A 33-year-old “pretty” is lying unconscious in a Bangkok ICU after a botched operation to inject collagen into her thighs left her brain starved of oxygen.
Doctors at Kluai Nam Thai 1 Hospital say they don’t know if Athitaya “Kratae” Iamyai will ever be the same again.
Kratae’s 62-year-old father, Lamiat Khetkhan, told Daily News that his daughter had supported the whole family as a “pretty” – an attractive female host and presenter – for 10 years.
He said he was devastated at the news.
“We thought of Kratae as the pillar of our family, who earned money to look after her younger sister and mum and dad,” he said. “All [we] hope is for our daughter to get better.”
According to “Pim,” a fellow “pretty”, on September 16 Kratae and a ladyboy friend had gone to a condominium in Lad Phrao for an appointment with a man claiming to be a doctor.
The man, who gave his name as “Pop,” had promised to inject collagen into Kratae’s thighs for THB40,000. Such operations usually cost THB70,000, Pim said.
Pim said Pop gave Kratae an injection, but after 5-10 minutes she started to have trouble breathing. Then she began to lose consciousness.
The rogue surgeon rushed Kratae to Ladphrao Hospital – before fleeing and switching off his cellphone.
Doctors at Ladphrao said Kratae’s heart stopped beating and her brain was starved of oxygen for more than four minutes.
Her family later transferred her to Kluai Nam Thai 1 Hospital.
Pim said that it was popular among “pretties” to undergo plastic surgery but that it was important to choose a trustworthy surgeon.
She said sometimes nurses’ assistants who had witnessed such operations memorized the procedures – and began performing them themselves outside the clinics at cut prices.
Kratae’s distraught mother Rabiap Phinklap, 57, said her daughter’s condition was currently stable but doctors had told her to prepare for the possibility that Kratae could die or never wake up.
Rabiap said Kratae had paid for her sister’s education and even bought a plot of land for the family to build a home on.
“I want to warn people who are going to have plastic surgery. Please use doctors in clinics that meet standards and follow the law. Don’t use illegal doctors like this,” she said.
