CARACAS: Maria Sanchez walks slowly through her house in the Venezuelan capital with two surgical drainage bags hanging from her waist — the nightmare result of her search for the perfect derriere.
Almost a decade ago she underwent a backside-enhancing procedure, the kind that has soared in popularity as women crave a figure popularized by celebrities like Jennifer Lopez or Kim Kardashian.
"I was mutilated," the 50-year-old tells AFP, but "I had to assume the consequences."
In 2006, she was injected with what is known as a biopolymer, a term commonly used to refer to naturally derived products, but which also encompasses synthetic fillers made from silicone or even paraffin.
Sanchez now has a scar running across her lower back as a painful reminder of the reconstruction surgery in which doctors managed to extract 90 percent of the filler.
The fillers, seen as a cheaper and less invasive alternative to fat grafting, are injected and expand inside the body.
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Their use was banned in Venezuela in 2012 after years of massive commercialization in outpatient clinics but also in hair salons and even in doctors' offices.
Recognition of their toxicity is growing.
Neighboring Colombia on Tuesday enacted a law imposing two- to 10-year jail terms on those who inject biopolymers in consumers as well as fines up to US$70,000.
Growing numbers of people suffering chronic pain are seeking to have biopolymer removed from their bodies.
Last year, American rapper Cardi B admitted she had had polymer filler removed from her buttocks, warning young women against the procedure.
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