TODAYonline | Print 2/15/11 11:44 AM

In pursuit of beauty
The young will try anything to look good, but at what price?
05:55 AM Feb 15, 2011
by Eveline Gan

WOULD you use a beauty enhancement product even if you have doubts about its safety?
The answer is a resounding "yes", according to several teenagers Today spoke to.
Last month, local media reported that three teenagers fell ill after consuming cookies
which claim to enhance breasts. The cookies, which the teenagers bought online, are not
licensed to be sold as food in Singapore.
The trio represent a worrying trend in Singapore. Look online and you will find many
blogshops openly touting similar beauty-enhancing products - from bust-firming candies
and cookies to slimming pills. Most of them do so illegally. Yet, this does not deter youths
who resort to cheaper, quick-fix tactics to look good.
Posing as a buyer, Today enquired about some bust-enhancement and slimming pills sold
on a local blogshop. The seller reassured that they are "100 per cent safe as they are
made from natural ingredients".
For two packets of slimming pills, which contain "fat blockers", the seller quoted a price of
$106. Each packet contains 60 pills. The blogshop also carries breast-enhancing cookies.
According to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, food products sold in Singapore are
"meant for consumption by the general public". They should not contain active ingredients
that promote bust-enhancement or reduce body weight, and are also not allowed to claim
that they have medicinal and therapeutic effects.
In pursuit of the perfect size
Architecture undergraduate Jean Cheong, 25, has tried various bust-enhancement
products, including F-Cup Cookies, since she was 17. In her eight-year pursuit for her
dream cup size (a C-cup), she told Today she has eaten all sorts of food - candies,
cookies and tea - which promises her a fuller bosom.
Jean, who runs a blog reviewing those products, said: "What I wanted in the first place
was the result, so I never bothered much about the health risks."
She remembers feeling "extremely hot all over and sweating profusely for an hour after
trying F-Cup Cookies". "My friends thought I was having a fever," she said.
The cookies, which contain a plant-based oestrogen, pueraria mirifica (see box), never
delivered what it promised. "There was no increment in my bust size. I only felt that my
breasts were firmer," said Jean, who called it quits after eating the cookies.
According to Dr Jane Lim, senior consultant at the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and
Aesthetic Surgery at National University Hospital, the size of one's bust depends on
genetic, dietary and hormonal factors. "Breast development occurs from about the age of
10 to 12, and continues until the girl reaches 18."
Growing up too quickly
These days, however, it seems that teenage girls can't wait to grow up faster - a trend
which is worrying doctors.

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According to Dr Kevin Teh, medical director of Singapore Lipo, Body and Face Centre, a
subsidiary of Singapore Medical Group, the youngest patient who asked to have her
breasts enlarged was only 16. He declined her request because, at that age, she might
still be developing physically.
"Many teenage girls who are less well-endowed than their peers feel self-conscious and
wonder why they were not blessed with full, shapely breasts. Many girls nowadays are
more and more precocious and are keen to emulate their favourite pop stars or movie
icons, most of whom have full breasts," said Dr Teh.
Teens resort to such measures in an attempt to improve their image and self esteem, said
Dr Asim Shabbir, consultant, Centre for Obesity Management and Surgery at the National
University Hospital
"While many are bold enough to seek proper guidance, others are too shy to share their
feelings or think they can do it themselves and hence resort to such measures," said Dr
Asim.
Using unorthodox methods to lose weight or increase bust size is dangerous, especially for
girls undergoing puberty.
During puberty, hormones like oestrogen and estradiol increase in a coordinated way that
results in physical as well as sexual characteristics gaining maturity, said Dr Teh.
"If any extraneous sources of oestrogen, or in this case phyto-estrogen, are introduced,
this may unbalance the natural processes and result in unexpected consequences," he
added.
Even for conventional breast-enhancement procedures such as surgical implants, Dr Teh
feels that it is best to do them when the girl reaches at least 18 years old and has
completed puberty.
"At this time, they should be more psychologically mature and can consider their choices
better, instead of giving in to a whim or peer pressure," he said.
A balanced-calorie diet and exercise optimises a teenager's growth, said Dr Daniel Wai,
director of Obesity and Metabolic Unit at LIFE Centre and consultant at the Department of
Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital.
"Extreme weight loss, as seen in patients with anorexia, stunts growth, weakens bones,
causes dry hair, and stop menses," said Dr Wai.
Ultimately, teenagers need to know there is no shortcut to a nice figure, and much of it is
due to genes, said Dr Lim.
"If people continue to advocate that having massive bosoms is equivalent to being
beautiful, women will continue to spend on bust-enhancing products that mostly don't
work," Jean said.

What's in a cookie?
Pueraria mirifica is a common ingredient in many bust-enhancement products.
The plant-based oestrogen mimics human female hormones, explained Dr Kevin Teh of Singapore Lipo,
Body and Face Centre.
"Theoretically, the phyto-estrogen will act like real human oestrogen and stimulate secondary female
characteristics such as breast growth. The problem is that there are few scientific studies that show any
significant correlation with their use and size enhancement," he said.
As pueraria mirifica has only at most 1 per cent of the effect of real human estrogen, Dr Teh said "any
change noticed is likely to be a placebo effect only". Dr Jane Lim of NUH warned that prolonged usage
may even be associated with cancer.
Dr Daniel Wai of SGH said slimming products generally contain either "fat-blockers" or "fat burners"
containing high dose caffeine, or herbs like ephedra - stimulants that raise metabolism. He said some

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slimming products may also contain diuretics, which causes water loss.
Too much caffeine can cause palpitations and withdrawal causes headache. Ephedra was banned by the
United States Food and Drug Administration in 2004 because of deaths linked to it. "The scary thing is
you can still buy it online!" said Dr Wai.
Last year, the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) investigated more than 40 cases involving the
illegal sale of medicine online.
"HSA strongly cautions the public not to risk their health for the sake of convenience, lower prices or
greater privacy of purchasing health products from dubious or unfamiliar sources. Products from dubious
sources can be dangerous as they may contain potentially harmful potent substances that could lead to
serious adverse complications," said a HSA spokesperson.
The HSA also advises consumers to be wary of unrealistic claims for health products. If it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.

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