In Pursuit of Stopping “Chicken-Stock Butt” DIY Beauty Trend — Dr.

“Misinformation in general is so dangerous and in the beauty industry, it can cause permanent damage and even death.”

In Pursuit of Stopping “ChickenStock Butt” DIY Beauty Trend

By Riyani Indriyati

“Misinformation in general is so dangerous and in the beauty industry, it can cause permanent damage and even death.” Dr. Mimi Lim, Mimosa Beauty and Spa, Porto.

My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw the video of a group of Congolese women injecting chicken stock cubes to enlarge their butts. The process was also quite barbaric! They crush and liquify the seasoning blocks into a thick paste, pour them into a syringe then inject it into their body by anal insertion. This practice is so dangerous as it can cause abscesses and inflammation. For me as a medical professional, if there is anything that I want to contribute to the beauty industry is to stop misinformation, especially those that are baseless, misleading, and not supported by research or science.

From Darkness to Light

I am here because of life changes and sometimes, difficult situations in life force us to make bold decisions that can actually bring out the best in us. When I arrived in Portugal I had a complete life change during my second year here, during the pandemic and I was in a painful and the darkest spot of my life

When I went back home to Malaysia for some healing time, I thought perhaps it would be best to stay there as I had my family, my friends, and all the familiarities that were comforting and seemed easy. But then I thought, what exactly would I accomplish if I went back to the life that I left years ago? I owe it to myself to at least give it a try and therefore I stayed in Porto Before starting my studio, I worked for a Prelada multidisciplinary clinic that provided traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic care, and physiotherapy. Then I decided that it was time to have a private practice so that I could run the way I wanted it. At that time, it felt like a personal test to see if this choice was really meant for me. As time went by, I started to understand Portuguese culture a lot better. I got to meet great people, made new friends, and simultaneously continued to learn about life, about business, and to some extent about myself too. Gradually life became better and a lot more enjoyable partly thanks to my first clients who trusted me and allowed me to take them on a different journey in beauty and wellness treatment. A year went by so quickly and I was amazed realizing how strong and able I was. I’ve grown out of that dark phase.

Beauty Journey

Growing up, I’ve always been attracted to wellness and beauty, especially beauty rituals in Asia. I was surrounded by delicate and natural approaches to beauty like using rose water, tamarind, turmeric or jamu (herbal drink) that

was so soothing. None of them was radical and it seemed like these natural products treated beauty issues from within that I also believed in. Because of that upbringing and because I was so into it, I kind of knew that I would go into a career in beauty and wellness. In Jakarta where I studied for my medical degree, I went to a lot of beauty spas and salons that provided massages, body scrubs, hair and skin treatments enjoyed by various groups of women regardless of their ages. Upon my graduation I went back to Kuala Lumpur and worked at a Korean clinic where I was sent to Soul for four months and studied under Doctor Oracle, a prominent dermatologist. This period was a turning point as it helped me shape my own philosophy about beauty where I don’t only treat skin issues and perform instant treatments, but I want to find out the underlying causes so I can also treat them from within. This became my business model to see my patients as more than just professional acquaintances. I treat them like family or friends. I make a habit of staying in touch with them and give them full and direct access to me. One thing that I really take pleasure in is that I am a lot more involved with everything. My patients can always text me if they are not sure about the products they buy, they can send me pictures and I would help them decide what is best for them.

When it comes to the beauty approach, I must say that the trend in Asia is crazy. For example, in Korea it’s very common to give rhinoplasty as a graduation gift whereas in most European countries, I think the women are a bit more careful when it comes to performing drastic changes to their faces. They want to embrace aging but at the same time they want to still feel like themselves. I personally fall in between Southeast Asia beauty standard and European beauty standard. I am not too crazy about whitening and outrageous spending just to achieve something that might not be achievable. I believe that it is important to accept the fact that we age. I think the emphasis should be put on looking good at your age, feeling good about your age, and not trying to completely reverse or go back to where you were. It would be odd to be 40 and looking like you are 16. We need to embrace the bad days and enjoy the good but don’t go in search of something that is impossible to achieve. Our appearance is only the window and not the entire house. To me, individuality in beauty is beautiful.

Embracing Beauty

For a long time, I think women have been under pressure to meet unreasonable beauty standards set by our society. When we were kids, people complimented our appearance, but rarely did they flatter our important traits like our intelligence, courage, leadership, or communication skills. Back then, parents didn’t give too much thought that what they are saying to their kids in the formative years can have lasting impacts. But I feel that nowadays people know more about the importance of individual beauty and time has changed as well where young women are now a lot more confident about themselves. I was not like that growing up. I was raised to sit quietly and be polite, not talk too much and just be nice.

With what I do I try to insert some of that self-worth value to my patients as it is part of the “treating from within” philosophy I believe in. That makes what I do a bit unique because I often make accidental friendships which is the

loveliest thing that can happen from me treating people. They open up in ways that I didn’t expect where learning about a person also means learning about ourselves and there is nothing that can top that of.

In terms of how Portuguese women look after their beauty, I must say that the majority only focus on cleaning but nothing personalized. That’s where I bring my Tender, Love, and Care (TLC) where we began our wellness journey. It usually started with a gentle encouragement to embrace aging and to add value and enhance without changing too much. In the future, I predict that personalized beauty treatment is the way to go. I also believe that wellness also needs to be embraced by men. We need to change the narrative and misconception that beauty and wellness are only for women.

Making a difference

When I was informed about this opportunity, I was not sure I would fit in your platform. I just didn’t think that I had what you were looking for but now that we have talked, I feel there are maybe a thing or two I can share with your readers. My hope is that I can be someone who can bring new perspectives about approaches to wellness and beauty as a whole and not just a quick fix. With my daring and curious personality, I hope other women or men out there who still fear making bold choices can feel less afraid and just be a bit braver. To me, the definition of success in life or career has somewhat changed. When I was in Malaysia, I treated a lot more high-end clients than here but the treatment itself is the same and I still want the same thing for my clients and that is for them to get the best. I left the glitz and glamor and in Porto I appreciate other things like good weather, positive community, good food and wine etc. With the transition here I feel a lot more appreciative and closer to the people.

It is true though that I work more hours as I am one woman show. I clean the windows, I treat my clients, I do the laundry, the inventory you name it. At times it can be lonely with no one to bounce ideas off of, and I have to deal with complicated procedures which can be challenging but I learn to take pleasure in it. I remember feeling so scared that I couldn’t sleep but staring at the ceiling aimlessly. It suddenly dawned on me that I had a lot of knowledge, and I didn’t exercise what I had. I thought that a day I didn’t do anything was a day lost. It was very erratic to figure everything out until one day I just jumped and did it.

In life, once we minimize our light, we minimize something about ourselves too. I am now a lot more confident, a lot more assertive, and it feels like everything falls into its place because I made a bold choice to not suffer in silence.

Fun Questions What do you miss most about home?

Food is number one followed by familiarity, family, and friends. I left home when I was 13 to go to a boarding school. I got detached to the idea of a family who will always be there to hold you. It prepared me for who I am today especially when I am alone and had to have an honest conversation with myself.

Where is home to you?

Home is Malaysia and Indonesia because I lived in Indonesia for 6 years. Part of my formative years was developed there. I always go back and reconnect to feel like myself again. You can say that Malaysia is the father and Indonesia is the mother to me. I need both.

What do you feel as your best quality?

That I like what I do. I like to study and improve myself. I open myself to new opportunities as it’s vital. I am my own agent so I can choose what I want. I am open to everything!

What is your motto?

It may sound cliché but it’s Carpe diem. It really is and there’s no better way to express the importance of doing things when you see the opportunity. Someday you just have to seize it. You have to be prepared when you have to jump.

What would we be surprised to know about you?

That I write too, and I got published several times.

Any crazy client story?

The craziest story was one of my clients did a stem cell therapy that was very pricey to reverse aging. It costs 20.000 euros! I had a nightmare a few days leading up to that treatment. It involved me pushing this stem cell into this person. I blacked out because I was so nervous, so it was very memorable and a bit crazy.