It was a 7 years’ wait for my husband and I before we had our first son. We were both very busy with our careers and I did not want to be tied down by having children when I was still very selfish and wanted my own freedom and spare time. When Caden came into our lives as a gift from Heaven, we were unprepared and really caught off guard. Fortunately, he was the first grandson for my parents so naturally they stepped in to help us look after Caden. I went back to work full-time and I was glad that my mother-in-law and mother were at our beck and call.

I was about 30 during a routine medical check-up when I discovered that I had a hormonal imbalance problem which rendered my menstruation cycles to be irregular. The condition was hereditary but because of the hormones, I put on a lot of weight and it was awful. I was given medication which made me sick all the time and I had to take a lot of time off from work when I was on medication. I stopped the medication, hit the gym but the water retention and weight increase was rapid. I was angry and sad with all the weight gain, and when one of my colleagues introduced me to Bikram Hot Yoga, I decided to try it out.

At first it was hard, but I became so addicted and I was attending class 4 times a week. Slowly, the water retention problem was controlled and my weight melted with every Bikram Yoga class I attended. After about 2 years, I was close to my pre-marital weight. Although the weight melted, my skin got really sensitive. It broke out often and I was red all the time. I could not go out with a red face so I had to turn to my dermatologist for help and I was prescribed with steroids to reduce the inflammation of the skin. The red skin was controlled, but my face grew bigger and rounder with the steriods. The more classes I attended for Bikram Hot Yoga, the worse the skin condition got and I realized that popping steroids was not an option. I made the decision to stop going for hot yoga.

My weight slowly crept back and my facial appearance was permanently enlarged. I found myself with extra weight, an enlarged face and no exercise regime. I think it was at this time when I conceived my second son. It was hard work holding a full time job, having a young child, carrying another child and trying to tame a wayward boss. Work was so stressful that I had spotting close to my 12 weeks. Things at work did not get any better as my pregnancy progressed and I was stressed out all the time. After a few visits to the gynaecologist, I was given strict warnings for bed-rest. For the whole pregnancy, I could not exercise and the total weight gain was a whopping 17kgs. I stood at the weighing machine and I was 27kgs heavier than my pre-marital weight. I wanted to cry but for the health and sake of my baby, I did everything that I could to make myself happy. My husband was very nice and supportive. He told me that if I needed, he would sponsor plastic surgeries like tummy tuck and inner thigh liposuction so that I could look better after the birth of my second son.

It was at this time when I started to research about plastic surgery. I came across BK Plastic Surgery Hospital in South Korea and found out that they had consultations in Singapore. To be honest, a tummy tuck in Singapore would cost a bomb especially if the plastic surgeon was reputable; therefore I had to look elsewhere for cheaper alternatives. I sent an email enquiry and Dr Kim Byung Gun from BK Plastic Surgery Hospital replied instantly. His English Language was very good and I was extremely surprised. He was very patient and he explained to me in detailed about the tummy tuck and inner thigh liposuction. The first email I sent to Dr Kim and his staff was more than a year ago. Dr Kim has since become an adviser and a friend. He was very considerate and accommodating with me and took time to reply to my emails which went on for more than 12 months. His staff also spoke good English so when I called them, they were able to explain to me clearly on the phone about the costs, downtime and risks of the surgeries.

I asked my friends and none of them wanted plastic surgery because the process was invasive and had a longer downtime. So after Charles’ birth and with 27 extra kilos, I decided to lose weight the natural way by eating sensibly and doing cardio exercises thrice a week. It helped and I lost 10 kilos quite easily. I continued losing some weight but the tummy was large and enormous, with loose skin and with stretch marks because Charles was a huge baby at 3.715kg. I hated my looks, and it came to a point when I refused to take photos, refused to look into the mirror and had low self-esteem. I confided in my husband, and Dr Kim, plus a plastic surgeon friend in Singapore and everyone seemed to give the same opinion that I should have a tummy tuck and inner thigh liposuction to remove the weight which I have gained during pregnancy.

The more I talked to Dr Kim, the more convinced I was that doing a tummy tuck and inner thigh liposuction could and would help me regain my looks and also provide with increased self-esteem. The fees which Dr Kim quoted were reasonable and affordable, even if I included the airfare. Hence, I made a very tough decision to do an invasive surgery in a foreign land to save my self-confidence.

Honestly, I am terrified of surgeries so my husband has kindly offered to go with me to South Korea for the tummy tuck and inner thigh liposuction. As the date of the surgery is nearing, I have a lot of mixed feelings- mostly fear and excitement that I would look much better, feel more confident and be happier with my new image. I will have more updates from South Korea, so stay tuned. The English website for BK Plastic Surgery Hospital is at http://english.bkhospital.com/.