surgeries that have resulted in lifelong scarring.

Hundreds of women have been forced to undergo another surgery to reconstruct their lips because the previous surgery left painful scars and they could not close their mouths properly. However, lip repair is very expensive because it is a complicated procedure, and some defects are even irreversible.

The media has linked the popularity of this type of cosmetic surgery in Thailand to superstition. Some plastic surgeons say many people come to have their lips cut because they believe it will bring them fame and fortune.

According to the Star