S'porean woman paid S$12,600 for liposuction in KL promoted by influencer, now needs corrective surgery

A 37-year-old Singaporean woman has been told to get corrective surgery after she reportedly paid RM39,000 (S$12,579) for a liposuction procedure in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia.

According to New Straits Times (NST), her lawyer Yap Wai Shaun said in a press conference on Feb. 6 that the procedure was allegedly carried out by an unverified professional, and all payments made had allegedly been transferred directly to an Instagram influencer instead.

She had paid for the surgery in July 2025 after repeatedly seeing cosmetic procedure advertisements, and later followed the influencer who allegedly promoted the service.

Surgery location not provided beforehand

To secure her slot, Yap said that the woman had paid a deposit RM6,000 (S$1,935).

She later paid the rest of the surgery fee, which amounted to around RM39,000 (S$12,579).

The influencer later allegedly told her that the procedure would be carried out in an operating theatre with an arranged medical team.

However, the location of the surgery was not disclosed, with the woman only given a meeting point.

According to Yap, the woman was only informed of the medical facility on Nov. 12, 2025, the day of her operation.

She was also instructed to arrange her own pre-operative medical check-up at a general practitioner clinic, as she was not in Malaysia at the time.

Consultation and procedure conducted by unverified professionals

Prior to her surgery, a Chinese national allegedly conducted a pre-operative consultation.

Another Chinese national, whose medical qualifications could not be verified, inside the operating theatre later marked the woman's body for liposuction.

Yap said that the woman had "felt uneasy" but was allegedly told that her deposit would be forfeited if she did not proceed.

"As a result, she felt compelled to continue under significant pressure," he added.

All payments were also allegedly made to the influencer's personal bank account and to another clinic, instead of the medical facility where the liposuction was conducted.

The centre also allegedly only gave her a confirmation letter two weeks post-surgery, after the woman had repeatedly asked for her admission and discharge documents.

The woman then became suspicious after noticing that the letter was signed by a Malaysian, instead of the individual who had performed the surgery.

Excessive liposuction conducted, corrective surgery required

Yap said that the woman was later told to get corrective laser surgery after a second medical opinion revealed that excessive liposuction had been done.

The influencer told her that the "doctor" who had performed the operation "could not be contacted".

She was also told to travel to Shanghai for the corrective surgery.

Yap noted: "The original surgery was performed in Kuala Lumpur, raising serious questions as to why corrective treatment would need to be carried out overseas."

The woman is currently seeking accountability and has called on the authorities to investigate the matter to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael Chong also said that he would request the Malaysia Health Ministry to take action against the medical centre involved.

Top photo via Canva