Franklin Heng, liposuction, vanity and medical tourism

I am very attached to my hair. But I have come to terms with the fact that one day it will disappear. Pregaine, regaine, and specialist herbal shampoos notwithstanding, nature and male pattern baldness takes its course.

Pride and narcissism are important qualities, especially helpful to bloggers who lay their ego on the line daily.

However, even useful qualities convert to negatives when taken to excess.

Irish doctors claim drinking two 'pegs' of whiskey daily has innumerable positive effects on cholesterol and stress reduction. Go beyond the prescribed two daily shots and one is knocking on the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Vanity is no different. A little pride is fine but taken to an extreme it is dangerous.

Plastic surgery is big business because of the vain. Liposuction also seems to have caught on since the 1980s. Botox and lasik are recent additions to meet demand for 'vanity products.'

Liposuction or 'fat modelling' is a surgery of sorts. The procedure for removing fat from the body requires general or local anaesthesia. Typically, extraneous fat is sucked out from the body after the insertion of a hollow tube.

There is nothing wrong with a person treating their body anyway they like. Have an abortion, paint tattoos, place breast implants, whatever you want. As for me, nothing external is entering my body unless a doctors informs me it is a 'do or die' situation.

Eye cream to reduce eye bags, regaine to encourage hair growth, and a gym routine to keep love handles and beer bellies in check are fine. Diet pills, liquefying fat or using sheep hormones is out of the question.

Nature is a powerful force. If individuals want to mess with nature, be my guest. I prefer to leave well enough alone.

Messing with nature sometimes has disastrous consequences.

Ask the late Mr. Franklin Heng's two kids. Mr. Heng died at the altar of vanity. More specifically, he died (in uncertain circumstances) during a liposuction procedure at a Singapore clinic.

In the last few months the reputation of Singapore's doctors has weathered several scandals. General practitioners to plastic surgeons have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The negative news flow may affect Singapore's aspirations as a medical tourism hub.

Science and progress move forward hand in hand. Biotechnology research is positive. How society uses the results of scientific research results is a more prickly matter.

Ultimately, we make our own choices. These choices collectively influence Life's forward movement over time. Living life to the fullest requires seizing opportunities with a vengeance.

Often, however, it is equally important to know when to gracefully let go.